“Poetry, after all, is the opposite of suicide.â€
– Anne Sexton
Butch Dalisay, better known as penmanila to the writing community in the Philippines has written a magnificent piece on the ranting culture on the Internet. A professed geek as most of us are at PhilMUG, he raises salient points on the rant culture we have today because of the Internet and many more factors:
Forgive me if I suspect that these are people—many of them in their surly mid-twenties—who’ve never been truly whacked by life over the head, who’ve never laid their lives on the line for a cause larger than themselves, who’ve never stared into the barrel of a gun, who’ve never spent a day in jail, and whose daily crises consist of having to choose between the mocha latte and the cappuccino. [full article here]
The discussion of the article can be found over at the PhilMUG forums.
Before we start to get “disclosure happy,” here is a very good piece written by Read Write Web on when bloggers should disclose information. This was pointed out by Darren Rowse of ProBlogger. The article actually illustrates journalism ethics as well as the ethics behind the business models of traditional publishers (it is sometimes tricky to balance business with ethics especially in the realm of journalism).
Nothing new really, but the piece is a helpful all in one guide to how to treat our disclosures as well as see what level we are in to becoming more professional about our blogging.
You’ll notice that I don’t include a rule about disclosing when you were paid to write about a specific topic or company. The reason is that any blogger who wants to be taken seriously as a journalist cannot and will not accept money or gifts from a source (or vice versa). That said, it should also be noted that there is a big difference between accepting gifts in exchange for writing a story and accepting review copies of goods for free. [full article here]
In summary, the article says that disclosure should happen when in these situations:
With a number of bloggers wanting to become more like journalists, and a number of journalists venturing into new media, the one great thing about the venturing forth into the web is how a ton of resources are now available on tips for writing better. Back in the day when the Internet consisted of a Hotmail account and IRC, the mainstream guide for writing was this book written by Zaide.
Ten years later, all I have to is open my RSS reader and see what Brian Clark and Darren Rowse are up to, among the many other bloggers who help us write better.
UPDATE Here are some suggestions for books that I know can help you in various ways with your writing skills. Feel free to contribute.
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How to Write Great Copy by Dominic Gettins. I talked about this book in a previous blog post.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denims by David Sedaris. I always believed that the best way to learn to write better is to read more. David Sedaris is well known for his top of the line casual writing style. If you’re a fan of the Seinfeld series on television, David Sedaris makes the most mundane things interesting on paper. In this book, he talks about growing up with his Greco-American family.
The answer would most likely be a yes, especially if you’re a blog manager.
Bloggers come and bloggers go. Just like in the traditional print industry, a painful transition can be brought about when the editor in chief of a magazine leaves to pursue other things. This can lead to a discombobulating series of events, especially when the EIC had been hand picked from the day the title, focus and market of the magazine was conceived.
Adel Gabot once told me that you can tell whether an editor in chief has a full grasp over his magazine when you turn the pages and see the content reflect his or her personality. Such editors such as Tim Yap of Super!, Pam Pastor of 2bu!, RJ Ledesma of MANUAL, as well as the boys over at C! Magazine are good examples of this. Passion driven, personality fueled.
So then the big question mark: what happens when the EIC leaves the magazine, taking with him all the personality and direction he set up throughout the many months, years and yes, even to the very point of taking the entire magazine staff with him?
It is no secret that new media is not so slowly taking a bigger role in viral marketing efforts as well as being included in the business models of publishing companies. There is usually the “online version” of a publication that contains stuff that magazines cannot achieve such as running commentaries, reader to editorial conversations, and daily news updates.
But given all this, magazines are still out there – and for good reason too! (read: not just for your pet to poop on)
Not everything can be read on a blog. You won’t print out a blog entry to show your friends the latest camera or cellphone in the market. You’d show them the magazine or product catalog. In the same light, it is much easier to appreciate a two page spread or specially executed pages (triple folds or advertorial pop-ups with music) from the perspective of a print publication.
To read a blog, you need a computer. Or a PDA with a feed reader. You won’t really bring your laptop with wireless connection to the throne either (because if you do, then you’re really geeky and gross).
Quality Content. This is perhaps the main differentiator, at least for the more established titles. Blogs don’t require an editorial hierarchy. Magazines do. It helps ensure quality control, as well as making resources available to bag that next big story.
Like it or not, we’re still in some sort of bubble. Not everyone reads blogs or looks at the Internet to find pertinent information. They still resort to television, radio and print. I feel that for the entire trimedia to go fully digital, businesses have to collapse and generations should pass before any such revolution will occur.
There are some class A titles better suited for print. Great titles such as Esquire, GQ, and Tattler find some sort of comfort zone by being seen on the news stand and not purely online. It’s meant to be read, and maybe even read in public. It’s a status thing I guess.
