Gregory's ServerAs a Blind person i never thought i would be on social media savoring photos. But the communal Mastodon alt text game is so strong that sweet, poetic or silly descriptions abound on my timeline. Thanks to legions of people who take time to write a meaningful description of the ephemera they post, i learn so much about insects, plants, buildings, memes — all dispatches from a dimension of the world that i otherwise wouldn't experience. If you're wondering whether anybody reads these things: YES.
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@ChanceyFleet Good to hear it is so well received 🙏 @ChanceyFleet As a fellow blind person, I say amen to that. Well said, and I fully agree. Grateful for all the amazing alt text descriptions. :-)   Hi everybody! I’m doing my best to read through all the comments. Some questions you may have about Blind people and images might be answered in this article I wrote last year: https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/06/15/1074036/ending-image-poverty/amp/ And to learn more about crafting alt text, i highly recommend the Alt Text as Poetry Project https://alt-text-as-poetry.net @ChanceyFleet I really love when people try to see what’s beautiful about something instead of thinking about it like a difficulty. We bring find joy and beauty into this world by writing image description, for everyone involved @ChanceyFleet The rule of thumb I tend to give folks that are new to alt text is to imagine that they are on the phone with a friend. How would you succinctly describe the cool photo you are trying to post to a friend over the phone? What you come up with for your answer is the alt text you should use. Do try to limit it to about 120-200 characters if possible ;) @ChanceyFleet reading this helps me feel more motivated to be more diligent about alt text!  |
@ChanceyFleet And thank YOU for reminding us of the value. It is very satisfying to know that the effort to write decent alt-text is having a benefit.