It’s been a bit over a year since I created Alt Text Hall of Fame, a project for raising awareness of the importance of properly describing images we post on social media.
Has following this account and/or visiting https://alttexthalloffame.org given you a better understanding of the importance of alt text?
And a follow-up, does this account and/or the site help you write better image descriptions?
And I’ve learned a ton.
I shared tips on how to write good alt text on alttexthalloffame.org, but when in doubt, keep it simple and to the point.
Reposting this amazing guide on how to write helpful alt text from https://www.perkins.org/resource/how-write-alt-text-and-image-descriptions-visually-impaired/, originally posted by @karengregory (including her original image description) so that I can pin it.
Question for #blind #VisuallyImpaired folks, what kind of image descriptions do you prefer?
Alt text helps everyone
Adding image descriptions, or alt text, helps everyone, not just those with vision loss or impairment.
Do you rely on alt text on social media?
A picture is worth a thousand words. Unless you don't add #AltText. Then it's just "Image".
But not everyone sees the value or importance of alt text.
Also, I'm curious, why do folks (typically) skip captioning images they upload?
#AltText #ImageDescription #AltText #accessibility #a11y #poll #SocialMedia
Alt text as a social indicator
And because of how important alt text is, it may impact how others perceive you or interact with you online.
When deciding who to follow, how important is it for you that the person/account adds alt text to their images?
#accessibility #AltText #ImageDescriptions #fediverse #mastodon #SocialMedia #poll
So, what do you do when you see a good post on here with an image that doesn't have a description/alt text?
#accessibility #a11y #AltText #ImageDescription #mastodon #fediverse #SocialMedia #netiquette
Alt text for your and for me
Some people take it upon themselves to help provide missing alt text using the #Alt4You hashtag. (And anyone can tag their post with #Alt4Me to request help.)
A shout-out to the "Alt4You" gang, the unsung heroes of the fediverse.
Trying to understand human psychology a bit here, boosts for reach are very much appreciated.
When you post an image without alt text, and someone replies with the image description for you to use, what is your typical reaction?
Is it considerate or is it passive aggressive to reply with alt text when the original poster neither wrote any nor asked for any?
[boost if you're so inclined]
(Kim Scheinberg’s thread is full of insights, so go give it a read!)
Alt text and AI
Because of the lack of image descriptions, some look to AI as an assistive tool. But the blind and vision-impaired community is pretty divided on their use.
A #blind person sharing their thoughts on AI-generated image descriptions vs those written by humans.
"[…] I've noticed that these beautifully crafted AI descriptions might not always be accurate. On the other hand, human-written Alt Text can sometimes be basic, plain, and less inspiring, but often more reliable."
https://www.applevis.com/forum/other-apple-chat/alt-text-adventures-ai-vs-human-descriptions
via https://tweesecake.social/@weirdwriter/112694268382629389
Do you typically use AI to describe images you post/see on social media?
#AltText #ImageDescription #accessibility
#a11y #blind #ai #poll
More resources
A few relevant links:
- Alt Text Hall of Fame
- Alt Text Health Check image accessibility report #1
- Impact of fediverse clients on the use of alt text
Feel free to reach out if you ran any relevant polls you’d like me to add here!