User generated content meets telephony

Transcribed voicemails can be the easiest form of telephony-related user generated content (UGC) if you share such content with your connections. You could specify which group can have access to the transcribed voicemail contents.

But moving a step further, why not transcribe live calls and share the content? You could make it available to business colleagues if these are business calls. Transcriptions of personal calls can be made available to personal contacts. I have certainly been in situations where I have been asked to repeat the contents of the phone conversation to other parties. In fact it probably happens almost everyday. So rather than add some masala when narrating the anecdote, it might be better to share the original stuff.

The technology is certainly there. You have the recording software available on Skype. There are Simulscribe enabled mashups as well. Provided there is a good transcription possible by voice recognition software, all you need is to coordinate bits and pieces: develop an add on over Skype that…. records the call, transcribes it after the call ends, and prompts users to specify which group to share the transcription with.

Again, I think the quality of transcription would perhaps be the main issue. But the consumer segment would not make such as fuss. The benefits of such a service are compelling. You will be able to search the contents of your phone calls going back several months. You could also search the contents of your friends’/colleagues’/relatives’ phone calls. If it clicks and you have millions of users, you could potentially have a wikipedia of your own. People will want to search for just about anything on your site and see what the ‘spoken word’ has in store for them.