Source: Josh Bancroft, http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshb/1461257223/
Someone asked about taping conversations with her father
over the phone.
It really hit a nerve with me (probably since when I grew up
and even now have lived far from family).
This person went on to say that her father wouldn’t use the
recorders that she had left with him over the years.
Gosh – doesn’t that sound like my family! Not necessarily the recorders element and the
aspect of trying to get information from family members when it’s not a
priority for them!
And, since, back in the day, I was trying to get
information, before the internet, smartphones, netbooks, ipads, cheap/free phone
calls, etc, one was limited to meeting in person, letter writing and phone
calls for getting information. Except,
when a transatlantic phone call was involved – you couldn’t afford the time or
$ to do a family history inquisition and normally just chatted about what
everyone was doing and that they were well.
Now, let’s come forward again ... the query on the
Technology for Genealogy FB page got me thinking about how, with all our new
technologies, can we use those to “remotely” get family history information
from those relatives who are still alive and yet live remotely from us?
Obviously, if someone has internet access and can type – you
might just find the answers in grandma’s blog or on a cousin’s website or find
that if you write them an e-mail, they will respond to “posed questions.”
And, I bet we all know someone who just can’t or won’t
respond in writing...
What is a genealogist to do?
The referenced posted question asked about recording phone
conversations with her father and how she might do that. I thought, how
brilliant, to record (with permission) a phone conversation that you have with
someone where you ask questions of interest and listen to the resulting answers
and stories. Quite a few “technical” suggestions
on how to do this were proved in response to the post and can probably be found
elsewhere on the web.
Do you have your own thoughts on how to
record “phone” conversations?
That got me to thinking about when my daughter was in
Sevilla Spain
Can one record skype video/audio? Have you done this? Please share what you used?
Apparently yes. I did
some GoogleTM searching and there are some programs out there for
just this purpose.
Then, I got to thinking, what about Voice over IP (VoIP)
calls through some other provider like RingCentral? Though I happen to have a physical handset (I
still like to use one for making phone calls when just talking to my computer
won’t do ) many who use VOIP phone numbers don’t, they just use
their computer’s native mic or they use a headset/mic combination.
Can these phone calls be recorded? Have
you done this? Please share what you
used?
Are there other ways that we “might”
communicate with distant relatives whom we want to interview and yet won’t be
physically in their presence to either video and/or audio record them? Any thoughts or suggestions?
Though we can communicate more easily than ever with so many
living in so many places, this doesn’t yet mean that it’s like being together
with a tape and/or video recorder in hand in the same room. And, can it be?
Editor’s Note:
Technology for Genealogy is a closed FB page and that just means that you ask
to be added and wait for approval.
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Years ago, before cell phones, I purchased a small, rather inexpensive device from Radio Shack that attached via a suction cup to the lower end of my phone receiver and its cord plugged into my cassette recorder. It worked brilliantly. Recorded both my voice and the person being interviewed. I later also used it on my digital recorder. It doesn't work well on cell phones, so I haven't used it in several years.
ReplyDeleteI use a program called Pretty May to record audio conversations over SKYPE for my work. The program is economical (you buy minutes ahead of time and they provide a surprising amount of time for the cost). Also, it is easy to use for a "non-technical" person. You can save the recording on your computer just like any other file. This is a great idea for genealogy research. Hope this helps.
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