Today, 24% of Americans listen to podcasts on a monthly basis. That’s about 67M people. If you are in the kitchen or traveling to work by car or train, consuming audio is attractive for entertainment and for education.
Now, not everyone likes the sound of their own voice. Some people prefer just to listen but there are people who have opinions and want to voice their thoughts. These thoughts could be from topics like ‘Donald Trump’ and ‘Brexit’, which polarise communities through, to simple questions and answers asking for help and advise.
You can already use voice messaging in private groups through popular messaging apps such as Messenger, WhatsApp, WebChat and Kik, but these voices are not public and they are not searchable. So how about the ability to post your voice notes to the public and for anyone in the world to be able to find your voice and talk back?
Well, now you can podcast and get your voice out on the World Wide Web for free. Sound Branch is a free cloud-based platform where you can start with a 10-second seed and then branch out with further 10 second recordings called branches.
This allows non-linear conversation and podcasts, where topics can drift off in all sorts of directions and tangents. Most conversations in the world are not recorded but this is starting to change with smart homes, Amazon Echo and Google Home listening into our conversations. With this in mind, there is also an Alexa Skills available for Sound Branch accessible on the Amazon Echo.
Whether we are talking to our TV to change a channel, talking to our connected car or talking to our Amazon Echo to play music people are starting to use voice-controlled technology and assistants to do stuff. And whilst it’s fine for Siri to talk back with its computer voice or for Alexa to reply, they don’t always understand what you say. Humans however do and humans’ brains are still more powerful than supercomputers. So I think it’s much more interesting to talk to your Amazon Echo than to talk to virtual assistants. And whilst virtual assistance through machine learning trying to have more of a personality they aren’t there yet.
In summary, voice search is coming and 50% of people will be using their voice to search the internet by 2020. With this sweeping change in technology and users not needing to touch their screens, opportunities for new platforms and media will emerge. Sound Branch is one of those platforms that take advantage of voice technology connecting human beings. Sound Branch makes podcasting available to the many, not the few and lets everyone grow their voice in new ways. Sound Branch allows you to talk to people around the world and broaden your horizons!