Stitching together voice notes on Threads
Podcasting, social audio and sound design news from the last seven days
Social media’s newest player Threads has added voice into the mix.
The ability to create voice notes became available in the app last week. The feature allows users to record up to 30-seconds of audio, transcribing it in seconds with both audio and text appearing in the feed.
The asynchronous notes feel similar to Clubhouse’s latest iteration, though there is a key difference - who can hear them. Where Clubhouse Chats can only be heard by ‘Friends’ and ‘Friends of Friends’, voice notes on Threads are available to anyone coming across them in their feed or through search, as with any other post content.
One of the standout features of Threads is its automatic transcription of voice notes. Some are using this transcription as the post text. Others are tweaking it adding emojis or teasing the audio content so you have to listen for the full post. Including transcription is not just convenient but also inclusive, opening the platform up to more users who may have struggled tapping a phone screen or who aren’t able to hear the audio files.
As with any new feature, there's always room for improvement. A more obvious countdown timer would be great to avoid being cut off mid-sentence. The one included on the app at the moment is extremely abstract. The grey spinning circle that appears around the red dot is actually closing up as it spins, showing you how close you are to the time limit. Not obvious unless you know to look for it.
Social audio has been integrated into other platforms as a means of keeping people in the app (Twitter/X I’m looking at you). I’m guessing Threads is doing the same, and we can expect to see promotional posts and ads popping up as user session time increases.
Have you tried voice notes on Threads? Find me over there and send me a voice note.
✂️ Cut The Tape
Meta’s latest social media platform Threads has added voice notes
Create a voice note by hitting the microphone icon in the ‘New thread’ window. Then hit the red button to start recording. Hit it again to stop.
The audio will be transcribed automatically and appear on your screen. Hit done and edit, delete or create new post text before you hit Post.
You can also reply to a post using a voice note. This can create an asynchronous voice note conversation.
Meta dropped audio features from Facebook (social audio in Groups and shelving its podcast platform) in May 2022 saying they would be ‘simplifying audio offerings’
It comes as Elon Musk continues to push X as ‘the everything app’ and Amazon drop their play for social audio completely. Amazon Amp will close at the end of the month.
🎧 #Podcasting
How to make big money from podcasting | The Times
The Skewer launches BBC iPlayer short film to celebrate three years of podcast success | Podcasting Today
The Philippines celebrates its first podcast festival | Manila Bulletin
Is everyone interesting enough to have a podcast? | Radio Today
How podcasters are using Tiktok to boost their audiences | syrus.today
Ausha launches podcast SEO tool in beta | Ausha
🎶 #SoundDesign
Dungeons in Dorset repurposed for spooky listening experience | Dorset Echo
How to create immersive sound design for your video | LinkedIn collab
🔮 #AudioFuture
Three steps to creating an AI generated podcast | Media Makers Meet
🗣 #SocialAudio
Will LinkedIn audio events remain as the platform cuts staff for the second time his year? | Reuters
This week on #AllThingsAudio I spoke with Michael Sterling and Morgan Evetts about the addition of voice notes to the Threads app and how cuts at LinkedIn may have an impact on the platform’s audio events.
Follow All Things Audio wherever you listen to podcasts to make sure you never miss an episode. Leave a rating and/or review to help more people find us.
A quick info-packed listen from The Genrelist this week. The subject for this episode is indie podcasts with host Nidia Serrano focussing on programmatic advertising.
They go deep, discussing the importance of podcast listener loyalty, the benefits of podcast advertising for brands and how podcasts fit into omni-channel marketing. You may need a notebook nearby!
That’s all for this week. Don’t forget you can always reply or comment to let me know what’s happening in your audio world. I would love to feature projects from the Stop. Rewind. Play, community and I am always looking for sound-related podcast episodes to recommend in the Play. section - so do get in touch.
I will be going live on LinkedIn audio again on Monday from 4pm BST to answer any podcasting questions. Connect with me to join.
Keep listening!
Suze
THREADS THREADS THREADS!!!