Share audio recordings with AudioBoo
AudioBoo is a free service that lets you record sound on an iPhone, iTouch, Android phone, or computer and share it online. It’s an example of microblogging; users record a “boo” of up to five minutes in length, optionally add a photo, and post it to their page. Those who understand Twitter can think of a boo as a sort of audio tweet.
So far, this application seems to be flying under the radar at most US colleges and universities, but I think they will begin catching on soon. From the sound of the featured boos at the website, is must be more popular in Britain, where it was launched a year ago.
AudioBoo is easy to use; simply record and share. The latest version of the iPhone app gets 4/5 stars in the App Store. You can’t edit what you record. That will bother some folks but it makes the process easier. iTouch owners can use an external microphone to record offline and then upload when they have WiFi access. I tested this and it worked fine; I even got a comment on the test boo from a German user! Later on I recorded and posted from a laptop with no problem.
As well as sharing boos at the AudioBoo site, you can post them to a Twitter or FaceBook account. You can also embed a boo in a web page, in Concourse, or in a blog post (not here on WordPress.com). Your list of boos has an RSS feed, so you can submit to iTunes and voila! … instant podcast. VERY cool.
I learned about AudioBoo last week while visiting the University of Maryland, where professor Ron Yaros uses it in “Information 3.0: Investigating Today’s Technology for Tomorrow’s World.” Ron’s students are using all kinds of other tools as well, including blogs and Twitter. On “Maryland Day” (April 24) Prof. Yaros’ students used AudioBoo to post brief interviews and observations.
Some other possibilities for AudioBoo in teaching and learning include:
- Language pronunciation
- Audio tour of a location
- Research field notes
- Digital storytelling
The basic service is free. For a fee, “Audioboo Pro” helps companies host existing audio with private boos, moderation, promotion, and unlimited recording time.
More information about AudioBoo:
- Listen to featured boos
- AudioBoo Review (Macworld)
- Get Boo’d up with AudioBoo!
- BrowserBoo Tutorial (YouTube)
NspireD2: Learning Technology in Higher Ed. 
Thanks, Chris! It sounds like I should give SoundCloud a try. I’ve enjoyed AudioBoo for personal use, but I’m glad to have another option.
So far, the applications here do not involve live recording and immediate posting. Several faculty have assigned audio recordings in the form of interviews or reflections.
At this point I prefer SoundCloud over AudioBoo. The player is WordPress-friendly and I like the mobile apps. One thing you can do with the app is to record in the field on a mobile device, save as a private file, and then download the recording as an MP3 from your desktop. It seems like an easy way to get a raw sound file from a smartphone or tablet into an editor like Audacity on a desktop.
Hi Chris,
Have you seen examples of higher ed faculty using Audioboo (or similar apps) since posting this? I’m particularly interested in examples of students using such apps to record audio “in the field,” so to speak.
Thanks!
Derek
thank you very much
I could only find one other service — iPadio. It is not nearly as popular and gets poorer reviews in the iTunes store. However, it seems to have some unique features, like the ability to integrate with Google Maps. On their website they also have some useful pages about applications for this kind of audio recording.
Thanks for posting about this! It sounds really cool. Are there comparable apps that do the same sort of thing?