If you're posting an image on here, please remember to add a text description for people who cannot see. Blind people use the internet through screen reader software which reads text out loud.
The level of detail needed depends on the image, but generally you should try to explain whatever is important and relevant in the picture.
If you forget a description, just edit the post and add it in afterwards! The bot @PleaseCaption can remind you if needed.
More info at https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-make-posts-more-accessible-to-blind-people-on-mastodon-and-the-fediverse
@feditips @PleaseCaption Alt text is also helpful for explaining a visual joke/reference. Once someone posted a pic of Liz Truss, who I only recognized by name, and it saved me having to ask "who is this?"
@feditips
alt text can also help people with bad internet, especially when dealing with videos, because the load before the media and in some clients can even be loaded separately!
@feditips
there's more: blind, and visually impaired, people also upload photos/pictures, but may not be able to add descriptions, so... maybe check out the peason's bio before you let loose the hounds of pointless nagging.
@PleaseCaption
@feditips @PleaseCaption and it's been very helpful to me too when I've been in spotty WiFi and the images won't load.
@feditips @PleaseCaption Thanks for that information. I've been posting images of my month-long holiday in the American south but haven't been adding a description.
I'll definitely do so now, and I'll go back and add it to the pictures I already posted.
@feditips @PleaseCaption@botsin.space
I found alt-text quite convenient for just explaining images to anyone, visually impaired or not.
@feditips @PleaseCaption@botsin.space funny thing: I’m vision impaired. I usually don’t add a description for two reasons. Firstly and most often, I forget. However, on my website I add descriptions for images when I’m preparing a post and I struggle. I really struggle. To identify what is in an image, what are the key features, and what is the focus. I think my struggles with that are the reason I have a mental block with doing it elsewhere. It’s just too hard.
If you're unable to write captions due to any kind of disability, then please don't worry!
The original post was aimed only at people who are able to write them.
If you want to use it, there is a hashtag for this situation called #Alt4Me which asks abled people reading the post to suggest a caption.
@feditips Thanks, that’s interesting.
@feditips @PleaseCaption …”reads text out loud”
How loud?
I mean, just out of interest, I don’t have anything particularly evil in mind