Overheard Underheard
Comedian Ricky Gervais, creator of The Office, has launched the Just Sayin' app, a voice conversation application for social media. The free iPhone app allows users to share recorded voice conversations with their social media friends and followers, who can listen in and reply.
Created in partnership with voice-technology company CloudTalk, Just Sayin' lets users post any combination of voice, text, photos, and video to their respective Twitter and Facebook profiles.
"Making the human voice a natural part of any social Web experience is the next big thing," Gervais said in a statement. "Voice as a monologue is narcissistic; voice as a dialogue is social; social media is a place where people desire to be both."
Just Sayin' voice conversations are shared as asynchronous audio messages in the user's social media profiles. Users can talk one-on-one or one-to-many, and can invite others to join the conversation.
CloudTalk CEO David Hayden said, "Voice has been the missing link to a person's online persona. Social media interaction is widely silent, and we know text has its limitations: Sentiments can be difficult to express in 140 characters."
That can be especially valuable to celebrities whose fans demand personal and authentic content. In a beta version released earlier this year, 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, U.S. Olympic women's soccer star Brandi Chastain, and musical talents Cavo, Nikki Sixx,Tommy Lee, Crossfade, and IKILLYA used Just Sayin' to speak directly to fans. Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx called it "a way to further close the gap between fan and artist.
"Not only do the fans get to hear my voice directly, but I get to hear theirs as well. I love it," he said.