How to use Google Voice for a Sound-Off

Let's bring back the Sound Off, but this time using Google Voice!

It's an idea shamelessly re-purposed from fellow Idealab member Karen Workman of the Oakland Press in Michigan, and as she's shown, it can have many more uses.

Here's my initial plan: We'll ask a question every day, like the online poll. If you feel the answers are inadequate, you can expand your comments by calling this number:



We would then post your comments, with audio, online.

You can also answer in other ways, of course. Whatever makes it easy.



Here's a very rough way to show you how to do it:

SOUND OFF: About publishing the name of a man who tried to jump off a bridge

The following selected comments are all from the story: "Town of Ulster cop stops man from jumping off bridge":

wherewlf wrote on Dec 19, 2010 3:29 AM:

" The freeman never reports the persons name when they succeed in jumping so why on earth do they need to report it when he doesn't succeed? Obviousley this man has some issues and the last thing he needs is to have his name in the paper. "

SOUND OFF: Monday, Dec. 20, 2010

G.Colburn wrote on "Kingston lawmaker wants talks on term limits"

" I don't think the Mayor should have to worry about term limits. I'm sure he'll be ousted come November. "

citizen K wrote on "Sottile touts completion of sewer pipe replacement project"

" Problem identified, funded, worked on, completed.
Very good. That's the basic grunt work in cities... hard to do, not a lot of parades and credit, and it needs to be done.
Thank you for the work, thank you for the article. "

citizendave wrote on "Governor fined $62K over Yankees Series tickets"

" if it were a mets game, it would have only cost half as much "

SOUND OFF: Dec. 17, 2010

pasnyder wrote on "Kingston closing trash site temporarily"

" It's bad enough that the City has forced us to wait every second week for yard waste pickup. Now we can't bring the refuse to the transfer station (like I have) on those alternate weeks??????

Come on folks. We have to do something about this. Lets not accept these plans. "

fez wrote on "A budding mystery: Anonymous benefactor brings joy to High Falls"

" Wonderful! "

Butch wrote on "Bill preventing big tax hikes heads to Obama"

" Take a look at the pork in this pig! And they have the nerve to be put out because people would like to keep their own money!!!!!
Our government is like an abusive spouse.."but sometimes it's good." The question is, "How much crap are you willing to eat to get a Oreo once and awhile.?" "

SOUND OFF: Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010

Today's Sound-off features the $31,000 question, a revolution IN ALL CAPS and candy, man!

19uchvny wrote on "Ulster County trash agency boss getting $31,500 raise"

"I don't even make $31,500 in a year "

ulsterhome wrote on "White House seeks drilling OK before hydrofracking study is complete"

" IF THIS IS TRUE...then its time for the people to take the streets - REVOLUTION. DO NOT ALLOW HYDROFRACKING IN THIS REGION WE WILL DO WHATEVER - WHATEVER - WHATEVER IT TAKE TO STOP IT. YOU destroy our land, our property, our values and you will not believe how hard we fight to protect it. HInchey - You and Obama Administration Are Now Officially On Notice! "

AMORRIS wrote on "The candy man can: Michael’s Candy Corner in Kingston makes 3,000 candy canes daily during the Christmas season"

" Great Story for the Holiday. Great work in keeping a tradition alive[ local town business men are a rare sight to see] "

SOUND OFF: Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010

Today's sound off is brought to you by happy feelings:

Viking1946 wrote on "EDITORIAL: Dutchess darkness"

" Your biased hypocracy is impressive. When will you comment on the gerimanderd district of maurice Hinchey that starts in Woodstock, dips down to pick up SUNY New Paltz, then scoots across the mountains to get SUNY Binghamton, then turns north to get the colleges in the ithica area.

That dilutes the votes of every resident that is your readership with transient students and the known liberal people that make up college environments. "

ulsterhome wrote on "Sex with Hyde Park teen lands man in prison for 12 years"

" What in god's name is WRONG WITH PEOPLE?

We need to re-evaluate 'sex offenders' and NOT EVER RELEASE THEM BACK INTO SOCIETY. The Orange County murder by the un-registered sex offender, the missing girl in VA, this case...We need to get Islamic on these perverts and either 'cut it off' upon prosecution or lock them up on pervert island where they can just clobber each other until none are left. This is disgusting and the problem is worse than ever. "

kingstonian wrote on "Sottile signs 2011 budget into law"

" Once again the Mayor and his band of idiots has failed us. They could find no where to make cuts to get the tax rate to zero like the County did? So every department is running at top efficency and there is no waste anywhere? Hard to believe. "

SOUND OFF: Monday, Dec. 13, 2010

Today's Sound Off, a selection of Daily Freeman comments, is about UFOs, criminals and a guy named "Barrack":

hurleyguy wrote on Area "UFO support group offers place to share questions, experiences"

" Anyone who questions the veracity of this article, who doubts that extraterrestrials walk among us, and that past abductees eschew meat, has merely to visit Woodstock on a Sunday afternoon. Besides, the interviewee has a Doctorate of Metaphysics. You can't get much more authoritative than that! "

geezer wrote on "Four arrested in Woodstock home invasion case"

"These crimes are being committed by locals...I moved here to escape this crap...time to lock doors and keep the old 12 gauge handy...very upsetting!"

Viking1946 wrote on "Federal judge in Virginia strikes down health care law"

"Great news, thankfully it was not heard by the 9th circuit court in San Franscisco. Take that Barrack, the Constitution still has meaning for today."

The production god is dead. Long live the Internet

As you know, it's been a hard but transformative week for the Freeman, having moved print production to Troy. Yes, our mailroom and press employees were let go as a result. I've know many of them for many years and it has been difficult to see them go.

But along with that difficult move comes a ray of inspiration. Our future is looking bright and I'm glad I get to be a part of it.

If you need a refresher, here's Publisher's Ira Fusfeld addressing our future and an illuminating interview by the Watershed Post with Managing Editor Tony Adamis, which addresses "how to make the transition from being a newspaper – which is a good thing to be -- to being a multimedia journalism company."

I'll let Journal Register Company CEO John Patton explain why we are doing what we are doing.

SOUND OFF!

Stolen Borrowed from your comments at the Daily Freeman

Snarky wrote on "Ulster to reappraise possible changes to senior meals program":

" I guess it's easier for Kingston to find ways to get funding for things like parades and fireworks. Oh, yeah, things the people REALLY need. I'm sure the town won't go without their St. Paddy's Day Parade or 4th of July stuff. But the elderly, poor and disabled go without. "

Winslow40 wrote on "Sottile says he supports budget changes recommended by lawmakers"

" Lets lay of some politicians bet we can save a boat load of money... "

beachgirl wrote on "Kingston heeds call to fix City Hall sidewalk"

" Great job! Now if we can get the lines painted on Broadway in front of the YMCA...St. Patricks Day is just around the corner, maybe the AOH people can do it when they paint the lines green for the Parade!! "

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