Here’s an interesting, if deeply unscientific, look at how the role of text is shaping up on Whale Sound. I compared how many times visitors clicked on the ‘poem text’ link as compared to those who clicked on the main audio link for some of the higher-click pieces from today and yesterday:
clicks on audio……..clicks on text
————————————-
48…………………………9
11…………………………1
10…………………………2
8…………………………..3
7…………………………..2
7…………………………..1
6…………………………..1
————————————–
97…………………………19
Which might be taken to indicate (continuing in the same deeply unscientific vein) that visitors to Whale Sound have recourse to text less than 20% of the time! Of course, no way to tell how many visitors actually listen to the audio all the way through (ie engage meaningfully with it sans text), but still, I find this all very encouraging.
Neato! I listen to Poetry Radio in my town either purposefully (going to the site and clicking the podcast) or randomly in the car when it comes on. No text at all is provided. I love how you provide both, giving the option, and I often click it, and I also love just listening to you read the poem! It’s all working, and I think maybe you’ve “gone viral,” as they say, as Whale Sound is popping up everywhere! Yay!
this is fascinating! thank you for sharing it.
recourse to sound
Recourse to text, I think you mean? I never click on the links. At qarrtsiluni, where authors read their own work with varying degrees of success, I think having the text is essential, but here, your readings are so good that the text would just be a distraction, I feel.
Duh! Yes, I meant ‘to text’ – have fixed it in the post. Thanks, Dave! Delighted to hear you don’t click on the links!
Ya know, I wish I had thought to do something like that when I had “Shape of a Box” up. I could see how many views there were on the video but I never thought to calculate how many people only went to the website for the text..hmmm
I am pleased to be able both to hear and read the text. I like to listen first and then go back and read before listening perhaps a second time.
You have a voice that is especially well-suited to reading poetry and you seem to have an intuitive sense of emphasis and pause and drama.
Yours is fast becoming one of my favorite sites.
Thanks for the very kind words, Maureen, and for listening!