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Beside the point, but IMO, all podcasts should have a transcription option as well. I unfortunately just don't have the attention span to listen to hours of people talking, but put it in text format and I have zero issues.


Yeah, I was tempted to comment that I guess I'm a Luddite because my reaction to seeing any link to a video or audio file is "please just give me text."


That is a new kind of Luddite, called Erudite :)


nice touch


I think my issue with audio/video is i often finding myself skimming articles for content i'm interested, before i deep-dive in the content and consume it fully.

I don't mind video or audio if i _know_ i want it. But it's obscenely slow to verify if video/audio content is worth my time.

So much content on the internet is shallow or misleading. Text is easier to filter for me.


I often skim video content on youtube and while not as easy as text, it’s still possible. When people talk an idea they usually go on for a bit and that could be enough to sample video. If interested I add it to a playlist and listen when Im in deep mode, usually when painting or doing a creative activity. When my interest peaks I go 100% on the content.


Absolutely. It would also be a net benefit for those who can't hear well and/or also don't have the quietness/tech to listen in peace. Way too many times I've had to pass up on podcasts in general because there isn't a transcript.


Same here. When something can be answered in few written words now there is often lengthy video tutorial where most of the time taken by mouse aimlessly jumping all over the screen in search of that magical button. Same with podcasts obviously.


I get a bit frustrated whenever a Google search for some how-to item leads to a YouTube video leaving me thinking "this should have just been text with some pictures", but I've come to the conclusion that it's all about the money -- content creators get paid more for video content, even if it's 80% "like and subscribe and listen to me ramble" overhead, and there just isn't a good place to host well-written howto content.


I think it's that Google is better at filtering out spam on YouTube.


I think they have greater incentives for filtering out spam on YouTube.


Yes, and also the cost of posting spam to YouTube is higher.


> I unfortunately just don't have the attention span to listen to hours of people talking, but put it in text format and I have zero issues.

Spoken like a true luddite! XD


Disclaimer: I am building an app in this space. https://audiograph.io

For me, this is pretty contextual. Sometimes I want to listen to audio when I'm on a walk or doing dishes. Other times I want text so I can skip the audio and save time. The more mediums, the better, personally speaking.


You can't control-f video.


In addition, all articles should have an audio option as well. I unfortunately just don't have the attention span to read walls of text, but put in audio format and I have no problem.


> all articles should have an audio option as well

Isn't there a variety of text-to-speech apps available?


Sure, but they're not great. (I think there's also a variety of speech-to-text apps?)


I didn't realise there was content beyond the link to the book. Looking closer my privacy plugins had blocked the content (I'm such a luddite).


It's not just attention span, but time. It's hugely inefficient, and there are usually better things to devote one's time to.


I watch only video with text in my house, no subtitles and I’m skipping the video or moving on.


Would you have the same demand for video?


> Would you have the same demand for video?

Yes. I turn CC on for most videos, even movies or shows watched at home.


Would you have the same demand for video?

Why not? Not everyone is in a room by themselves and can turn up the volume. Not everyone can wear big gamer headphones at work.

Posting a video on the internet and not including a transcript is like posting something on Instagram and no other platform and thinking, "That's good enough."

If your goal is to communicate your thoughts, you make them available to as many people as is practical.

You don't publish a book and slip it onto one shelf at one local library and then wonder why nobody reads your work.


For me, yes


Startup / App opportunity? Automated transcripts are pretty good.


Google's automated transcripts of YouTube videos are pretty terrible for the type of content I watch.

If Google's billions can't solve the problem, Rando Startup is going to have to be awful clever.




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