Collect the content, then share your project!

You need content for a Life Story project. Not just the content you’ll generate yourself in the recording or the shoe box of old photos you have stashed under the bed. You also need that photo album you’re Great Aunt has stashed away. Or the old Super 8 films Uncle Bob shot back in the ’60′s. But you also want the new digital images your grandchildren are taking on their new fangled smart phones. You have an idea of what you want to create but you have to pull it all together to make it work. Producing the Life Story is for later but how do you collect the scattered information?

Herding Cats

Getting information from relatives is akin to herding cats. Everyone has their ideas of what they want to do. What works for me is to give them clear and concise instructions of what I want depending on the skills of who I’m talking to. For some people you may need to go to their home and scan the photos, while others can use email and online sharing services.

Physical Digital Media Systems …via By Danny Nicholson on Flickr

• What do you want?
• Who has it?
• What form is it in?
• Can it be digitised?
• Can they convert it to digital?
• How do you want it shared?
• Do they have the skills to share it?
• Do others near them have the skills?
• What are the alternatives?

And if all else fails you may need to travel to them and do all the work in gathering the information.

Sharing the finished Life Story Project

Once you’ve finished your masterpiece of this persons Life Story you’ll eventually want to show it to everyone involved so the same will apply but in reverse.

Types of information

First of all you need to decide what information you need, what’s available and in what format…

Physical – Analog

Tapes, cassettes, films, photographs

Physical – Digital

CDs, DVDs, Thumb Drives, Hard Drives, SD Cards, Floppy discs, In built memory in cameras, etc,.

Once you’ve decided what you want, who has it and where it is you have to decide how you’ll get access to it for your project.

Transfer methods

You know what you want and where it is, now you have to get it to you using one of these systems.

Get DropBox for easy file sharing

Physical

Post or hand deliver the physical items to who needs the information.

Email

Limited size of attachments could need multiple emails for a project. Okay for a couple of images.

Digital internet transfers

Digital transfer services for large files such as DropBox etc.

Internet and Web

Place the content to share with others on various sharing services. Some have ability to have private accounts while others are public only.

• Everything – Archive.org, Facebook, Google+.
• Images – Flickr, Panorama, Photobucket & many others
• Video – YouTube, VIddler, Vimeo.
• Audio – SoundCloud.
• Everything – Your own website.
• Everything – FTP. (If you don’t know what it is don’t worry, if you do, consider it)

Using variations on these systems could also be used for sharing your finished project.

Choose the system to suit the personality

Collecting and sharing your project is about communication.
Take the time to consider who you want to communicate with. What do they have in what system. Do they have the skills needed and change your responses to suit the different people involved. Maybe they can’t use the technology but they know someone who can help.

At the end of the day you can always go for a visit, grab a cup of tea, have a chat and share the information you’re after.

Ian’s Preference

If they have the skills (or someone can help them), my preference is the amazingly convenient DropBox. It’s free up to 2 GB (more with this link) and can be used for far more than just sharing a few files with friends. If that’s too much of a struggle then the old email or going for a drive and doing the leg work at least guarantees results but it’s time consuming and nowhere near as convenient as DropBox. WeTransfer is good for a one-off situation but inconvenient if it’s an ongoing situation.

When it comes to sharing the finished project using systems like SoundCloud and YouTube is a great way to get it to people but there is nothing better than watching their reaction when they watch the video with them.

I think the best system to share to the masses is to use the one stop shop in your own free WordPress.com web site where they can get to your production as it suits them.

Action:

• What do you want?
• Who has it?
• Choose the best sharing system to suit the individual.
• Get hold of the information.

Interesting Links from this Post

• Dropbox.com  Up to 2GB of storage then share folder and content to others.
• WeTransfer.com Up to 2GB file size free.
• YouSendIt.com 500 mb file size, 2GB storage, 14 day free trial.
• ShareFile.com Up to 10GB file size, Free 30 day trial.

Click thu to iTunes

Use some of the ideas in the e-Book Recording Life Stories. Just sign up for it in the side bar form.

To get a kick start, get the Quick Start Guide to Your Life Story by clicking hereand be underway in just an hour.

To automatically receive this free podcast, click on the iPhone image to the right or search in iTunes for “Create Your Life Story” or Subscribe in iTunes by Clicking here. If you use another Podcast software Get the feed here.

Support Create Your Life Story by using one of these services from the top navigation bar, commenting on this episode with social network sites below or writing a review on iTunes.

← If you want to hear some other great stories about the interesting lives that people have, listen to my other podcast at Your Story or on iTunes.
…Or have a look at some other great shows available at LifeStyle Pod Network→

Joan Chamorro, Andrea Motis, Bobby Gordon, Sant Andreu Jazz Band
“Lousiana Fairy Tale” (mp3)
from “Joan Chamorro presenta Andrea Motis”
(Temps Record)
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Wayman Tisdale
“Slam Dunk” (mp3)
from “The Wayman Tisdale Story”
(Rendezvous Music)
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Benjamin Drazen
“Jazz Heaven” (mp3)
from “Inner Flights”
(Posi-Tone Records)

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More On This Album

Audio as prompts & atmosphere for your personal story!

The most obvious audio you have, will be the recorded conversation and the most obvious prompts for getting that audio are questions. But there are other types of prompts, including audio.

Old Time Radio Drama Sound Effects

When editing a Life Story there is nothing better than music for setting the tone. In your world you’re immersed in music from the radio, television, records, live performances and now all their digital versions. It’s impossible not be affected by the music that’s around you and often just hearing a snippet will remind you of  your past or that of your culture.

Audio to remind, other than music.

Some families are fortunate to have audio from private sources. These could be tape recordings, film or video of people when they were younger or the atmosphere of events. The audio reminders of you life, like music, can also be the sounds that take you back to the times long ago. Are you lucky enough to have audio of a wedding, a child’s first words or the sounds of an overseas trip?

The audio not normally considered is the background to the home movies you shot decades ago. Stripping out the audio track and using it as a prompt will remind you of things that are missing from the video, then you can build on the video with your stories.

Record your own audio atmospheres …via vancouverfilmschool on Flickr

Record your own atmospheres

Maybe as you wander through your life working on your Life Story project you’ll have access to audio to help explain the era being talked about. If you happen to visit a museum, workplace or performance you could record some contemporary audio to use as background for a historical period. For example visiting a steam-powered machinery day would give you a chance to record the sounds of traction engines to lay under the background stories you tell if relevant. The sound of an old telex machine working in a museum could be used to explain office life. Even a treadle sewing machine or manual type writer could be laid under audio of the relevant story.

Cultural audio to jog your memory.

You’ve been immersed in sound all your life. Consider the sounds about a time you want to talk about.

The internet with the power of search now gives you access to sound recordings to prompt and enhance your Life Story. Search for an atmosphere of a work period of your life, or an event you participated in and use that to create the prompts to talk about. Then you can lay the atmosphere or effect into the Life Story to enhance the audio of the stories as they’re talk about. Audio from your life to consider could be from the following areas.

Recorded Sound Effects …via Jacob Whittaker on Flickr

• Work atmospheres
• Clubs and organisations
• Hobby sounds
• Events and celebrations
• News broadcast
• Film, television and radio broadcast
• Historical events
• Natural atmospheres

Action:

• What historical recording do you have?
• Record some audio of your own – Be creative
• Have a look at the web sites below to discover  available audio.
• Write down your memories when you hear a piece of audio.
• Use those notes as prompts for recording your Life Story.
• Use the audio to enhance the stories you’ve record in the mix.

Do you have some audio for your Life Story? Comment below and share your thoughts.

Links to start discovering available audio…

Click thu to iTunes

Use some of the ideas in the e-Book Recording Life Stories. Just sign up for it in the side bar form.

To get a kick start, get the Quick Start Guide to Your Life Story by clicking hereand be underway in just an hour.

To automatically receive this free podcast, click on the iPhone image to the right or search in iTunes for “Create Your Life Story” or Subscribe in iTunes by Clicking here. If you use another Podcast software Get the feed here.

Support Create Your Life Story by using one of these services from the top navigation bar, commenting on this episode with social network sites below or writing a review on iTunes.

← If you want to hear some other great stories about the interesting lives that people have, listen to my other podcast at Your Story or on iTunes.
…Or have a look at some other great shows available at LifeStyle Pod Network→

Like a bud unfolding in time-lapse to a flower.

I speak often of not only the importance of recording a retrospective of your life but also capturing a life story as it’s live. There are many ways. Here is another…

Today my favourite uncle passed away.

It started with Bill, …this site I’m talking about.
It was after sitting with him for a week recording his humble but (for his family), interesting Life Story that motivated me to want to share these techniques with you. What his six hours of audio has given my family is immeasurable but also, as often happens, what I gave him in asking to hear his story was to show how much I cared and how much those who love him cared about who is was. One of the world’s great Gentle Men.

We all have loss in our lives, now is my families turn again. Here’s a little of what he was like and for us will always be. Travel well Billy

I’m incredibly glad I took the time to capture his Life Story.

Please don’t procrastinate!

Their voice – like a ghost from the past

In 2001 my sister died in a horse riding accident, a terrible tragedy for my family but one of those life events we all have to go through from time to time.

Some days later I called her mobile phone number and heard her saying that she wasn’t available but would get back to me as soon as she could. I knew she never would… But it was poignantly wonderful to hear her talking as if she was still here. Just a 20 second grab of audio but all the memories of our shared life came flooding back.

Who do you wish you could hear from?

Not only are there people you’ve lost and would love to hear but who is still in your life (including yourself) who once they’ve gone would like to be heard?

This is a video of sharing secrets but hang about until the 8:30 minutes and understand the points I’m making.
You may need to have a handkerchief handy.

Are you lucky enough to have recorded or discovered audio of someone who’s now gone from your life?

Capture today to surprise people tomorrow.

Like Ninety-six-year-old Rebecca Lepkoff who’s been taking pictures of one New York neighborhood her entire life you too have images that you’ve been capturing that will one day be looked on in wonder.

As you watch this video realise that future generations will see what we’re all creating today the same way as we look at these images. Enjoy

What have you discovered from you family history records that has struck you with awe?

Quick tips for helping you with you storytelling.

Now that we have so much content here at Create Your Life Story it’s easy to be overwhelmed when really it should be simple and easy. I’ve started a series of short form tips to help you record your life, one small story at a time using systems like SoundCloud.

If you want to know how to get started, check out the introduction video for SoundCloud.

This is to help you feel confident in expressing yourself and a good lead-in to the longer form storytelling often used in oral history and Life Story recording. However, the surprise is, in practicing using systems like SoundCloud you may find that you capture your life story anyway as you progress.

Comment below on what you’re doing with your project and how you’re recording you stories.

Transcribe your audio biography for as little as 20€ per audio hour and help people around the world.

A biography is not a book. A biography is a recorded story of someone’s Life Story using any system that is appropriate.

But a biography can be a book!

Once you’ve recorded your audio Life Story in conversation or as self directed storytelling you may choose to convert the audio into text. The advantage of text is, most people still think of a biography as a book and with the addition of photographs and diagrams you can tell the story in a richer more edited style, instead of the rambling of raw audio. An alternative is to also edit the audio to be more interesting and concise and possibly blending it with images into digital storytelling.

The problems of transcribing

The advantages test is to enable people to follow along with the audio or evolve it into a book with some editing and story structure.

The issues normally start with the process of transcribing the audio. Unless you’re trained, transcribing is time consuming at a rate of about 8 hours per audio hour and  frustrating task. Alternatively you could outsource the work but for most people it can often be prohibitively expensive. Sadly this is where most people stop as there are normally no alternatives.

One day machine transcription will make it possible for any audio to be converted into text but for the moment the best we can hope for is an accuracy of 97% with fully trained transcriptions software. If we use untrained  software on a normal conversation particularly with two people, the performance plummets making it unusable. So for the moment we need to contend with manual, human transcription.

Millions of trained professionals without work.

In the second world there are millions of university qualified people who aren’t using their skills but forced into menial, untrained or manual labour work, just to earn an income. They want to use their skills but don’t have any opportunity. This is like spending 4 years to qualify in something just to end up as a waitress.

What if there was a way of giving intelligent, qualified and skilled people in developing countries an opportunity to earn a living and help us in the first world deal with the cost of  transcribing our audio.

A cheap alternative to transcribe audio to text.

Stephan de la Peña & Sandro Langholz

Transfair‘s creator Stephan de la Peña tells us in this episode of Create Your Life Story about how he’s developing the market and talent to transcribe your audio for much less than normal costs while helping less fortunate people to have a future closer to their skill base.

What Transfair is achieving is

• Coordinating skilled workers with clients.
• Testing skills before assigning work.
• Assess tasks before assigning.
• Checking completed work.
• Coordinate payment.
• Respect local customs and workloads so as not to impact communities.
• Money back guarantee.
• Assess client satisfaction.
• Cost is from 20€ to 40€ per audio hour.

Action:

When it comes time to consider transcribing your audio look into the services offered by Transfair to see if they suit your requirements.

Have you had any successes with transcription not mentioned here or would you consider using this service? Mention in the comments below

Click thu to iTunes

Use some of the ideas in the e-Book Recording Life Stories. Just sign up for it in the side bar form.

To get a kick start, get the Quick Start Guide to Your Life Story by clicking hereand be underway in just an hour.

To automatically receive this free podcast, click on the iPhone image to the right or search in iTunes for “Create Your Life Story” or Subscribe in iTunes by Clicking here. If you use another Podcast software Get the feed here.

Support Create Your Life Story by using one of these services from the top navigation bar, commenting on this episode with social network sites below or writing a review on iTunes.

← If you want to hear some other great stories about the interesting lives that people have, listen to my other podcast at Your Story or on iTunes.

…Or have a look at some other great shows available at LifeStyle Pod Network→

Music is from

Jeremy Cohen
“Rose Room” (mp3)
from “Jeremy Cohen: Violin Jazz”
(Violinjazz Recordings)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

Kevin Eubanks
“Adoration” (mp3)
from “Zen Food”
(Mack Avenue Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

Jeremy Cohen
“Sweet Georgia Brown” (mp3)
from “Jeremy Cohen: Violin Jazz”
(Violinjazz Recordings)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

It’s easy to record Your Life Story on SoundCloud one story at a time.

We all have stories in us. Why not record just one story from time to time using SoundCloud to help you?

All the details are on the Page about how to record to SoundCloud

• Sequence to follow to tell a story
• Video instruction
• Example story
• Strategy
• Link to SoundCloud

Here is an example of a short story that I recorded while making the instructional video to explain how to use SoundCloud. Go check out the full page and video.

This video lives under the Video Tab in the top navigation bar.

Storytelling is an art for sharing your Life

Master storytellers know what to do and how to tell a story. Some from an instinctive place within them and others from an understanding of the rules. If they know the rules they can share them with us.

Here is master storyteller of Andrew Stanton sharing with us what he knows of the craft of great storytelling.

His main points again for good storytelling are…

• We all want affirmations that our stories care.
• Frankly there isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love once you’ve heard their story.
• Make me care.
• The start should have a promise of what’s to come
• Give them problems to solve
• Find the core theme of the individual
• Drama is uncertainty mingled with uncertainty
• A strong theme is always running through a well told story
• Invoke wonder
• Use what you know and draw from it
• Capture a truth from your own life

Take a moment to remember the great stories you’ve heard. I’m sure many of these points are made within them.