I was so happy this morning to read in the news, and then on NASA’s site, that the European Space Agency probe Huygens has landed on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan. Wow! About an hour from the time I’m writing this, ESA should start receiving data from Huygens via the Cassini probe, which is orbiting Saturn. Talk about a long-distance call…
Here are some items related to wikis that have caught my interest lately… TOP OF THIS LIST: “Blogs or Wikis … What’s the best platform for building a collaborative disaster-relief resource on the web?” By Dina Mehta, Conversations with Dina, Dec. 28, 2004. Mehta is a member of the team of bloggers who set up the now-famous SEA-EAT blog for tsunami and earthquake victim relief efforts. In this article, she ponders whether a wiki might have worked better than a blog. While I agree that a wiki would have made more sense from a development perspective, I think it would have been a mistake from a user perspective. Most internet users don’t really understand how wikis work. They take a fair amount of getting used to. While blogs also have a bit of a learning curve compared to traditional media, it still has a lot in common with traditional media. Also, it’s easier for a newbie to figure out which information is most recent in a blog, compared to a wiki. (Read the rest of this list…)
OK, maybe now it’s not such a secret. I was inspired recently by a couple of online audio shows (”podcasts”) which featured on-location “soundseeing.” So fire up your visual imagination. Here’s a snippet of time from my rustic cabin near the Continental Divide. (Listen now, and read the show notes…)
Here are some items related to writing, editing, and content rights that have caught my interest lately… TOP OF THIS LIST: “Fifty Writing Tools,” the workbench of Roy Peter Clark (Senior Scholar, the Poynter Institute). This 50-part weekly series, currently in progress, features articles on specific practical writing tips, with examples. They’re intended for journalists, but can apply much more widely. Take all of the tips together and you’ve got a pretty good style guide. Registered Poynter Online users can get each new tip by e-mail as they’re published. (Read the rest of this list…)
In this audio edition of CONTENTIOUS, I explain my reasoning behind why I think podcasting has the potential to become and incredibly important and powerful medium. That alone would be reason enough for women to play a key role in shaping the development of this medium. However, there are deeper reasons rooted in the different ways that women and men converse. If more media reflects how women generally approach communication, I believe that media could work considerable good in parts of our society and world that have gone desperately awry. It may sound grandiose and idealistic, but that’s my vision, for better or worse. I’d love to hear what others have to say about it. (Listen to the show, and read the show notes…)
Here are some more items about podcasting that caught my attention over the last couple of months. TOP OF THIS LIST: “Scripting News, Trade Secrets and Ego,” by Mark VandeWettering, “Brainwagon Radio,” Dec. 9, 2004. Excerpt: “Podcasting appeals to me because nearly anyone can do it. On any budget. For any reason. To communicate with family. Or their community. Or their church. Or people with similar interests. Or people who don’t know what their interests are. Or people who just need something different to listen to. There aren’t any real obstacles to doing it, at least to anyone who wants to actually do something. We certainly don’t need an industry to make that happen — It’s happening already.” Absolutely. That, my friends, is exactly the point! Mark explored this topic further in his Dec. 10, 2004 article “Why is podcasting important?” Brilliant. Don’t miss it. (Read the rest of this list…)
Back on Dec. 22, 2004, I started a list of podcasts that are hosted or co-hosted by women. I’ve been updating that list each time I discover a new woman-created podcast. So far, I’ve found 25 woman-created podcasts — including my own. Check out the list, and also learn how you can subscribe to the feeds for all of these shows at once…
This morning, Kris Smith of Croncast recorded a discussion with me and my husband, Tom Vilot. He’s just published it as today’s podcast. It’s a great conversation about conversations, mind mapping, and other intriguing topics…
One pioneer of the podcasting world is Dave Slusher, creator of “Evil Genius Chronicles.” In his Jan 4 show, Dave strongly disagreed with the main theme of my Jan 1 audio edition: That the term “podcast” is problematic if this new medium is to appeal to a mass audience. Personally, I treasure disagreement and dissent — even when presented strongly. Such discussions can be exceptionally instructive and beneficial, even if they aren’t always comfortable…
Here’s another audio edition of CONTENTIOUS. Today’s show offers a tip about how to make the writing process more natural and comfortable. For an in-depth version of this tip, see my Oct. 27, 2003 article, “Clear Thinking, Clear Writing.” If this type of advice helps you then consider getting it one-on-one in more detail, fully customized to your needs, through my writing coaching service. Writing does not have to suck! E-mail me to learn more: editor@contentious.com. (More notes on this show…)
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