Are bloggers journalists? Should journalists blog? Is blogging too far out on the fringe of public communications to be considered within the fold of proper journalism? Recently there’s been some intriguing discussion on various media blogs concerning the overlapping roles of blogging and journalism.
I’ve been fascinated by this conversation and will be writing more on this topic later, but for now I’d like to point you to some of the highlights. (Read more…)
Looks like being an RSS Evangelist can really pay off! This morning, I’m featured in an ABCnews.com story on RSS feeds, “Feeding the Need for News,” by Paul Eng. It’s a pretty decent overview of the topic for people who haven’t heard of RSS feeds before.
(Full story, with article links…)
I mentioned briefly in a recent CONTENTIOUS article, “Clear Thinking, Clear Writing,” that I offer writing coaching services. Some of my readers have inquired about this service. Here’s how that works…
(Read more…)
Journalists today depend on e-mail, but they are generally overwhelmed by it, too. An Oct. 24, 2003 article in Online Journalism Review, “The E-Mail Paradox: Bane and Boon for Journalists’ Productivity,” describes how reporters today are using and misusing e-mail and other types of online communications.
This article is generally pretty good, except for one conspicuous omission: RSS feeds are not mentioned. Well, they should be! RSS can be a valuable tool for journalists who are drowning in e-mail.
(Full story, including article links)
From time to time I’ve railed against poorly conceived, distracting, and pointless Flash animations on Web sites (”Flashturbation”). Well, one place where Flash does make a lot of sense is instructional materials, like origami instructions… (Read more…)
Often, when I’m coaching writers (yes, I offer that as a professional service, ask me about coaching), I have to battle the “trapped at the keyboard” mindset – that is, the idea that the act of writing involves only what happens while you’re typing. In fact, clear thinking is the most important (and most often overlooked) aspect of good writing.
Clear thoughts crystallize in “Aha!” moments. An “Aha!” moment occurs when you realize that you have grasped a key concept, event, or relationship in such a way that you know exactly what you must communicate, or at least how to start. Often, this won’t happen when you’re sitting there, stubbornly willing yourself to write.
All writing, even business or academic writing, is a creative process. It pays to discover your own creative style and nuances. Here’s how you can learn which circumstances or activities yield the most “Aha! moments” for you… (Read more…)
“E-government” sounds like a great idea, but not if the government ignores important e-mail. Here’s yet another example of why e-mail is definitely not the best way to communicate with the U.S. government.
Earlier this year, 20-year-old Nathaniel Heatwole tried to e-mail some very important information to the US Transportation and Security Administration (TSA). Heatwole wished to inform TSA that he would be placing bags containing security contraband such as box cutters and bleach on two airplanes, in order to spotlight continuing airline security breaches.
On Oct. 21, 2003, CNN reported: “The e-mail provided details of where the plastic bags were hidden – right down to the exact dates and flight numbers – along with Heatwole’s name and telephone number.”
Apparently, TSA didn’t bother to read those messages until after the bags were found and an extensive and urgent investigation into their origin began. Why? Poorly programmed e-mail filters.
(Read more, with links to relevant news stories.)
As if e-mail spam wasn’t bad enough, now webloggers (like me) need to be on the lookout for “comment spam” – that is, spammers posting messages or URLs using a weblog’s comment function. This unfortunate development has been covered in recent Wired News article (which Media Blog has strongly criticized).
Comment spam is insidious, and there appears to be no easy way to deal with it. However, the blogging community is working on this one. Stay tuned…
I was just interviewed about RSS feeds by Paul Eng a technology journalist with ABCNews.com. He’s writing a column on RSS feeds that will be published sometime next week. The interview is no guarantee, of course, that I’ll end up getting quoted, – but then again, I might! Anyway, I’ll keep you posted.
(UPDATE OCT. 29, 2003: Yes, I did make it into that ABCnews.com story! Read more…_
The current issue of Columbia Journalism Review offers an excellent special package of stories on the current state of alternative media, “The New Alternatives.” Figuring prominently in this media scene are news weblogs.
In the package’s lead story, “Blogworld and Its Gravity,” writer Matt Welch asks, “So what have [weblogs] contributed to journalism? Four things: personality, eyewitness testimony, editorial filtering, and uncounted gigabytes of new knowledge.”
I couldn’t agree more! (Read more…)
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