@odd just wanted to say huge props for the description text on this image -- I've noticed that hardly anyone adds image descriptions across micro.blog, so always nice to see when it is done. :D

@eli Thanks! I didn’t use to do it, but after seeing @sod (I think) talk about it, I started using it more. Still not perfect, but I try. Someone that inspired me to do it also, is @cheri.

@odd that is awesome! Glad that it is happening more over here. I've noticed @sod doing it, too :D

@eli @odd Yes! I've been doing it on Mastodon and need to get into the habit of doing it here as well.

@crossingthethreshold @eli @odd I have to say I also blame @sod for it, I now have alt text added to all the photos I post 🙂

@crossingthethreshold @odd how do you see the alt text on the Micro.blog app? I tried long-press but nope.

@crossingthethreshold @eli @odd @sod Problem is alt text doesn’t get cross-posted from Micro.blog to other platforms, unless that’s changed.

@pimoore Last I heard, it doesn’t cross post. They know the interest is there however.

@pimoore @eli @odd @manton it would be nice to see more first class support for alt text here. Both clients and crossposting.

@pratik @odd I went to the website of the post and viewed the html. A rather clunky workflow.

@crossingthethreshold

Before we work on embedding it into cross posting .. would be great to see it working seamlessly in micro blog.

Why not in uploads is there not a field that gets exposed that displays the alt text … so we could then add alt text to our images that do not have alt text?

// @pimoore @cheri @eli @pratik @manton

@JohnPhilpin @pratik @crossingthethreshold @manton

I’ve never had trouble uploading alt text via the micro.blog app. The trick is to do it at the time of posting.

Alt text doesn’t pass through as visually readable. That’s by design, so yeah, adding alt text to old posts requires a laptop and patience.

@Cheri No, meant how do I see alt text on the Micro.blog app? Like for xkcd in a feed reader, I just long-press

@pratik @Cheri XKCD doesn't put that info in the Alt text but in a title. Alt text's purpose is to be available when the image itself is not. To see it, you could turn off images in your browser, or view the HTML behind the page. (I don't think either of those things is possible in the Micro.Blog app.)

![XKCD code.](https://miraz.me/uploads/2022/d73e3836a4.png]

@Miraz @Cheri Ah! TIL. Thanks.

@crossingthethreshold @pratik @odd In mobile Safari on iPad you could install the Web Inspector extension by And a Dinosaur, allow micro∙blog, and search for alt=" to reveal the tooltip on an image container, rather clunkily.

PS Searching on <img might be more useful, even though there will be a lot of images in the result.

@Cheri yes … i am more in edit / maintenance thinking.

@Cheri @manton I’d like this process to be as easy as possible, to encourage people to do it. Expose something in the UI for doing this and make it a normal thing to do. And then for cross-posting, at least on the Fediverse, it’s considered rude to not include image descriptions. I feel kinda bad to crosspost without it.

@crossingthethreshold I haven’t actually seen it yet(!), but I saw it referenced while it was happening, so that really was my initial source too, but I’ve only been more mindful about it lately.

@maique That is good! @sod kindled something there. 😃👍

@pratik On iOS you mean? Only tap the thumbnail photo once.

@pimoore Oh, that’s unfortunate. Maybe @manton could look into that?

@renevanbelzen Cool! I didn’t know that you could do that.

@odd Oh, I see @miraz answered this already…

@JohnPhilpin Adding alt text in the Uploads section is a good idea. I think most people just attach a photo directly when posting, where alt text is already supported, but I like it working everywhere.

@odd @pimoore @mcg I've looked into Mastodon and Twitter alt text. Unfortunately not a simple change, but definitely something we want to do.

@manton @johnphilpin That would be great. I wouldn't mind going back and adding alt text for all my previous uploads in one location. I know I'm guilty of not adding alt text often.

May I also sneak in my request to include 'Copy Markdown' next to each image? 😬

@manton Glad you are considering. Bummer it’s not straight forward to implement.

@manton I think this is a wonderful idea.

@pratik You may. 🙂 I've been trying to include Markdown as an option in more places, e.g. holding down the option key on the Mac to get more choices. I think in Uploads, similarly the "Copy HTML" button could have a popup option with more choices.

@manton Woo hoo! That would be great

@pratik @manton @odd @cheri I’ve read this whole conversation and still don’t understand how I’ll see the description. I’m on the iOS app.

@pratik @manton +1 I would go an edit my images too

@ndreas After you add a photo, tap the thumbnail in the lower left, you can tap “Add description” and it pops up a dialog window to enter it.

@odd @eli Wow! A whole thread dedicated to alt texts. 😍 You're all heroes making the web more accessible one image description at a time. Thank you!

@maique @crossingthethreshold I'm more than okay with taking the blame. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, actully. 😊

@odd thanks!

@ndreas Thanks to @Miraz, I learned that I was confusing 'title text with the alt text for an image. We are not meant to see the alt text in our browsers.

@pratik ok. Note I know how to add a description. But how do I see it on the iOS app?

@ndreas You're right. I don't know how to see that. Tried tapping and long-pressing but nope.

@pratik @ndreas You can edit the Description field after you have entered it. The ALT text is only accessible for those using screen readers*. Drag two fingers from the top down on the screen to make it read.

*) AFAIK

@odd thanks. Worked

@pratik scope creep! But yes 😎

@manton that would be great... I often edit post publish for all kinds of reasons... Like forgetting ... Categories for example... talking of which I do a lot of that ‘cleaning’ via mars edit … so when @danielpunkass starts on v5 … an easy way of checking alt text tags would be very welcome.

@odd Sure, but unfortunately no extension to reveal tooltips, e.g. by adding those underneath images by changing the web page on the fly. I guess there's too little demand for such an extension, or maybe it requires entitlements Apple doesn't want to give to Safari extensions.