Text or Voice?

[Marigold Devin]

6 hours ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

I was recently at a crowded store when a gorgeous, tall (6ft), sharply dressed woman entered. She was one of those people who simply stands out from the crowd, by dint of natural beauty and impeccable style. A store employee immediately greeted her, and I was expecting to hear the husky voice of Kathleen Turner in return. Instead, I heard Alvin the Chipmunk on helium. I spent some time that evening wondering what life must be like for that woman.

Though I'm a very fast typist, text still gives me time to raise my apparent IQ by at least 10-50 points as I compose. I wouldn't want to give that up, nor have any of you give that up. If SL is our chance to do ourselves over, why not?

To extend the question a bit, would any of you consider using facial recognition software to animate the faces of your avatars? Keep in mind that this would add eye contact (and eye rolling), or lack of it, to the currently nearly empty list of cues other people could use to gauge your engagement.

I don't and won't use voice.

I've got some thingummy attached to my avatar that makes me pull stupid(er) faces whenever I type anything in open chat. It amuses me (probably no one else). 

It's the little things!

[Sukubia Scarmon]

Depends on circumstances,and people.
I talk to very few people on voice in SL - mainly because I am extremely self-concious about both my voice and my ability to speak english/my accent.
But I talk with some of my friends on discord, mainly when we game, and once a day a short chat with my boyfriend.

In general speaking, I'm okay with both, really. What I am not okay is when people demand it, especialy when they want to verify my gender. 

[Fauve Aeon]

7 minutes ago, Marigold Devin said:

I've got some thingummy attached to my avatar that makes me pull stupid(er) faces whenever I type anything in open chat. It amuses me (probably no one else). 

It's the little things!

When I learned you can do a side-eye on cue if you have your head/eye rig set to follow your mouse cursor and move it just gently...or use the free eye position hud on MP... 😏😏😏

the little things indeed! 🤣

[Da5id Weatherwax]

It's completely up to whoever I'm talking to - and the parcel owner of course. I sing live in SL so a good percentage of the people I encounter will have heard my voice anyway

Voice chat is therefore no big deal, but given that I'm mostly hanging around music venues it's only a minority of them that have voice enabled - they don't want patrons vox cutting across the music stream. Audio gestures are often quite disruptive enough!

But by default voice is enabled in my client unless I'm actually performing - if somebody wants to chat in text then text it shall be. Similarly if they prefer voice I'm fine with that.

[ArgontheDevil Ormega]

I prefer text over voice, hands down.  Text does not have background noise.  There are no mic glitches killing half the words.  And if I'm in a business meeting with people with really different accents all trying to understand my Midwestern American, things just get confusing.

[Maryanne Solo]

I have found the varying quality of peoples microphones and differing volume levels/quality of sound to be a huge thing too.
The reason I don't watch TV, (not so bad), or specifically movies, (atrocious & never have), is the varying volume levels which they do for supposed "emphasis" on action scenes or whatever.
The huge difference in volume is the only thing in life that seriously triggers major uncomfort and makes me really angry - unfortunately. 😞

So SL voice doesn't even get a look in and I'm fine with that. 🙄

[Seicher Rae]

2 hours ago, Amina Sopwith said:

It's funny that you say my accent (I do have the same one as Julie Andrews) sounds commanding, because it most definitely hasn't had that effect on the Doms with whom I've voiced. I have had requests (or orders, if they're Doms) to say dirty words, though. 

I also used to voice in group discussions within an RP sim. We never had any of the background noise/chewing/TV/screaming kids/coughing problems, but we were a small group. They were mostly American and they did occasionally ask me to just say anything, read from whatever book was closest to hand. My copy of Ogden Nash verse was particularly popular.

 

And THAT's funny because the guy I mentioned in the OP above? We had to stop using voice because I couldn't stop giggling. :::facepalm::: Honestly, at first I'm sure he thought it was pretty cute. I was giggling because his voice just unnerved me so. Then... I'm pretty sure it got really annoying. :::more facepalms::: I couldn't help it! He just sounded so, so sexy and hearing him read the phone book pretty much got me "there" if ya know what I mean.  I'm even giggling as I write this. It's amazing how you guys lost the little war we had with you back in 1776, cuz all you had to do is say something and we would have all been giggling. Maybe they didn't have megaphones back then? Now that I'm thinking about it, I sure wish I had thought to record him! Just to play at night, light some candles...

[Maryanne Solo]

7 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

Now that I'm thinking about it, I sure wish I had thought to record him! Just to play at night, light some candles...

 

[Maryanne Solo]

After making a very precise, well considered. technically correct and superbly delivered comment during a class discussion one day, a female student blurted out "omg I love your voice" quickly followed by three of her classmates saying "yeah wow - so cool". These were lovely "country girls" as opposed to the majority who were inner city based peeps and NOT at all shy in speaking their minds. Immediately after she added "I want you to read me stories!" and her three friends whooped and applauded and I'm like.... omg just ->wow 😯☺️

Rarely do people appreciate the effort it takes to communicate superbly let alone show that level of appreciation. We laughed so hard. Talk about fun!

[Claireschen Hesten]

Text, you can always respond at your own pace. Never done voice, never had the means or the inclination to do it. Not really interested in hearing other peoples home lives in the background and wouldn't want to inflict mine on to others 

[Pussycat Catnap]

6 hours ago, Bree Giffen said:

I prefer not to use voice. I also don't like text either. I have a large amount of images saved in my inventory from which I can construct a visual language. For instance, to say hello I produce a picture of me waving. 

Funny that...

I actually prefer typing an emote over a statement when in local with people I'm not too close with.

I'll type up a storm in group chats... but in local when I go places I'm often just putting in an emote once ever 5-60 minutes...

When I've tried online games, I rely almost exclusively on their little animated emotes.

I suspect if I knew people could actually see the images I put out fast enough - I'd actually be doing what I think you're joking at...

 

[Tolya Ugajin]

3 hours ago, Amina Sopwith said:

It's funny that you say my accent (I do have the same one as Julie Andrews) sounds commanding, because it most definitely hasn't had that effect on the Doms with whom I've voiced. I have had requests (or orders, if they're Doms) to say dirty words, though. 

I also used to voice in group discussions within an RP sim. We never had any of the background noise/chewing/TV/screaming kids/coughing problems, but we were a small group. They were mostly American and they did occasionally ask me to just say anything, read from whatever book was closest to hand. My copy of Ogden Nash verse was particularly popular.

 

It's not commanding so much as, I dunno, like you're a small kid and a teacher is talking to you, back when kids behaved in school anyway.

[Fauve Aeon]

Maybe time to try an experiment in interpretive dance as reply...especially when people keep doing this...

...

.....

..........

...............

“hello.”

(or)...

replying to my 2 sentence comment with

(imagine 2 paragraph Lorem ipsum dry-as-toast description of all the finer points of their very well developed character’s carefully chosen response complete with introspective asides and.zzzzzzzzz)

me: clog-dances enthusiastically? 

[Paul Hexem]

Meanwhile, in many of my other games, voice is a requirement.

Of course, over there we have what's called "friendly fire accidents" when you get obnoxious on your mic.

[Selene Gregoire]

2 hours ago, Pussycat Catnap said:

Funny that...

I actually prefer typing an emote over a statement when in local with people I'm not too close with.

I'll type up a storm in group chats... but in local when I go places I'm often just putting in an emote once ever 5-60 minutes...

When I've tried online games, I rely almost exclusively on their little animated emotes.

I suspect if I knew people could actually see the images I put out fast enough - I'd actually be doing what I think you're joking at...

 

I used to post using nothing but smilies/emojis at times on a forum that no longer exists. Not once did anyone ever ask for a translation because they understood it without needing to ask. 

[karynmaria]

I have voice turned off and I only do texting.  I work in a call center and spend all day on the phone listening to people whine and complain, last thing I really want to do in SL is to talk in it or have to hear people talk.  Voice really ruins it for me as SL is my stress relief and I don't really want to hear anything other than birds chirping, water running and my wind chimes  .  And I definately don't want to feel obligated to talk to people there either.

[Charles Blackwood]

This has been an interesting thread to read and follow. I share the similar thoughts like many of you. 

Personally I prefer to text. I choose to text over voice because the ambient noise and varying levels of microphone volume bug me. Not only that, but I like to put on some records while I explore, and I would have to give that up. As mentioned in the thread, I also like to keep the fantasy aspect of SL. Voice changes what I perceive on the screen. It's like reading a novel. The conversation takes place in my mind and I really love that. This is why I love reading and writing.

However, I do agree, that if you've made a connection with someone, if you fostered a genuine friendship, sometimes it's worth the risk to play with the fantasy a little. It is worth using voice.

It is so wonderful to hear that so many of you share the same ideas that swirl around my own head. I only wish I could have recorded this instead of typing it.

[Ren Toxx]

’nuff said, generally. One other thing I don’t like of many voicers is that they tend to be exclusivists, without even realizing (or admitting) it—so they’re not compelled to try and moderate themselves in that sense: once they find someone else to voice with, they will mostly ignore anyone who texts, no matter if it’s in the same conversation. Even if voicing technically leaves you freer to look at the screen and see what’s going on, they still tend to develop a kind of ‘tunnel vision’ and ignore anyone who won’t voice.

Alas, some go as far as resenting it if most or all people in a voice-enabled area choose to text anyway, for their own individual and perfectly valid reasons. If you point out that “voice is an option, not an obligation”, they’ll say, ‘sure, sure, I understand that‘. But they don’t, not really—they will keep questioning it, pressuring others to shift to voice, grumbling about it. Not actually tolerating it, despite assurances to the contrary.

I have some friends I constantly text to while they voice to me, and I have no more problem with their voicing than they do with my texting. All it takes is accepting others’ preferences, hard as that seems to be for some.

Edited January 10, 2020 by Ren Toxx

[Charles Blackwood]

53 minutes ago, Ren Toxx said:

’nuff said, generally. One other thing I don’t like of many voicers is that they tend to be exclusivists, without even realizing (or admitting) it—so they’re not compelled to try and moderate themselves in that sense: once they find someone else to voice with, they will mostly ignore anyone who texts, no matter if it’s in the same conversation. Even if voicing technically leaves you freer to look at the screen and see what’s going on, they still tend to develop a kind of ‘tunnel vision’ and ignore anyone who won’t voice.

Alas, some go as far as resenting it if most or all people in a voice-enabled area choose to text anyway, for their own individual and perfectly valid reasons. If you point out that “voice is an option, not an obligation”, they’ll say, ‘sure, sure, I understand that‘. But they don’t, not really—they will keep questioning it, pressuring others to shift to voice, grumbling about it. Not actually tolerating it, despite assurances to the contrary.

I have some friends I constantly text to while they voice to me, and I have no more problem with their voicing than they do with my texting. All it takes is accepting others’ preferences, hard as that seems to be for some.

Excellent points. I've experienced the same. It's so nice that as a community we are able to find what we all know but can't express as beautifully.

[Seicher Rae]

Here's some more questions that this thread has brought up for me:

1. This "talk" is going on in the Forum, where obviously the participants are OK enough with text that they post. Do you think if we went out to the general population of SL that we'd get the same results, which so far lean heavily toward a preference of text? In other words, are we skewing things because we have an already biased group here?
2. Is a preference for text a generational one?

[Charles Blackwood]

1 minute ago, Seicher Rae said:

Here's some more questions that this thread has brought up for me:

1. This "talk" is going on in the Forum, where obviously the participants are OK enough with text that they post. Do you think if we went out to the general population of SL that we'd get the same results, which so far lean heavily toward a preference of text? In other words, are we skewing things because we have an already biased group here?
2. Is a preference for text a generational one?

Those are very interesting questions and I don't really have an answer except that all of us here at the forum are writers so in that sense we are biased and favour writing, but I don't really think of it as a bias, because in a recording studio we'd be focused on sound.

Every single thing we do here is text based and SL itself lends itself beautifully to text based conversations. I use my phone for all kinds of things and I send emails and texts. In world I do all kinds of things and I send texts.

I will say that some people love the human voice a lot more than others. I'm very particular myself. If I don't like the sound of a persons voice, the fantasy is destroyed for me. I will use Charlie Chaplin as an example. One of my favourite people in the world. He resisted moving from silent films to talkies because everyone had a different idea of what the Tramp sounded like. He did everything he could to keep that fantasy going, until he directed the Dictator. He thought that standing up to Adolf Hitler was a worthy cause where fantasy could be sacrificed.

I really enjoyed this question and this thread in particular. I will go quiet now and listen... 

 

[Janet Voxel]

3 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

Here's some more questions that this thread has brought up for me:

1. This "talk" is going on in the Forum, where obviously the participants are OK enough with text that they post. Do you think if we went out to the general population of SL that we'd get the same results, which so far lean heavily toward a preference of text? In other words, are we skewing things because we have an already biased group here?
2. Is a preference for text a generational one?

1) I’m surprised it went this way to be honest. Usually there are a few people that jump in the discussion that say they use voice for business or that using voice is much, much easier because they typo a lot or something like that.

2) I don’t think it’s generational though. I’m a millennial (31) and I use a mic all the time when I play video games, both console and pc. The thing is, some games are so toxic, I will turn off my mic in pubs because some communities, once they hear a female voice...well it’s just not pretty. 
 

Also, people often discount that there are younger people that are on SL. The trolling community is still pretty big in SL and it’s solely dependent on voice to make good content. I’m not saying younger users are trolls, but a lot of younger users do intergrate SL into YouTube channels and they use voice too.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 hour ago, Seicher Rae said:

This "talk" is going on in the Forum, where obviously the participants are OK enough with text that they post. Do you think if we went out to the general population of SL that we'd get the same results, which so far lean heavily toward a preference of text? In other words, are we skewing things because we have an already biased group here?

Much of this obviously depends upon where you hang out, but I haven't heard voice in SL in ages. Or, maybe I'm not hearing it because of my preferences? I'm not sure: I should check what they are set to. I have a few friends who talk about using voice, but that's always in the context of one-on-one discussions, rather than in public. It certainly seems to me, though, that I am running across voice much less than I used to.

As for the balance of pro-text vs. pro-voice, I think that's about par for this forum, which seems to generally attract more SL "purists" than I think is representative of the general population. And for my money (and this is reinforced by much of what is said above), the minute you go to voice, SL is . . . gone. You might just as well be using Skype or Whatsapp.

1 hour ago, Seicher Rae said:

Is a preference for text a generational one?

I'd have thought so, myself: most of the young people I know seem addicted to video chat and such. But I'll take Janet's word, above, for this: maybe I'm wrong about that in the context of SL.

I fall in with the vast majority of comments above: I hate voice, for a number of reasons (most of which, again, have been enumerated above). I also had some slightly icky experiences with it early on. For whatever reason, I find it much easier to close down a not-very-pleasant exchange in text than I do in voice. Shutting someone down in voice feels like hanging up the phone abruptly; it feels rude, even if there are good reasons to do so.

Edited January 10, 2020 by Scylla Rhiadra
Reaches for more coffee

[Garnet Psaltery]

Everybody's made all the points I might have made.  I listen to Voice if someone's using it to communicate to me or at an event but I no longer have a microphone so it's text-only when I speak.  For the curious, my voice is available to hear in some old broadcasts; they'll tell you that I am a woman, and that my speech was deteriorating year by year.

[Ren Toxx]

20 hours ago, Seicher Rae said:

1. This "talk" is going on in the Forum, where obviously the participants are OK enough with text that they post. Do you think if we went out to the general population of SL that we'd get the same results, which so far lean heavily toward a preference of text? In other words, are we skewing things because we have an already biased group here?

Probably. I tend to hang out in voice-enabled areas, where I know the average opinion on this is visibly different; but then again, because they’re voice-enabled, they’re going to attract people with their own leaning for voice. Still, overall and based on going around places that just happen to have it enabled (rather than it being a defining trait of the place), yes, the average in-world take on voice doesn’t seem quite as much “against” as this.

 

Quote

2. Is a preference for text a generational one?

Maybe, but it’d be very mild. I have a vague impression that younger people can be less patient about texting (either typing themselves, and especially if the conversation consists of more than “hru?” and “lol”; or reading what others type).