Why descriptions for images from virtual worlds have to be so long and extensive

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 23:33:54 +0100

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

Looks like Hubzilla articles really don't go out into the Fediverse as objects.

So here's a link to my recent article:

Why descriptions for images from virtual worlds have to be so long and extensive

#ImageDescription #ImageDescriptions #AltText #Accessibility #Inclusion #Inclusivity #OpenSim #OpenSimulator #SecondLife #Metaverse #VirtualWorlds

Fediverse OpenSim Second Life Metaverse in general

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 23:50:47 +0100

Diane

alienghic@octodon.social

@jupiter_rowland

It sounds like supporting hyperlinks in alt text could help you out some.

Using your example "the Sendalonde Community Library in Sendalonde in the Discovery Grid." that seems like three concepts "Sendalonde Community Library", "Sendalonde", and "Discovery Grid" that could all plausibly have sharable web accessible descriptions. Those descriptions could then link to descriptions of OpenSim to the additional context.

For what's workable with what we have now? Do you think having a more focused description describing the important features of the opensim image, followed by a reply describing the background context information would provide a good user experience?

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 00:42:09 +0100

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@Diane From what I've read, the best solution is always to have everything in one post.

I think there is a webpage about the Sendalonde Community Library. Sendalonde has an entry on OpenSimWorld, and the Discovery Grid has its own website. But all three are separate from each other. Also I'd rather not link to anything external, especially if I can't be sure that it's accessible. And anything about OpenSim usually isn't accessible at all.

Besides, it's cumbersome to have to navigate from website to website to understand what I've posted, on a phone much more so than on a desktop/laptop computer.

That said, I would never put an image description of 40,000+ characters into alt-text. At least Mastodon, Glitch, Misskey, Firefish, Sharkey and their other forks cut alt-text off at the 1,500-character mark and discard everything beyond. Even here on Hubzilla with no screen zoom on, it's hard to show even only the first 3,500 characters of alt-text or so because it can't be scrolled. And alt-text can't be navigated with a screen reader like the post text can be navigated. It isn't possible to jump back to a certain point in alt-text; it's only possible to jump back to the beginning and start over.

Last but not least, information that is neither available in the post text nor in the image must never, under no circumstances be put only into the alt-text. There are people who can't access alt-text, for example due to physical disabilities. Any information that's only available in alt-text is inaccessible and therefore lost to them.

That's why I always put such image description into the post text body instead of the alt-text, and then I issue a content warning "CW: long (n characters)", and I add the hashtags #Long, #LongPost, #CWLong and #CWLongPost for those who use filters against posts over 500 characters. This saves people from having unexpectedly hyper-massive walls of text slammed into their faces, especially those using mobile apps which were built under the assumption that a) the Fediverse is only vanilla Mastodon, so b) folding posts up is non-sense if posts with over 500 characters are technologically impossible.

The alt-text contains a short image description so the image is described at least a little for those who don't want to open the content warning, and it mentions that the actual, full-size image description is in the post text.

#ImageDescription #ImageDescriptions #AltText #Accessibility #Inclusion #Inclusivity #A11y