Have You Ever Thought of Using Voice Dictation Software for Blogging?

Hi Karen!

I'm sorry I missed this when it origionally came out.   I've never used dication software.  I have enough trouble deciphering the text messages of friends that use it. 

You also made a very good point about it feeling good just to see our words forming as you write/type. 

I hope the upcoming weekend is good. 

p.s.  I enjoyed the leaves story....sad but true. 

Hi Karen Anne,

I couldn't imagine enjoying voice blogging either and your analogy to great painters is funny and true!

I remember with my last computer I accidentally pressed a key that read what I typed back to me. When I first heard it, it freaked me out! I didn't know who was talking and where the voice was coming from. Talking about a ghostly experience! But then I discovered the key and used it occasionally. The voice did not sound like mine and it mispronounced words. The intonation wasn't there and it sounded boring. If my newer computer has the feature, I don't want to know, nor would I use it.

I always love what you have to say.

Karen Anne I have not read all the comments, did not want to be tainted by all the answers. First I was born in Hungary, Lived in Austria, then came to the US went back to Germany and the long and short of it. My spelling was one that fell to the wayside. Thanks to Active Rain Blogging and Spell Check (ABC) I have visibly improved my spelling and hopefully my writing skills too:) I remember the old days I would say "man across the boat the river came":)))))

So the short answer is no I would not want to do Dictation Blogs!!:))

I wonder if folks thought about the typewriter that way...."It's easier to use a pencil and an eraser."

Technology is changing faster than ever before and dictation programs (like Dragon) are just the next step on the road. 

There is something to be said for using what you know, sometimes the learning curve is just too steep.  It all depends on what's comfortable to you.  My uncle (80) calls his computer "an emailing machine", while my 93 year old Aunt  uses Dragon software to send emails to her family, is on facebook and does most of her shopping online.

My "things to try" list is long, one of these days, after I take an IPAD class and get better use of that, dictation software may be next on the list!

Maryland Mortgage Mama

KarenAnne, yes I would use it only to keep my thoughts....by the time I start to write thoughts down...I'm trying to think what it was I wanted to write about....I have a lot of senior moments :)

I use it on my iPhone instead of texting and love it. But part of the thinking part of writing my blog has SOMETHING to do with my hands being on the keyboard and the sound of the typing. If I were to use dication to write my blog, I would need to do it on my iPhone so that I could walk around while I dictated, like I do when I am on the phone. I walk a circle down the hallway, across the front, up the other hallway, and across the back. When I am here alone, of course! HA!

I use it on my phone...

I would use to record my thoughts.  If it is anything like my google voice messages, I would say it would not be a good idea.

I tried. Nothing special you need if you have new iphone or ipad. Voice will help you to find a location, online information, schedule, call, text, etc. and yes, even to  post a blog. Yet......I have a tiny problem: my accent. I just gave up on talking to Siri or my smart phone!

I love the voice posting idea though:) a lot!

Wow, Karen!

I just noticed: you are close to 1 mln!

Also contratulations on becoming AR celebraty with 'Member Spotlight'!

Good question Karen Anne, I use dictation occasionally for large reports, but not for blogs, they are generally too spontaneous and short to make it worth the bother of going the dictation route.

I have tried it a time or two, but ended up spending a lot of time correcting the puntuation, grammar and spelling.  Here in Hawaii the place names really get butchered with Dragon Dictation, no matter how slowly you pronounce them.  It's actually kind of funny the results you get.

Some people do use voice recognition software to write blogs.  I have not tried it.

As Bryan Robertson mentions in his Voice Dictation Software post, I've made comments with it when the computer is just too slow.

Hi Karen Anne,

I read with interest your thoughts about Voice Dictation Software and I have to agree with you on many levels. On my last PC, I didn't know I had a feature that allowed the computer to read back what I wrote. I guess I accidentally pressed the wrong key and a strange voice from a foreign country started reading my text. It scared the heck out of me! But then, when I figured it out, I gave it a shot and tried it several times. However, it didn't sound like me and the voice didn't have a heart and a soul. There was no vocal variety or intonation and the Voice Dictation Software mispronounced words. Actually, it made me feel uncomfortable and if my newer PC has that feature, I don't want to know!

Call me old fashioned, but as Frank Sinatra would say, "I'll do it my way!"

Karen Anne, how the heck did you get 60 comments and not get featured is beyond me. I agree totally with you. Writing for me is a creative process. A process that can be painstaking at times for me but I have learned to love this process. I wouldn't change it a bit.

I have not thought of using it but there was one member on AR who used to use it and wrote a post about it. He is no longer on AR.

Karen Anne, I have tried it but seem to always revert back to typing it out. I do use quite a bit of dictation with my phone though.

I sometimes dictate my blogs on my iPhone and then send them to my email. From there I copy and save onto a document. It allows me to blog while waiting for the doctor or an appointment.

After pasting the text... I then tweak it to the way I want it to look. I do akin my writing (or lack there of) to a work of art. I think everyone's writing style is a work of art and no two are alike. 

Yes Karen we all have a style that works best.  For the longest time I resisted writing on the computer, now it is the best way for me to write...it flows quicker for me.

Thinking of you.  All the best to you.

Gloria