Oral history from any telephone, anywhere

So much of my writing takes the form of personal storytelling -- interviews with people about their lives -- that I was intrigued to find the online service LifeOnRecord.com. During any event, or anytime at all, someone can dial a telephone number and record their thoughts for posterity. The audio recordings can then be dropped to a CD, transmitted via e-mail, or sent on iTunes. If you don't want to carry a voice recorder, don't have your computer nearby, or want to do something different for, say, your wedding, LifeOnRecord.com gives you an interesting option.

From the company's recent announcement:

Subscribers to the LifeOnRecord Personal Audio Journal receive a phone number to call and record their thoughts and stories of daily life that might otherwise be forgotten.

The LifeOnRecord Weddings and Events Services capture the well-wishes and anecdotes that surround special occasions. Guests invited to a birthday, wedding, or other special occasion call a toll-free number and record their sentiments and favorite stories about the guest of honor.

With both services, the recordings can be preserved on a keepsake CD, managed from a web site, listened to on a telephone, automatically emailed, and one-click downloaded into iTunes. The services take the traditional means of scrapbooking, journaling, and home videos one step further.

It's an interesting way to get an oral record of events because many people can call in to leave their thoughts and wishes in one place. Pretty cool!