New Voice Community
By Rob Safuto on Jun 5, 2006 in Community, Social Media | Tags: Community , Forums , Vaestro , Voice
Most of us are very familiar with web based communities. One of the earliest form of web based communities was the threaded message board or forums. In recent years social networking sites and Wikis have reduced the demand for forum sites as a method of connecting.
That said, plain old forums are still a great way to connect with people and find information. And now a new service called Vaestro takes the forum concept a step further. Vaestro is a voice powered forum. Instead of starting and continuing a discussion with text, Vaestro users record and listen to posts using a pop up flash recorder/player provided by the service.
According to their website, “Vaestro is audio forum software that you can use on your website for free. Talk to your friends, host interactive podcasts, or use it like an audio blog. With Vaestro, everyone has a chance to speak and be heard.”
I’ve tried it out by listening to a few posts, registering for an account and setting up my own board. The service works well and could be an interesting addition to the tools used in social communication today. No special software is required except the ubiquitous Macromedia Flash. On the hardware side you simply need a microphone connected to your computer.
I like this new, rich media twist on a forum and recommend that you stop by and see what’s happening. How could you use audio forums to add value to your business, project or podcast?
[tags]Social Media, Community, Forums, Voice, Vaestro[/tags]
