Voices from the Past - Case study

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Voices from the Past - a case study from Columbia, Missouri - looks at using a technology that uses simple voice messages that are tied to text – in this case signs.  It is, in a sense, radio on demand. It was developed to replace the rental audio units that museums use for tours, but with the help of Dave Asheim at Guide by Cell, it has been adapted it for the media.

Research Goals:

The project tests the ability to connect users of the most simple cell phones to additional information. Less than 20% of mobile phones are "Smartphones" that connect to the Web. Most can only make voice and text connections. This project extends the content richness of "apps" to all mobile phone users. Future uses could include on-site information about zoning issues, community festivals or historical stories.

Voices from the Past uses a system developed by Guide by Cell, a San Francisco company that primarily serves museums and similar institutions. The GBC system is most often used to replace rental audio headsets used for self-guided museum tours.

Project Team

A team of three undergraduate journalism students at the Missouri School of Journalism, along with Reynolds Journalism Fellow Clyde Bentley, researched the lives of the persons memorialized on the benches and then produced individual audio stories that were loaded into the Guide by Cell system. Students from the MU College of Engineering constructed metal brackets for the special sign that tell trail users how to access the stories. The City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department provided background information and logistical support. Funding came from the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute.

Bigger Implications

Any newspaper or broadcast outlet could implement this kind of technology – find some sort of historical or tourist trail and place signs keyed to the recorded information. But that is just the start. Consider:

• Planning and zoning stories: Place temporary signs at the location so that people could see firsthand what was at issue. Perhaps link them to a story in the newspaper or on a Web page or to an artist's rendering of what the new development will look like. The response function could let citizens express their opinion of the plans.
• Catastrophe coverage. Rubber-neckers are a fact of life and often cause traffic problems or return from the scene with terribly skewed information. A series of recordings tied either to a printed story or to signs could guide drivers to appropriate places and the explain to them accurately what they are seeing.
• Festival coverage: Every town has a Wedding Fest, a fair or something similar. Ad-driven coverage could let people hear from the vendors themselves without having to actually push their way up to the booth.

Cost:

The Voices from the Past Project worked with Guide By Cell Inc. and paid an up front installation fee.  This fee will depend on your particular needs.  In addition to that fee, there is a monthly usage charge.  A basic system will cost approximately $200 per month, but a contract will have to be negotiated directly with the organization.

More cost information available here:

Dave Asheim, president

Guide By Cell, Inc.

300 Beale St., Suite 608

San Francisco, CA   94105 (

415) 615-0150 Fax:  (415) 373-4494

dave@guidebycell.com

What does this mean?

Then there is the text message extension. Text messages are by far the most popular non-voice use of mobile technology. Many news outlets offer text "alerts" that send a brief message to subscribers. But like Twitter, the messages are limited to 140 characters. That offers little detail – unless the last few characters are a telephone number linked to a Guide By Cell number. Then the news consumer could call to get a longer audio report about the incident. Better yet, those reports can be recorded in the field from the reporter’s own cell phone. That would allow live coverage of say, a fire, that is delivered to cell phones all over the region.

Where a topic is such where a member of the audience will understand it better if they see it with their own eyes. Almost everyone has a cell phone that does voice/text, it means that you don’t have to do anything special. Guide can be something like a sign – but the guide can also be story in a paper. Way of bringing in citizen journalism to the paper, but with a moderated journalism platform.

Guided tour of what you want to be guided – think in terms of a museum – guiding people through information with visuals – information is incomplete without seeing it. This allows people to see things for themselves and get the background information on it.