Web Designer For New Site

[dave333]

Once I retired from my regular career as a qualitative researcher I started a somewhat new track helping people make their spoken memoir. I saw them in their home for a series of one or two hour audiotaped sessions. And I've turned their memories into edited recordings on CD, roughly two hours long they'll distribute to whomever. I've built on my in-depth interviewing experience. It may turn out that what I can communicate about making a spoken memoir will be largely just of academic interest. The commercial outcome of the web site is secondary.

I've divided my thoughts into four sections: 1) an "About" section with my photo and something about my background; 2) a "Why Spoken" section that deals with how speaking about one's life is different from writing it; then 3) a section on "Memory" and its role; finally 4) about the "audience" and the effect on the memoir-maker of knowing that eventually there'll be someone "eavesdropping" via recording on the memoir maker's intimate views of his life.

You can see there's nothing very visual about any of this. There would essentially be a series of two or three minute recorded "lectures". And I might extract parts of some of my previous memoir audio tapes as filler. It's basically a listening experience.

What makes it difficult, of course, aren't the mechanics of site construction but how to make it come alive as a web experience. I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts and any interest in helping out.


Dave email: david3933@verizon.net

[pauland]

My first thought is there's a supreme irony in your plan - multiple sections in text on the benefits of the spoken word.

I think three sections on the various facets of the spoken memoire is a bit of an indulgence.

I would say one section would be fine.

Pictures are always good - it's always great to see images of the speaker and/or the subject.

If you have the memoires on-site, do you really need a CD?

You don't mention what the common theme is (if there is any).

Paul

[ edit: now I've thought about it, sections 1-4 should just be one section. Your site should be about the spoken memoires really, and not the spoken memoire collector. Concentrate on the subject. ]

[dave333]

My first thought is there's a supreme irony in your plan - multiple sections in text on the benefits of the spoken word.

I think three sections on the various facets of the spoken memoire is a bit of an indulgence.

I would say one section would be fine.

I think I have some things to say that have more to do with actually being on the "making" side of a spoken memoir than might seem at first glance. For example, the "memory" topic would have have things like this to say:

"It’s not till we take time out to look steadily all through our life that we’re on our way to making a memoir. The full range of those stories gives us what we need to fill in what we’d want in our memoir. ... It’s as though we’ve given everyone listening one of those old fashioned “flip books”. The kind that used to be made that had the same character drawn on each page but slightly altered page by page. The character seems to move as you quickly flip the pages. As you flip through the whole book, an entire sequence plays out...One of the pleasures they have when they’ve heard us to the end is that it might dawn on many listeners that they’ve been hearing more than just a series of separate stories. A larger story has been told showing us being formed and finding our way as we’ve navigated through our life...It’s as though we’ve given everyone listening one of those old fashioned “flip books”. The kind that used to be made that had the same character drawn on each page but slightly altered page by page. The character seems to move as you quickly flip the pages. As you flip through the whole book, an entire sequence plays out...One of the pleasures they have when they’ve heard us to the end is that it might dawn on many listeners that they’ve been hearing more than just a series of separate stories. A larger story has been told showing us being formed and finding our way as we’ve navigated through our life."


Pictures are always good - it's always great to see images of the speaker and/or the subject.

Sure, pictures would be good. But, it seems that a problem arises. How do you visualize "memory" for example?


If you have the memoires on-site, do you really need a CD?

Here, I don't follow what you mean.


You don't mention what the common theme is (if there is any).

I'd hope that the theme would become obvious. That I'm telling the viewer/listener what underlies making a spoken memoir and what "powers" the memoir maker has or can have.


[ edit: now I've thought about it, sections 1-4 should just be one section. Your site should be about the spoken memoires really, and not the spoken memoire collector. Concentrate on the subject. ]

We're back to the "topic" again. Is there one? I'd hope so.

[pauland]

My first thought is there's a supreme irony in your plan - multiple sections in text on the benefits of the spoken word.

I think three sections on the various facets of the spoken memoire is a bit of an indulgence.

I would say one section would be fine.

I think I have some things to say that have more to do with actually being on the "making" side of a spoken memoir than might seem at first glance. For example, the "memory" topic would have have things like this to say:

"It’s not till we take time out to look steadily all through our life that we’re on our way to making a memoir. The full range of those stories gives us what we need to fill in what we’d want in our memoir. ... It’s as though we’ve given everyone listening one of those old fashioned “flip books”. The kind that used to be made that had the same character drawn on each page but slightly altered page by page. The character seems to move as you quickly flip the pages. As you flip through the whole book, an entire sequence plays out...One of the pleasures they have when they’ve heard us to the end is that it might dawn on many listeners that they’ve been hearing more than just a series of separate stories. A larger story has been told showing us being formed and finding our way as we’ve navigated through our life...It’s as though we’ve given everyone listening one of those old fashioned “flip books”. The kind that used to be made that had the same character drawn on each page but slightly altered page by page. The character seems to move as you quickly flip the pages. As you flip through the whole book, an entire sequence plays out...One of the pleasures they have when they’ve heard us to the end is that it might dawn on many listeners that they’ve been hearing more than just a series of separate stories. A larger story has been told showing us being formed and finding our way as we’ve navigated through our life."
I think the listener can reach that conclusion by themselves.

Pictures are always good - it's always great to see images of the speaker and/or the subject.

Sure, pictures would be good. But, it seems that a problem arises. How do you visualize "memory" for example?

Well, it's always good to know what the person doing the talking looks like. It's not particularly necessary to illustrate their memory but it would always be possible. If the persons memories are of farming in the 1950's in Iowa, then an image of a farmer in the 1950's in the US could be an idea.

If you have the memoires on-site, do you really need a CD?

Here, I don't follow what you mean.

Instead of a physical CD, the memories could just be listened to online. You don't really say if you supply these CDs for profit or just at cost or free.

You don't mention what the common theme is (if there is any).

I'd hope that the theme would become obvious. That I'm telling the viewer/listener what underlies making a spoken memoir and what "powers" the memoir maker has or can have.
It's not clear to me whether this project is about teaching people about "spoken memoires" or about the memoires themselves.

If the project is about the spoken memoires, then these will usually be drawn from some pool of people with a common theme or history, sharing some kind of experience. For example, they could all be people that grew up in a small town or village, or they could all be drawn from a particular period or episode in the armed forces, etc.

[ edit: now I've thought about it, sections 1-4 should just be one section. Your site should be about the spoken memoires really, and not the spoken memoire collector. Concentrate on the subject. ]

We're back to the "topic" again. Is there one? I'd hope so.

[pauland]

Dave, I hope you get some more feedback/ideas besides mine. I probably have a completely different view of this kind of project than yours.

Paul

[dave333]

[/B]Well, it's always good to know what the person doing the talking looks like. It's not particularly necessary to illustrate their memory but it would always be possible. If the persons memories are of farming in the 1950's in Iowa, then an image of a farmer in the 1950's in the US could be an idea.

Well, I'll try to be a little more specific. First of all, the site I'm thinking of would be "omnidirectional", suited to anyone who wants to read it. I'm not directing it to anyone in particular. Although, you remind me that it may not be a bad idea to somehow plaster the site with images of a variety of kinds of folks and their settings. But, there's no commercial/sales intent. If any sales come out of it all to the good. That's not what I'm mainly after, though.

[/B]Instead of a physical CD, the memories could just be listened to online. You don't really say if you supply these CDs for profit or just at cost or free.

When I was strictly in the spoken memoir business, yes, there were actual CDs I produced that the memoir maker could pass out to family, friends, etc. But I'm not much in that business now. As I just said, I'd be happy just to enlighten some about making and the capability of a spoken memoir. (Just for the hell of it.) And so, the site isn't about any specific person's spoken memoir. It's taking the viewer into what they'd go through and what they could produce if they were (with help) making their own. In that way, it's general and tailored to the process at the same time.

[pauland]

OK, so this is a completely different project to the one I thought it was.

You are offering a service to help people record their memories via the spoken word, for the benefit of their family and friends.

I was imagining that you were using verbal memoires as a way of documenting an event, community or lifestyle, etc with multiple participants. Disregard pretty much everything that I said!

It's taking the viewer into what they'd go through and what they could produce if they were (with help) making their own. In that way, it's general and tailored to the process at the same time.

It's not at all general - it's about making verbal memoires!

Good luck.

Paul

[dave333]

Sorry, you still don't have it right. Some of it but not most of it. If you want to bother, go back and re-read my postings.

Dave

[pauland]

I think I'll let someone else have some input Dave.

Best of luck.

Paul

[Gamerprinter]

You might offer excerpts from some of your previously created audio files of some of your past spoken memoir clients - I'd say 3 or 4 different audio excerpts from as many different clients with pics of the authors, and photos reminiscent of their spoken memories made into slideshows with mp3 audio accompaniment (no more than 30 - 60 seconds long each). Have a page with thumbnail images of author pics and a quote from that memoir as accompanying text that link to a given slideshow/audio excerpt. These could work as examples to better illustrate what you'll be describing of the process and its benefits of spoken memoirs described in the text of your website sections. A photo slide show and actual audio clips of spoken memoirs, I think might be a dynamic way to offer the visual/audio experience you want to portray in your website project.

I understand your project emphasizes spoken sound more than visual, however websites are largely vehicles of a visual and textual experience - which means you have to make your website visually appealing, with compelling textual content, and still related to your audio intentions.

If you don't already have a logo for your site, I'm thinking an illustration of a microphone would best represent your idea, it should probably appear as a vector icon of a microphone (following current web grapic trends), followed by the name of your site in the header.

I'm just rambling off random ideas, since what I do is art and illustration (especially artistic cartography), so your project is completely different than websites I'd design for my own projects - so I cannot necessarily give you best ideas, only some ideas that popped into my head towards your needs. I hope its helpful.