Facebook[/caption]Carol Forsloff - In these days of gotta-haves, the latest application lets folks send prerecorded voice messages to friends. The application is called UWhisp and interfaces with social media sites.
In these days where many people use applications such as Facebook and Twitter, some folks like to hear the sound of a friend's voice, so this new application which becomes a widget on the user's browser allows people to record and play messages. It was invented in Spain by four graduate students from the School of Informatics. According to Gizmag, the application has been available for about three weeks, with both a basic, free version and a paid-for one that has more of the bells and whistles.
Whereas the new devices enable users to communicate, experts remind us that social media itself has its advantages and disadvantages. First, the issue has to do with time, and how much of it the user spends on social media, then tasks and ventures go by the wayside as users join more and more networks and spend more and more time maintaining contact with great numbers of people. In fact, many experts caution about this. So a voice mail system can allow people to send messages personally in a fashion that may reduce the time necessary for interaction. The use of a voice dictation system, also helps.
One of the big disadvantages of social media is its lack of personal, direct contact, face to face, which means that people lose the nuances of body language and other communications. A voice, however, allows for increased personalization of messages that can help bridge the gap between the impersonal and a more direct interaction. Most experts tell us that even the best devices need to be channeled appropriately to the user's time and need, because to be locked in social media as the primary source of social interaction is limiting.
In the meantime, scientists and entrepreneurs continue to find ways of improving communication in social media that will be effective and useful for everyone.
