We know that when you use StoryCorps' free digital tools to record an interview, you want your experience recording an interview to be smooth and trouble free—that way you and your interview partner can focus on the conversation, not technical issues. That’s what we want, too.
To make your recording experience as easy as possible, take a look at these tips to prevent technical issues that might disrupt your interview experience. Please note, our suggestions are a little different depending on whether you are recording using the StoryCorps App or StoryCorps Connect.
General Tips for Recording with Both the StoryCorps App and StoryCorps Connect
Make Your Account(s) Before You Sit Down to Record. Don’t make your interview partner wait for you to select a password. Open the App or log in to archive.storycorps.org and create your account in advance.
Prepare a Question List Prior to Your Interview. It is impossible to cover a whole lifetime in one 40-minute conversation, so we suggest thinking of a few topics you’d like to cover, and make a list of five to 10 questions to get started. You can read more about creating question lists for both the App and StoryCorps Connect in the Help Center article below.
How will I know what questions to ask? Does StoryCorps have suggested questions for my interview?
Do a Test Recording. Before you and your partner record your full interview, record a practice interview from start to finish (it should be only a minute or so). This will also give you a chance to practice entering keywords and other data; you can even publish the practice interview to our archive. (You can always delete it later!) Doing a test recording helps you make sure you understand how everything works before you record the real thing.