2004 September — contentious.com

Monthly Archives: September 2004

Yes, I Said \”internet.\” So Did NPR!

September 30, 2004 – 6:45 pm

Back on Aug. 16, I announced that I’d decided to stop capitalizing “internet,” “web,” and “net.” Not surprisingly, a bunch of readers complained. How dare I oppose the most popular editorial approach to this issue? Well, it turns out that I’m not alone in this opinion. NPR’s show “Fresh Air” show just weighed in on my side…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Media Musings, Net Effects on Society, Real World Writing | Comments (5)

A Q&A&Q Wiki: Whadya Think?

September 30, 2004 – 10:11 am

For a little while now, in my rare spare minutes, I’ve been playing with the demo version of a cool and very user-friendly hosted wiki tool called EditMe. I’m getting to the point that I want to do a public wiki project. But I don’t want it to be too narrowly focused – I don’t want to end up with an insular group preaching to the choir or arguing about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. So I had an idea. Tell me what you think…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures, Arranging Ideas, Wikis | Comments (5)

The Series (Basic Blog Post Formats, Part 7)

September 29, 2004 – 10:32 am

A series of blog postings is an excellent way to approach almost any topic that can be divided into fairly meaty sub-topics of about 500-1000 words each. A series is a collection of separate blog postings that are organized and linked together to form a greater whole. This posting format works especially well for reference-style content such as backgrounders, tutorials, or other explanations. It can also work well for storytelling or analysis… (FOR EXAMPLE: This posting is the final part of a 7-part series on blog posting formats.)

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (0)

Long Articles (Basic Blog Post Formats, Part 6)

September 28, 2004 – 7:56 am

The long article format includes almost any blog posting that runs longer than 700 words and that is not a list. Good long articles are hard to write. Bad long articles are easy to write – but awful to read. Editorial skill and clarity of thought make all the difference. (NOTE: This is part 6 of a 7-part series.)

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (0)

Setting Up Your Own Webfeeds, Continued

September 27, 2004 – 6:37 pm

If you just have a basic weblog, creating a webfeed is probably easy — you simply use the built-in tool in your blogging software. However, what if your webfeed generation needs are more complex? Here’s some basic advice on more advanced webfeed options…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Feeds (RSS) | Comments (1)

Confession of a Technorati Junkie

September 27, 2004 – 10:24 am

Technorati is a key tool for “ego surfing.” (Yes, I have an ego — imagine that!) Basically, it’s an easy way for bloggers to find out which other blogs are linking to them or talking about them. When it works, it’s great. Technorati has had its functional bugs here and there, but the service is so useful I haven’t minded them much. Then, last Friday, disaster struck…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Resources, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (3)

What to Do with Your Extra Gmail Invites

September 27, 2004 – 10:01 am

Gmail is still an invitation-only service. Lately, Google has been very generous with the number of invitations it allots to Gmail users to redistribute. Right now, everyone I know who wants Gmail has gotten an invitation from me — yet I still have plenty leftover, and I keep getting more. What to do with those extra invitations?…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Grab Bag (quick notes), Resources | Comments (3)

Short Articles (Basic Blog Post Formats, Part 5)

September 27, 2004 – 9:20 am

This nebulous category includes any blog posting that runs up to about 500-700 words long. Typically, these blog entries are long enough to merit extending off the home page to a separate full-text page, but not so long as to require more than a couple minutes’ reading time. Short articles can present any kind of content, and they also can include external links. (NOTE: This is part 5 of a 7-part series.)

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (1)

It\’s Official: I\’m Not a Blogaholic

September 25, 2004 – 5:52 pm

…At least, according to Weblog Wannabe, which offers a fun online quiz: “Are You a Blogaholic?” I only scored 44% on this quiz, which categorized me as a “casual weblogger…”

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures | Comments (1)