One challenge we face while recording Folklories with older people is that they find it hard to use a phone app or laptop to do the recording. Most of us reading this are probably familiar with Zoom and Google Meet, but many older folks still find it very hard to operate. We’ve also noticed that sometimes the internet can be patchy, which ruins the recording experience.
Given these hurdles, we wanted to simplify the experience to record a Folklory - make it as simple as making a phone call! Guess what? We did it - and we’ll share more in today’s issue of the newsletter
Before we get in, a quick note -
We’re opening Folklory slots for March. If you’re thinking of a special gift for a parent or partner for their birthday in March or April, you can get them a Folklory. We’ll make sure we deliver it in time for the special day. We also have a limited number of Cassette-shaped players - something you can gift wrap along with the Folklory gift.
Ok, back to hacking phone-in Folklories
The main idea was to let people with limited internet access, or even just a phone, join a special line to record a Folklory. It's a great way for those who are not tech-savvy or located in areas without strong internet. All the person needs to do is call us on a number we share and have a conversation as if it were just another phone call.
To make this work we had to connect the phone line to an audio mixer and then connect that to our laptop recording the audio. Once the recording was complete, it was time for post-production, and thanks to some AI and Human audio clean-up, the end product sounded really good! We’ve already done a couple of Folklories this way and truth be told, we would not be able to differentiate between a Folklory recorded using the virtual studio and via this new phone-in method.
This was a big breakthrough as we can now do 2 new things
Allow people who have patchy internet to complete their Folklory interview
Allow people who are not tech-savvy to complete their Folklory interview
With the upcoming Words of Wisdom project, we expect many seniors to pick the phone-in method to record their stories.
Until next time,
The Folklory Team
Know someone who might be looking for a perfect birthday gift for their loved one? Share this with them and they’ll thank you later. Or hear directly from our customers