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Monthly Archives: September 2004

How to Save Time Searching

September 25, 2004 – 11:14 am

Tara Calishain, author of the popular and respected blog “Research Buzz” and the best-seller “Google Hacks,” has a new book out which I heartily recommend: “Web Search Garage.” This book is a must-read for anyone who does a lot of online research. The bottom line is that by using the techniques Tara explains, you can get better results in less time. (Which means you can have more time to, say, have a life!) …

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Grab Bag (quick notes), Resources | Comments (0)

List-Style Postings (Basic Blog Post Formats, Part 4)

September 25, 2004 – 11:11 am

A list-format blog posting combines several short items into a single posting. This could be a collection of anecdotes, examples, categories, links or link blurbs, quotes, product recommendations, etc. It also might be a series of instructions for readers to follow… (NOTE: This is part 4 of a 7-part series. Part 5 will appear on Monday, Sept. 27.)

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

LookSmart Acquires Furl: What Might that Mean for Furl Users?

September 23, 2004 – 8:38 am

This morning, I had an e-mail notice from Furl founder Mike Giles announcing that Furl has just been acquired by the online search firm LookSmart….

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Grab Bag (quick notes), Resources | Comments (5)

Brief Remarks (Basic Blog Post Formats, Part 3)

September 23, 2004 – 7:47 am

Brief remark postings often (but not always) contain external links. However, the links are not the main value offered by that posting. In a brief remark posting, links support the content. In contrast, in a link blurb posting, non-link content exists primarily to support the links. Sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between a link blurb and a brief remark. But remember, all of these blog posting formats represent points along a spectrum. In the blogosphere, they often tend to blend into each other… (NOTE: This is part 3 of a 7-part series.)

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (2)

Best Blogs: Nominate Your Favorites by Oct. 17

September 22, 2004 – 1:44 pm

A new contest, the Best of the Blogs (BOB) awards, is being offered by the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle. This global contest is open to blogs in Arabic, Chinese, German, English, Russian, Portuguese, and Spanish…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Grab Bag (quick notes), Media Musings, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (0)

Blogging Style: The Basic Posting Formats (Series Index)

September 22, 2004 – 12:35 pm

After reading blogs for awhile, I’ve come to see some patterns in the ways postings in text-based blogs are formatted. As I see it, there are seven basic formats for blog postings. Each serves a different purpose for bloggers and their readers. Why should bloggers understand and care about posting format?… (NOTE: This is the introduction to a seven-part series.)

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (31)

Link-Only (Basic Blog Post Formats, Part 1)

September 22, 2004 – 10:34 am

In a link-only posting, the blogger simply posts a link – perhaps with a few words of context. While this offers some advantages, generally it’s not a good idea for bloggers to rely heavily on this posting format… (NOTE: This is part 1 of a 7-part series that describes the main types of blog posting formats.)

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (3)

Link Blurbs (Basic Blog Post Formats, Part 2)

September 21, 2004 – 8:11 pm

As with a link-only post, this kind of blog posting focuses on a link to another site or blog. However, the blogger adds significant value to the bare link by writing some original content or context. The goal of the link blurb format is to explain to readers why a particular link is relevant or interesting – in other words, why it’s worth clicking on. (NOTE: This is part 2 of a 7-part series on blog posting formats.)

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (2)

This Week\’s Mega-Grab Bag

September 17, 2004 – 1:27 pm

OK, I’ve found a ton of interesting material this week about a variety of topics. However, I’m short on time. Normally I prefer to say a little bit about why I’m recommending each item, but this week I can’t do that, and I don’t want to let this stuff get too old. So this time I’m just presenting categories and article titles. Hope that suffices, O hungry readers of mine! Of course, I need to tell you what’s at the TOP OF THIS WEEK’S LIST: Wiremine, the bliki of Brian Tol. Again, a bliki is a form of online publishing that combines features of weblogs and wikis. It’s still in the early stages and has a bunch of kinks, especially in terms of usability and readability. Still, I think the bliki is a powerful concept – and it especially holds considerable potential for online learning environments. I can’t wait until IdeaGlue, the bliki tool Tol’s developing, gets far enough along that a semi-geek like me can try it. …Read the rest of this week’s list…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in General | Comments (2)

Bulleted Lists: The Online Writer’s Friend

September 17, 2004 – 9:00 am

Why do so many writers and editors seem biased against bulleted lists? Even worse, why do they so often burden the bulleted lists they do use with the ill-fitting punctuation of a complex sentence – almost as if apologizing for creating a true list? Let’s face it: In online media, and even in many types of nonfiction print publishing, the bulleted list can be an excellent tool to enhance readability and comprehension – if used with care. A bulleted list is definitely much easier to read and understand than a list that is shoehorned into a sentence or paragraph. Here is my advice for using bulleted lists in print or online…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Real World Writing | Comments (2)