I don't know how serious an issue this is but two web sites are reporting on an outsourcing outfit that is looking to India to take on editing tasks.
India to take on journos
India to take on journos
Simon Hayes
AUGUST 01, 2006
CALL centre and technology jobs have been the main target of offshoring to low-cost operations in places such as India and the Philippines, but journalism is in the sights of one of India's largest offshorers.
Satyam Computer Services, the $US1.39 billion ($1.81 billion) software development firm that counts among its clients Coles Myer, Woolworths, AMP and Mayne Logistics, is planning to build up its media and entertainment unit.
In the short term that means hiring a group of high-level publishing executives to increase its content management and repurposing operations.
In the long term, expect to see employees of the Indian outsourcer subediting and maybe even writing.
"If you look at traditional media companies there's an enormous amount of autonomy at property level and a pride of authorship that drives the entire business," said media and entertainment senior vice-president Kevin English.
"People will be reluctant to let that go easily.
(snip)
---------------
Satyam Begins Journey To Content Creation Offshoring; Satisfied With Mechanical Work For Now
August 1, 2006
By Nikhil on Tue 01 Aug 2006 02:48 AM IST
Satyam Computer Services, having divested its stake in Sify.com last year, plans to enter the media services offshoring space. It intends to work towards getting a share of the content creation market, but is not underestimating the difficulties it is likely to face from traditional media houses who might see this as loosening of the editorial grip on content. The company’s focus right now, it said, is on developing relationships by doing copy editing and layout, and advising publishers on reworking of archived content:
“We’re beginning conversations right now, however, and that’s an indication of the future, especially for news aggregators such as Google and Yahoo. Pulling the information together is a mechanical process that may be outsourced," says media and entertainment senior vp Kevin English.
(snip)
Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
So It's Not All Greek to You...
English may dominate at the moment, but the sheer numbers of Mandarin speakers and a determined effort by Beijing may eventually tilt the balance eastward, as this Wired magazine piece observes.
The Mandarin Offensive
Inside Beijing's global campaign to make Chinese the number one language in the world.
By Michael Erard
A light snow is falling outside the windows of Cyrus H. McCormick School in southwest Chicago, but the second graders in Room 203 are not distracted from their lesson. May Cheung, an energetic teacher from Hong Kong, holds a cup to her lips and asks, "Wo he shemma?" (What am I drinking?) A forest of arms go up. "Cha! Cha!" (Tea!) An hour later, Cheung has kindergartners counting to 27 in Mandarin as she hands out Chinese New Year hong bao, the red envelopes that promise wealth, abundance, and good fortune. For most of the kids in this Mexican-American neighborhood, Mandarin is their third language - after Spanish and English.
The children at McCormick are part of the largest grade school Chinese program in the US. Seven years ago, after a post-college stint teaching English in China, Robert Davis wandered into the offices of the Chicago Public Schools and convinced the director to start a comprehensive Chinese language program and hire him to manage it. Now 3,500 Chicago kids, from kindergartners to 12th graders, learn Mandarin. "The days of everybody trying to be American are over," Davis says. "When you do business with or go to other countries, be prepared to work on their terms."
(snip)
As Mark Liberman at Language Log notes, there are plenty of fake Chinese proverbs to go around, which meshes nicely with the previously noted fake Asian tattoos.
The Mandarin Offensive
Inside Beijing's global campaign to make Chinese the number one language in the world.
By Michael Erard
A light snow is falling outside the windows of Cyrus H. McCormick School in southwest Chicago, but the second graders in Room 203 are not distracted from their lesson. May Cheung, an energetic teacher from Hong Kong, holds a cup to her lips and asks, "Wo he shemma?" (What am I drinking?) A forest of arms go up. "Cha! Cha!" (Tea!) An hour later, Cheung has kindergartners counting to 27 in Mandarin as she hands out Chinese New Year hong bao, the red envelopes that promise wealth, abundance, and good fortune. For most of the kids in this Mexican-American neighborhood, Mandarin is their third language - after Spanish and English.
The children at McCormick are part of the largest grade school Chinese program in the US. Seven years ago, after a post-college stint teaching English in China, Robert Davis wandered into the offices of the Chicago Public Schools and convinced the director to start a comprehensive Chinese language program and hire him to manage it. Now 3,500 Chicago kids, from kindergartners to 12th graders, learn Mandarin. "The days of everybody trying to be American are over," Davis says. "When you do business with or go to other countries, be prepared to work on their terms."
(snip)
As Mark Liberman at Language Log notes, there are plenty of fake Chinese proverbs to go around, which meshes nicely with the previously noted fake Asian tattoos.
Errors Add Up
Richard Holden of the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund mentioned an error he noticed last week in The New York Times, which the paper subsequently corrected.
From Rich. . . The best, most recent example involved the recent sales tax increase in New Jersey to 7 percent from 6 percent. The Times referred to it as a “1 percent increase.” ... Of course, it was a 1 PERCENTAGE POINT increase. It was a 16.7 PERCENT increase. Seven minus six is one; put the one over the six (old number) and that’s what you get.
I always tell people the easiest way to remember is that any time you’re talking about differences between percents that difference is expressed in percentage points. You see it all the time in ads for loans, where they’ll say something like the rate is 4 percent above the prime rate when they really mean percentage points.
But the days when we could joke about going into journalism because we didn't like math are over, or should be. I count (!) myself in the crowd that used to say that.
As Bob Baker of Newsthinking said, ...We pay them (reporters) to be good at making sense of the world--which includes expressing simple mathematical relationships. And yet, a frightening proportion of otherwise smart reporters turn sluggish when it comes to using the kind of math that they were supposed to have mastered in high school.
Errors range from the minor to the large and can result from either the journalists' lack of understanding of the material or failure to catch errors made in the source material.
Dozens of sites exist to improve basic math skills we may have had or lost, or faked our way through, or simply forgot.
Among them:
John Allen PaulosWho's Counting column for ABC-TV.
The American Press Institute's Writing With Numbers page.
ASNE
The Wall Street Journal's The Numbers Guy.
Robert Niles' Stats for journalists.
American Press Institute
News University
Here's a little cheat sheet on percentages.
IRE's Math Test for Journalists, by Steve Doig, who credits the inspiration of Phil Meyer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
If you're a little rusty, take this eighth-grade math test to feel extra stupid.
And here's an odd little piece last year from Business Week about blogging, journalism and math.
From Rich. . . The best, most recent example involved the recent sales tax increase in New Jersey to 7 percent from 6 percent. The Times referred to it as a “1 percent increase.” ... Of course, it was a 1 PERCENTAGE POINT increase. It was a 16.7 PERCENT increase. Seven minus six is one; put the one over the six (old number) and that’s what you get.
I always tell people the easiest way to remember is that any time you’re talking about differences between percents that difference is expressed in percentage points. You see it all the time in ads for loans, where they’ll say something like the rate is 4 percent above the prime rate when they really mean percentage points.
But the days when we could joke about going into journalism because we didn't like math are over, or should be. I count (!) myself in the crowd that used to say that.
As Bob Baker of Newsthinking said, ...We pay them (reporters) to be good at making sense of the world--which includes expressing simple mathematical relationships. And yet, a frightening proportion of otherwise smart reporters turn sluggish when it comes to using the kind of math that they were supposed to have mastered in high school.
Errors range from the minor to the large and can result from either the journalists' lack of understanding of the material or failure to catch errors made in the source material.
Dozens of sites exist to improve basic math skills we may have had or lost, or faked our way through, or simply forgot.
Among them:
John Allen PaulosWho's Counting column for ABC-TV.
The American Press Institute's Writing With Numbers page.
ASNE
The Wall Street Journal's The Numbers Guy.
Robert Niles' Stats for journalists.
American Press Institute
News University
Here's a little cheat sheet on percentages.
IRE's Math Test for Journalists, by Steve Doig, who credits the inspiration of Phil Meyer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
If you're a little rusty, take this eighth-grade math test to feel extra stupid.
And here's an odd little piece last year from Business Week about blogging, journalism and math.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Blogger Right, Reader Wrong
Patti Ghezzi, who blogs about education at the Atlanta Journal Constitution, takes on a reader who complained about this sentence. She's right.
“Donna Scullin also sees no reason to transfer her sons out of Norcross High, even if one of the county’s less diverse and higher-performing schools were an option.”
The reader objected to the "were". Ghezzi went to the Harbrace College Handbook to support her use of the subjunctive.
From Harbrace: Use the subjunctive to express wishes or a hypothetical, highly improbable or contrary-to-fact condition.” The example says… “Drive as if every other car on the road were out to get you.”
“Donna Scullin also sees no reason to transfer her sons out of Norcross High, even if one of the county’s less diverse and higher-performing schools were an option.”
The reader objected to the "were". Ghezzi went to the Harbrace College Handbook to support her use of the subjunctive.
From Harbrace: Use the subjunctive to express wishes or a hypothetical, highly improbable or contrary-to-fact condition.” The example says… “Drive as if every other car on the road were out to get you.”
Blogger Q&A No.17 Mark Remy
Mark Remy of Office Pirates comments on language and a whole bunch of other things. It's hard to describe just what Office Pirates is but check it out. There's usually a wacky headline or commentary on the language of signs to catch the eye of an editor.
This concludes, for now, the series of blogger interviews.
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. Office Pirates has been up and running just since February 22. In Internet time, I guess that makes us babies. Or does it make us old and infirm? I can never remember. Either way, we have a full diaper.
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to
accomplish?
A. OFFICIAL, B.S. ANSWER: To tap into a community on the web of like-minded young people who despair that they'll always be toiling in a cubicle for some idiot, doing work they never wanted to do in the first place – and to bring some ray of sunshine into their otherwise drab 9-to-5 lives.
UNOFFICIAL, HONEST ANSWER: To have some laughs and pay my rent. Not necessarily in that order.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. Our content can be broken into two main chunks: what we call the "blog" column (i.e. the middle column of the home page, which we update frequently throughout the day), and everything else (videos, downloadable posters, free e-cards, photo galleries, etc. – all of which we produce ourselves). * The blog content is the usual "ripped from the headlines" stuff – we find things online or in papers, magazines, and so on that amuse, annoy or impress us, and then comment on it somehow. * The rest – the videos, posters, etc. – just comes from our own sad
brains. We try to meet several times a week to brainstorm, but much of
this content comes from us just sitting and staring at our computer
screens until something happens.
Either way, we produce all of our content with the end user in mind: that twentysomething person stuck in a cube, wondering how the hell he got there and how the hell he can get out. Until he does manage to escape, we're there to show him he's not alone.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. So far, most of what we know is anecdotal. We do get a fair amount of e-mail from readers, and thus far the feedback is very encouraging. The overriding theme in their e-mails to us is gratitude. They thank us for giving them a laugh at work – which in turn is gratifying for *us*. It's just a big, wet, sloppy circle of gratitude. Plus they send us funny photos and stuff.
If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just
regular folks?
This is just a hunch, but no, I think most of our readers are NOT
language mavens. Although I do hear that William Safire is a big fan –
particularly of
this poster. (Just kidding. I don't think William Safire, bless his heart, knows
how to use an "Internet.")
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A.Because we're aimed at working stiffs, we work the same hours they do, assuming they're in the eastern time zone. So we post Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. till roughly 5:30 p.m.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. I'm thrilled that you find some Office Pirates posts linkworthy, but
honestly I'm not sure most of our readers (being "regular folks") would appreciate the language-y posts I've seen – and enjoyed – on Words at Work. Sorry!
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. I consider myself web SARVY, which is like "web savvy" but sexier. As for how we'll be communicating five years from now… I have no earthly idea. The romantic in me likes to think that we'll be sending more letters through the mail. The romantic in me also likes to think we'll call the mail "the post," like the British do. It just sounds cooler.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A.More than I care to admit.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. Honestly, I don't really have any. I spend so much time reading online, I don't have much time or energy for language sites. I re-read Strunk & White every so often, and I do try to check out Jan Freeman's column in the Boston Globe. (I try to read Safire's "On Language" when I can, really I do, but it somehow makes me uncomfortable. Especially when he devotes a column to slang.)
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. Nope. Thanks for the opportunity to spread the word!
This concludes, for now, the series of blogger interviews.
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. Office Pirates has been up and running just since February 22. In Internet time, I guess that makes us babies. Or does it make us old and infirm? I can never remember. Either way, we have a full diaper.
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to
accomplish?
A. OFFICIAL, B.S. ANSWER: To tap into a community on the web of like-minded young people who despair that they'll always be toiling in a cubicle for some idiot, doing work they never wanted to do in the first place – and to bring some ray of sunshine into their otherwise drab 9-to-5 lives.
UNOFFICIAL, HONEST ANSWER: To have some laughs and pay my rent. Not necessarily in that order.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. Our content can be broken into two main chunks: what we call the "blog" column (i.e. the middle column of the home page, which we update frequently throughout the day), and everything else (videos, downloadable posters, free e-cards, photo galleries, etc. – all of which we produce ourselves). * The blog content is the usual "ripped from the headlines" stuff – we find things online or in papers, magazines, and so on that amuse, annoy or impress us, and then comment on it somehow. * The rest – the videos, posters, etc. – just comes from our own sad
brains. We try to meet several times a week to brainstorm, but much of
this content comes from us just sitting and staring at our computer
screens until something happens.
Either way, we produce all of our content with the end user in mind: that twentysomething person stuck in a cube, wondering how the hell he got there and how the hell he can get out. Until he does manage to escape, we're there to show him he's not alone.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. So far, most of what we know is anecdotal. We do get a fair amount of e-mail from readers, and thus far the feedback is very encouraging. The overriding theme in their e-mails to us is gratitude. They thank us for giving them a laugh at work – which in turn is gratifying for *us*. It's just a big, wet, sloppy circle of gratitude. Plus they send us funny photos and stuff.
If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just
regular folks?
This is just a hunch, but no, I think most of our readers are NOT
language mavens. Although I do hear that William Safire is a big fan –
particularly of
this poster. (Just kidding. I don't think William Safire, bless his heart, knows
how to use an "Internet.")
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A.Because we're aimed at working stiffs, we work the same hours they do, assuming they're in the eastern time zone. So we post Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. till roughly 5:30 p.m.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. I'm thrilled that you find some Office Pirates posts linkworthy, but
honestly I'm not sure most of our readers (being "regular folks") would appreciate the language-y posts I've seen – and enjoyed – on Words at Work. Sorry!
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. I consider myself web SARVY, which is like "web savvy" but sexier. As for how we'll be communicating five years from now… I have no earthly idea. The romantic in me likes to think that we'll be sending more letters through the mail. The romantic in me also likes to think we'll call the mail "the post," like the British do. It just sounds cooler.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A.More than I care to admit.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. Honestly, I don't really have any. I spend so much time reading online, I don't have much time or energy for language sites. I re-read Strunk & White every so often, and I do try to check out Jan Freeman's column in the Boston Globe. (I try to read Safire's "On Language" when I can, really I do, but it somehow makes me uncomfortable. Especially when he devotes a column to slang.)
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. Nope. Thanks for the opportunity to spread the word!
Didn't They Learn Anything from the French?
Iranian president bans usage of foreign words
Official bodies ordered to use modified Persian words instead, reports say
TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered government and cultural bodies to use modified Persian words to replace foreign words that have crept into the language, such as “pizzas” which will now be known as “elastic loaves,” state media reported Saturday.
(snip)
Official bodies ordered to use modified Persian words instead, reports say
TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered government and cultural bodies to use modified Persian words to replace foreign words that have crept into the language, such as “pizzas” which will now be known as “elastic loaves,” state media reported Saturday.
(snip)
Rosen's New Assignment
I haven't quite figured out what Jay Rosen is doing but his New Assignment project is worth a serious look. Jay's a smart guy.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Blogger Q&A No.16: Andy Cline
Dr. Andrew R. Cline of Missouri State University analyzes language used in the media and in politics at his Rhetorica site. This week, he has a fascinating piece about objectivity. Check it out.
The blogger interviews continue.
Q.:When did you start blogging?
A.: I began The Rhetorica Network in March of 2002 and started blogging in April of 2002. Before that, I ran a site called Presidential Campaign Rhetoric 2000 (started in the spring of 1999) as part of a project for grad school. That site included a blog called Timeline.
Q.: What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. The Rhetorica Network is my attempt to describe and explain the rhetoric of journalism and politics (especially the interaction of these). I believe that all human communication has at its foundation a rhetorical intention. That's easy to see regarding political communication. But many journalists would bristle at the idea lqthat they also employ rhetoric for persuasive intentions. They do. And my job on Rhetorica is to shine a light on these intentions and the tactics that follow from them.
Q.: Where do you get your topics?
A.: The news media provide a never-ending stream of data. I could do this full time if I could find a way to make money at it :-)
Q.: What has provoked the most response from readers?
A.: My thoughts on media bias draw the most attention. My "Media/Political Bias" page gets almost as many hits per month as the main blog. It has become something of a defining issue for Rhetorica. My contention is: Political bias of all kinds exists in the news media. If all you do is consider anecdotal evidence (and ignore counter-evidence), it's easy to "prove" any kind of bias you please. This simplistic thinking fits the needs of ideological struggle, but is hardly useful in coming to a better understanding of what is happening in the world. I contend that applying a structural bias theory to journalistic behavior is far more interesting and predictive than simplistic charges of political bias. You may read more at http://rhetorica.net/bias.htm.
Q.: Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A.: I know some of them by name. I've met a few of them in person. According to my server logs (or, rather, the inference I draw from them), my readers are academics and journalists for the most part. I used to interact with them regularly though the comments feature of the MovableType software I use. But comment spam has become such a problem that I have had to suspend comments. I hope to be able to open them again soon. I really miss the interaction. Something interesting to say about them? Yes! They are smart people who challenge me to do my best work. Their generosity and interest has made me proud of Rhetorica. And I feel bad when I let them down.
Q.: If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A.: All kinds of folks--but quite a few academics and journalists. I also attract a few hard-science types, which I find particularly interesting.
Q.: Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A.: As topics arise. They arise by the hour, so I really have to edit myself. I could post every hour on the hour if I didn't have anything else to do :-)
Q.: Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A.: Yes, I do. I am comfortable with most of the latest blogging technologies. I dislike prognosticating--especially outside of my areas of expertise. That's a good way to make a fool of yourself :-) I can say this: I believe blogging--in whatever forms it may take--represents an important moment in the history of journalism. The history of journalism is far more the history of citizen practice that professional practice.
Q.: How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A.: Waaaaaaay too much :-) But, I enjoy it and think it's important to my mental health and my work. About 3 hours per day average, I think.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A.: Language Log
Earth Wide Moth
Lying in Ponds
PressThink
The Blogora
The blogger interviews continue.
Q.:When did you start blogging?
A.: I began The Rhetorica Network in March of 2002 and started blogging in April of 2002. Before that, I ran a site called Presidential Campaign Rhetoric 2000 (started in the spring of 1999) as part of a project for grad school. That site included a blog called Timeline.
Q.: What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. The Rhetorica Network is my attempt to describe and explain the rhetoric of journalism and politics (especially the interaction of these). I believe that all human communication has at its foundation a rhetorical intention. That's easy to see regarding political communication. But many journalists would bristle at the idea lqthat they also employ rhetoric for persuasive intentions. They do. And my job on Rhetorica is to shine a light on these intentions and the tactics that follow from them.
Q.: Where do you get your topics?
A.: The news media provide a never-ending stream of data. I could do this full time if I could find a way to make money at it :-)
Q.: What has provoked the most response from readers?
A.: My thoughts on media bias draw the most attention. My "Media/Political Bias" page gets almost as many hits per month as the main blog. It has become something of a defining issue for Rhetorica. My contention is: Political bias of all kinds exists in the news media. If all you do is consider anecdotal evidence (and ignore counter-evidence), it's easy to "prove" any kind of bias you please. This simplistic thinking fits the needs of ideological struggle, but is hardly useful in coming to a better understanding of what is happening in the world. I contend that applying a structural bias theory to journalistic behavior is far more interesting and predictive than simplistic charges of political bias. You may read more at http://rhetorica.net/bias.htm.
Q.: Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A.: I know some of them by name. I've met a few of them in person. According to my server logs (or, rather, the inference I draw from them), my readers are academics and journalists for the most part. I used to interact with them regularly though the comments feature of the MovableType software I use. But comment spam has become such a problem that I have had to suspend comments. I hope to be able to open them again soon. I really miss the interaction. Something interesting to say about them? Yes! They are smart people who challenge me to do my best work. Their generosity and interest has made me proud of Rhetorica. And I feel bad when I let them down.
Q.: If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A.: All kinds of folks--but quite a few academics and journalists. I also attract a few hard-science types, which I find particularly interesting.
Q.: Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A.: As topics arise. They arise by the hour, so I really have to edit myself. I could post every hour on the hour if I didn't have anything else to do :-)
Q.: Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A.: Yes, I do. I am comfortable with most of the latest blogging technologies. I dislike prognosticating--especially outside of my areas of expertise. That's a good way to make a fool of yourself :-) I can say this: I believe blogging--in whatever forms it may take--represents an important moment in the history of journalism. The history of journalism is far more the history of citizen practice that professional practice.
Q.: How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A.: Waaaaaaay too much :-) But, I enjoy it and think it's important to my mental health and my work. About 3 hours per day average, I think.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A.: Language Log
Earth Wide Moth
Lying in Ponds
PressThink
The Blogora
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Editor on the Run!
Ah, where to begin? The audacity of a prison escapee who blogs about it on MySpace? The British crime terminology of "dishonesty" and "perverting the course of justice"? Or the fact that this woman with a criminal record managed to set herself up as a well-regarded journalist?
The (London) Times
On-the-run thief boasts of freedom on internet
By Sean O’Neill
SHE is a former magazine editor, a property tycoon’s daughter, a would-be author, an international conwoman and a convicted fraudster.
Now Farah Damji has added yet another string to her bow: she has become Britain’s first on-the-run blogger.
*
Click here to find out more!
Damji, 39, a mother of two, has absconded from Downview prison in Surrey where she is serving a 3½-year sentence for dishonesty and perverting the course of justice.
The former editor of the Asian lifestyle magazine Another Generation was released to attend a tutorial as part of the Open University sociology degree for which she was studying while in prison.
She was expected to return on Saturday night, but was still on the run yesterday and advertising her freedom on her blog on the MySpace.com website.
“Seems I am the cause for great consternation because I have apparently ‘absconded’,” she wrote yesterday morning. “I don't think you can call it that.”
On Tuesday, in an entry entitled “Sea Air”, she wrote of how much she was enjoying not being in prison. “It’s so peaceful, the sound of seagulls replacing the screaming police sirens streaming up and down Kings Road.”
She added: “Blue skies, sea air. Some of the prison pallor is leaving me, I’m starting to feel awake again. Gonna go for a long walk this morning.
“Gov Murray, Downview’s new governor, is gentle and kind, with big soft dark brown eyes. In Bad Girls he’d have been a rascal but he was always respectful and honest. Is it possible to admire your jailer?”
Last Thursday, while preparing to leave prison, she noted: “It feels incredibly strange to be allowed this taste of freedom again. It’s the silly things I missed, my Pratesi bed linen, the smell of my daughter’s golden brown hair and the way the sun dances in her eyes like fire in a forest, watching my son’s sportsday. It’s not the people at all, very few I even want to maintain any contact with from the old life.”
The Home Office is far from amused by Damji’s unauthorised absence. It said: “She is what we call a licence failure. She was released on licence and failed to return.”
When Damji, who featured in gossip columns after an affair with the travel writer William Dalrymple and an executive at The Guardian, does return to prison she could find herself disqualified from receiving remission on her sentence.
But speaking to The Times on her mobile phone yesterday Damji insisted that she had neither absconded nor escaped and would go back to the jail.
“I’ve been in constant touch with them and they know where I am. I think it’s all just a misunderstanding,” she said. Damji has e-mailed the prison pleading to be fitted with an electronic tag to live at home. She added: “I can’t take being stuck in Downview anymore.”
Damji was convicted at Blackfriars Crown Court last October of thefts totalling £50,000. She had stolen credit cards from friends and colleagues and gone on shopping sprees.
In January 2005 she posed as a journalist on the Daily Mail to obtain two platinum rings from Boodle & Dunthorne, which were not recovered. Once charged she tried to sabotage her trial by contacting a witness.
Damji, who has had treatment in jail for drug problems and has a borderline personality disorder, served a six-month sentence at Rikers Island jail in New York for grand larceny and forgery.
But she managed to hide her past from her associates in Britain, where she established her home in fashionable Chelsea and herself as a leading Asian journalist.
The (London) Times
On-the-run thief boasts of freedom on internet
By Sean O’Neill
SHE is a former magazine editor, a property tycoon’s daughter, a would-be author, an international conwoman and a convicted fraudster.
Now Farah Damji has added yet another string to her bow: she has become Britain’s first on-the-run blogger.
*
Click here to find out more!
Damji, 39, a mother of two, has absconded from Downview prison in Surrey where she is serving a 3½-year sentence for dishonesty and perverting the course of justice.
The former editor of the Asian lifestyle magazine Another Generation was released to attend a tutorial as part of the Open University sociology degree for which she was studying while in prison.
She was expected to return on Saturday night, but was still on the run yesterday and advertising her freedom on her blog on the MySpace.com website.
“Seems I am the cause for great consternation because I have apparently ‘absconded’,” she wrote yesterday morning. “I don't think you can call it that.”
On Tuesday, in an entry entitled “Sea Air”, she wrote of how much she was enjoying not being in prison. “It’s so peaceful, the sound of seagulls replacing the screaming police sirens streaming up and down Kings Road.”
She added: “Blue skies, sea air. Some of the prison pallor is leaving me, I’m starting to feel awake again. Gonna go for a long walk this morning.
“Gov Murray, Downview’s new governor, is gentle and kind, with big soft dark brown eyes. In Bad Girls he’d have been a rascal but he was always respectful and honest. Is it possible to admire your jailer?”
Last Thursday, while preparing to leave prison, she noted: “It feels incredibly strange to be allowed this taste of freedom again. It’s the silly things I missed, my Pratesi bed linen, the smell of my daughter’s golden brown hair and the way the sun dances in her eyes like fire in a forest, watching my son’s sportsday. It’s not the people at all, very few I even want to maintain any contact with from the old life.”
The Home Office is far from amused by Damji’s unauthorised absence. It said: “She is what we call a licence failure. She was released on licence and failed to return.”
When Damji, who featured in gossip columns after an affair with the travel writer William Dalrymple and an executive at The Guardian, does return to prison she could find herself disqualified from receiving remission on her sentence.
But speaking to The Times on her mobile phone yesterday Damji insisted that she had neither absconded nor escaped and would go back to the jail.
“I’ve been in constant touch with them and they know where I am. I think it’s all just a misunderstanding,” she said. Damji has e-mailed the prison pleading to be fitted with an electronic tag to live at home. She added: “I can’t take being stuck in Downview anymore.”
Damji was convicted at Blackfriars Crown Court last October of thefts totalling £50,000. She had stolen credit cards from friends and colleagues and gone on shopping sprees.
In January 2005 she posed as a journalist on the Daily Mail to obtain two platinum rings from Boodle & Dunthorne, which were not recovered. Once charged she tried to sabotage her trial by contacting a witness.
Damji, who has had treatment in jail for drug problems and has a borderline personality disorder, served a six-month sentence at Rikers Island jail in New York for grand larceny and forgery.
But she managed to hide her past from her associates in Britain, where she established her home in fashionable Chelsea and herself as a leading Asian journalist.
Another Perspective on English
From the Los Angeles Times:
To Know You Is to Love You
A Korean-born reporter's embrace of an egalitarian English pronoun freed her from the hierarchal strictures of her native tongue.
By K. Connie Kang
Los Angeles Times
It's all about you.
I fell in love with this English pronoun when I first met it on my father's knees more than half a century ago in Seoul.
Initially, it was the sound that captivated me.
Later, as I continued to study English under my father's tutelage — he was a pioneering scholar of English and German at South Korea's Seoul National University — I began to love this three-letter word for the way it made me feel.
"Good morning to you," I said with emphasis whenever American and Canadian Presbyterian missionaries visited our home.
When they responded with a big smile and "Good morning to you too," I was in heaven.
You was an ally that empowered me.
(snip)
To Know You Is to Love You
A Korean-born reporter's embrace of an egalitarian English pronoun freed her from the hierarchal strictures of her native tongue.
By K. Connie Kang
Los Angeles Times
It's all about you.
I fell in love with this English pronoun when I first met it on my father's knees more than half a century ago in Seoul.
Initially, it was the sound that captivated me.
Later, as I continued to study English under my father's tutelage — he was a pioneering scholar of English and German at South Korea's Seoul National University — I began to love this three-letter word for the way it made me feel.
"Good morning to you," I said with emphasis whenever American and Canadian Presbyterian missionaries visited our home.
When they responded with a big smile and "Good morning to you too," I was in heaven.
You was an ally that empowered me.
(snip)
Blogger Q&A No. 15 Bill Walsh
If you're on a copy desk somewhere, you probably know who Bill Walsh is.
But good luck finding a picture of him--he doesn't show up until page 5 on Google images. There's some other Bill Walsh, something to do with football...
The blogger interviews continue.
Q: When did you start blogging?
A. For me, that's kind of a trick question. I started writing about language on the Web in 1995. First it was The Crusty Old Slot Man's Copy-Editing Peeve Page (the URL, if I recall correctly: http://access.digex.net/~bwalsh/editing.html). In 1996 I retooled the site and renamed it The Slot, at www.theslot.com. I started a personal blog at the end of 2000, and I started a blog on tennis in 2001. It was Sept. 10, 2001, to be exact -- I was groggy from a late night of coding when my wife woke me up to tell me the horrible news.
The Slot wasn't very "bloggy" until February 2001, when I added a "Carets & Sticks" feature that I used to dash off quick, sometimes trivial entries not worthy of one of the longer essays I usually put on the site under "Sharp Points." Finally, in March 2004, I started blogging about language on a Blogger site. It's a lot quicker than coding the entries by hand! (My Blogger archives go back to February 2001, but the early entries are retrofitted from Carets & Sticks.)
Q.What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to acccomplish?
A. To be honest, I started my Web site just to start a Web site. My girlfriend, who's now my wife, was starting one, and she got dibs on the topic of tennis, so I chose a topic for which I'd find plenty of material at work. My second goal was to get a book deal -- mission accomplished, eventually. I keep doing it because I enjoy it, and it forces me to think about material for future books, and I have an
audience. Having an audience is fun. To whatever extent my writing can influence what other people are thinking about language, and maybe inspire young people to go into copy editing, those things are wonderful too.Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. I riff on what I see writers and fellow editors do at work, as well as things I read in books and magazines and other newspapers, and things I hear on radio or TV or the street, and things I see on signs.
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. I haven't kept statistics, but the great subject-verb debate of early '06, which spilled over from the ACES board, was where things got the nastiest.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. I suppose fellow newspaper copy editors make up a plurality. Some I know, some I have a vague idea about, and some regulars are people I know by sign-in name only because they're regulars.
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. A lot of them are editors, but I get a fair amount of regular-folks traffic. With both the editors and the regular folks -- and I guess this is true in a broader sense, as you know if you've read my books -- I find myself playing the descriptivist, the anti-stickler, at least as often as I'm the stickler you might expect. A recent e-mail was typical: One of my regulars was aghast at this "error" he had found in an otherwise reputable place -- "entitled" where it should have been "titled." I explained that "entitled" isn't wrong; it just isn't AP style, and it goes against the general principle that copy editors choose the simpler over the more complex, the shorter over the longer, all other things being equal. I find the online engagement between descriptivists and prescriptivists constructive. As is true with a pesky reporter who questions your every change, that kind of scrutiny keeps you from becoming intellectually lazy. It's easy to parody either side: On one
of the linguist sites I visit now and again, somebody was recently pretending to have no idea why a silly copy editor would change "amidst" to "amid," or "amongst" to "among." I guess that "chiefly British" line fell out of his copy of the descriptivist dictionary.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. That's the great thing about my blogging "job": I do it when I feel like it. (Here's something weird: For a while there I got the muse only on Thursdays.)
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail?
A. Nah. That's what RSS is for. The sharing develops organically.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be bloggin in five years or will technology replace this kind of communication?
A. I don't see a change on the horizon, but then again I was a Web-savvy one-man show who didn't foresee the advent of the blog.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. Somewhere between zero seconds and half a day.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. Let's check my RSS feeds: There's Nicole Stockdale's site, the ACES site, Doug Fisher's site, the Eggcorn Database, Language Log, Languagehat, Tongue-Tied, Pam Nelson's Nando site, that other Pam's site, Ruth Walker's Verbal Energy, and John McIntyre's site. And, of course, there's Phil Blanchard's Testy Copy Editors.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Spelling Checked
Red-faced spellcheck firm corrects own spelling
TORONTO (Reuters) - A company that sells software to correct irritating Internet spelling mistakes has reissued its latest news release to correct a minor snafu.
TextTrust, which says it focuses on "eliminating the negative text impressions on Web sites," re-released a Tuesday news release to correct a mistake that listed the most common spelling errors on "the 16 million we (sic) pages it has spell checked over the past year."
It said commonly misspelled words included independent, accommodation and definitely, which were spelled independant, accomodation and definately.
"It's very embarrassing," said Pat Brink, PR consultant for the Toronto-based company. "I made the mistake, not TextTrust -- they do a much better job, It's certainly egg on the face of this public relations person."
The release quoted TextTrust as saying that it used both human editors and special spell-checking software to scour Web sites for spelling mistakes. "TextTrust wants to make sure that organizations never again receive the 'I found a spelling error on your web site' e-mail," it said.
TORONTO (Reuters) - A company that sells software to correct irritating Internet spelling mistakes has reissued its latest news release to correct a minor snafu.
TextTrust, which says it focuses on "eliminating the negative text impressions on Web sites," re-released a Tuesday news release to correct a mistake that listed the most common spelling errors on "the 16 million we (sic) pages it has spell checked over the past year."
It said commonly misspelled words included independent, accommodation and definitely, which were spelled independant, accomodation and definately.
"It's very embarrassing," said Pat Brink, PR consultant for the Toronto-based company. "I made the mistake, not TextTrust -- they do a much better job, It's certainly egg on the face of this public relations person."
The release quoted TextTrust as saying that it used both human editors and special spell-checking software to scour Web sites for spelling mistakes. "TextTrust wants to make sure that organizations never again receive the 'I found a spelling error on your web site' e-mail," it said.
Blogger Q&A No.14: Nicole Stockdale
The blogger series continues with Nicole Stockdale, proprietor of A Capital Idea, where topics range from ABBA to libel to the situation at the Santa Barbara Press.
Q.When did you start blogging?
A.March 2003
Q.What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A.You know those people who feel in their souls a longing to write, who must blog to fill that need to create? That is not me. I just knew that I was devouring all the copy-editing information I could find; while I was noodling it through, I figured I might as well bring others along on the journey.
Q.Where do you get your topics?
A.Questions that come up on the job, T-shirts, other blogs, Google News alerts, cereal boxes, TV, questions from readers, newspapers and magazines, my mom, dictionaries, billboards -- anywhere.
Q.What has provoked the most response from readers?
A.My post on the San Antonio Express-News' ban on headline puns drew droves of new readers -- and comments. It really is remarkable what a link from Romenesko will do for readership.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. I try to stay up on who's commenting on and linking to A Capital Idea. I'm so tickled when I see someone -- and this happens often -- mention the blog with a disclaimer: "I like this blog. I know, I'm a geek." Getting e-mail from readers is great; I've made a couple of good friends this way.
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. There's a strong core of copy editors, with some journalism fans and word nerds mixed in. There are plenty who know much more about editing and the language than I do. Luckily, few hold it against me.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. As topics arise. I'll blog as much as my schedule allows. I usually have 10 or 15 ideas just waiting to be explored, but there's only so much time in the day. I fight a guilty conscience when I skip a day (or a week), but it's necessary. The Internet can suck you in like Scientology.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. I would not be opposed.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A.. I am a Web dunderhead. I've taught myself enough HTML to get by, but I'm desperate to get some schooling in Flash and Dreamweaver and all the other applications the cool kids are using these days. It's on my (long) to-do list. Blogging is such an easy way for people to communicate that I boldly predict that it will still be around in five years. Then again, I still listen to 45s.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. 30 minutes to 20 hours. (I'm a skosh embarrassed by that upper range.)
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. Bill Walsh's The Slot and its accompanying blog
Testy Copy Editors
John McIntyre's You Don't Say
Etymonline.com
Language Log
Double-Tongued Word Wrester
Languagehat
Doug Fisher's Common Sense Journalism
Jan Freeman's column at Boston.com
Q.Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. It's been a pleasure!
UPDATED. Horrible If True/Not Exactly.
UPDATE: Okay, it turns out NOT to be true that Gannett was so cheap it wouldn't allow people to call 911. Turns out that the staff members didn't know to get an outside line first... yikes. While Poynter is agonizing over the ethics of linking to a blog without checking the information first, I'm more interested in what others can do in an emergency.
Death in the Newsroom.
WRONG.
If this piece is accurate,
Death in the Newsroom.
WRONG.
If this piece is accurate,
that editors and reporters couldn't call 911 directly while, shame on Gannett. But here's a tip I learned early on--in a medical emergency, dispatch someone to the elevator and hold it for the paramedics. And send others to direct the crew from the parking lot. It could save lives.
a man was dying in the newsroom
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Blogger Q&A No.13: Mike Geis
Mike Geis, AKA the Language Guy, writes about language issues. He's a retired linguist who comments on language found in public relations, politics, law and more. The blogger interviews continue.
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. On 2/24/05. Right now there seems to be 133 posts, archived both by month and by subject matter.
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. My official purpose is to provide "commentary on oks and do a web search to see if I can make the issue topical. I always find something. Google is my best friend.
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. For some time I labored in splendid anonymity getting 25-50 hits a day, possibly even less, when the thought occurred to me that I should dredge up my stuff on the language of the abortion issue which I presented in a neutral fashion. This provoked a firestorm of responses. I don't remember how many but I think I got something on the order of 1500 hits a day for awhile. I was then egged on by an old college friend to take on the Creationists. Things have settled down since then. I like to poke a stick in the eyes of fundamentalists of any type -- religious, political, whatever.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. I know who some of them are. I have some regulars who sometimes wage long intellectual battles on a topic raised by blog. Some of my commenters are very smart and have interesting things to say. Some are clueless and don't know and may never know it..
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. They come in all flavors. Early on, linguists popped in but most of my readers are nonlinguists. They seem to come from all over the world except for Spanish speaking countries, and Africa. The majority are from the US and UK.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. As they arise, but I like to try to turn out a blog every few days.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. I have a long history of being a Lone Ranger and would be disinclined to engage in such a thing. I am hard to organize.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. I have been writing html code for years but am rapidly falling behind. I know enough html and css to personalize the look of my blog and do my own archiving.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. The average blog takes me from an hour to four or five hours to do with most taking at least two hours. Writing is hard work if you want to try to get things as right and as readable as you can.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. The Language Log is always good for a laugh. I know most of the people involved. I like a former student's blog, Literal-Minded. The guy who writes Semantic Compositions is very smart and says a lot of interesting things. I think he is the brother of Literal Minded. Runs in the family, I suppose. I like sometimes to use the Blogger feature "Next Blog" to sample blogs.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. I gave a talk on blogging to a group of middle-aged or older academics recently who knew nothing about it. They, as I suppose most do before they look around the blogosphere, think it is mostly about teenage angst. It was fun showing them that it is a great deal more than that. The web generally tends to provide information whereas blogs provide analysis and opinion. They are good companions.
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. On 2/24/05. Right now there seems to be 133 posts, archived both by month and by subject matter.
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. My official purpose is to provide "commentary on oks and do a web search to see if I can make the issue topical. I always find something. Google is my best friend.
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. For some time I labored in splendid anonymity getting 25-50 hits a day, possibly even less, when the thought occurred to me that I should dredge up my stuff on the language of the abortion issue which I presented in a neutral fashion. This provoked a firestorm of responses. I don't remember how many but I think I got something on the order of 1500 hits a day for awhile. I was then egged on by an old college friend to take on the Creationists. Things have settled down since then. I like to poke a stick in the eyes of fundamentalists of any type -- religious, political, whatever.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. I know who some of them are. I have some regulars who sometimes wage long intellectual battles on a topic raised by blog. Some of my commenters are very smart and have interesting things to say. Some are clueless and don't know and may never know it..
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. They come in all flavors. Early on, linguists popped in but most of my readers are nonlinguists. They seem to come from all over the world except for Spanish speaking countries, and Africa. The majority are from the US and UK.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. As they arise, but I like to try to turn out a blog every few days.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. I have a long history of being a Lone Ranger and would be disinclined to engage in such a thing. I am hard to organize.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. I have been writing html code for years but am rapidly falling behind. I know enough html and css to personalize the look of my blog and do my own archiving.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. The average blog takes me from an hour to four or five hours to do with most taking at least two hours. Writing is hard work if you want to try to get things as right and as readable as you can.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. The Language Log is always good for a laugh. I know most of the people involved. I like a former student's blog, Literal-Minded. The guy who writes Semantic Compositions is very smart and says a lot of interesting things. I think he is the brother of Literal Minded. Runs in the family, I suppose. I like sometimes to use the Blogger feature "Next Blog" to sample blogs.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. I gave a talk on blogging to a group of middle-aged or older academics recently who knew nothing about it. They, as I suppose most do before they look around the blogosphere, think it is mostly about teenage angst. It was fun showing them that it is a great deal more than that. The web generally tends to provide information whereas blogs provide analysis and opinion. They are good companions.
Monday, July 24, 2006
The Middle East, Explained
Slate has a useful interactive Middle East Buddy List
Does Hezbollah get along with Egypt? What about Hamas and Iran?
By Christopher Beam and Noam Rudnick
Last month, Hamas militants tunneled into Israel and kidnapped an Israeli soldier. Israel immediately invaded Gaza. Hamas began lobbing rockets into Israel. The Lebanese group Hezbollah kidnapped two more Israelis near the Lebanon-Israel border. Israel responded by carrying out airstrikes against Lebanon. Egypt and Saudi Arabia condemned Hezbollah for instigating the violence. Syria, Iran, and Lebanon called Israel's retaliation an excessive use of force.
Does Hezbollah get along with Egypt? What about Hamas and Iran?
By Christopher Beam and Noam Rudnick
Last month, Hamas militants tunneled into Israel and kidnapped an Israeli soldier. Israel immediately invaded Gaza. Hamas began lobbing rockets into Israel. The Lebanese group Hezbollah kidnapped two more Israelis near the Lebanon-Israel border. Israel responded by carrying out airstrikes against Lebanon. Egypt and Saudi Arabia condemned Hezbollah for instigating the violence. Syria, Iran, and Lebanon called Israel's retaliation an excessive use of force.
Blogger Q&A No.12 SWE_Blogger
SWE_Blogger is a rare bird in language/journalism blogs, specializing in sports editing and writing issues. The blogger Q&A continues.
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. January 2005
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. Well, I hoped to be a clearing house for news about sports journalism, and I always post on the "big" news, but I'm still not close to doing a very good daily job of linking or even just offering simple opinion. At it's best, it would be a comprehensive commentary on the world of sports journalism.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. Right now, mostly from other places, sportsjournalists.com, Romenesko, etc...
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. The Jay Marriotti/White Sox thing in Chicago was the latest.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. A couple. Mostly for cross linking.
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. Either journalists or sports nuts for the most part.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. As topics arise. I'd like to do more here.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. I think something else will be going on, although they'll have their roots in blogs. And yeah, I've been on the Web for nine years now, so pretty tuned-in to this kind of thing.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. An hour....not enough..
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A.
Romenesko at Poynter
The Slot
Newsthinking
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. January 2005
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. Well, I hoped to be a clearing house for news about sports journalism, and I always post on the "big" news, but I'm still not close to doing a very good daily job of linking or even just offering simple opinion. At it's best, it would be a comprehensive commentary on the world of sports journalism.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. Right now, mostly from other places, sportsjournalists.com, Romenesko, etc...
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. The Jay Marriotti/White Sox thing in Chicago was the latest.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. A couple. Mostly for cross linking.
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. Either journalists or sports nuts for the most part.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. As topics arise. I'd like to do more here.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. I think something else will be going on, although they'll have their roots in blogs. And yeah, I've been on the Web for nine years now, so pretty tuned-in to this kind of thing.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. An hour....not enough..
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A.
Romenesko at Poynter
The Slot
Newsthinking
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Blogger Q&A: No. 11 'Heads Up' Fred
Heads Up provides practical, smart commentary on journalism, going beyond simple criticism to suggest improvements. This is part of the continuing language/journalism blogger interviews.
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. April '05.
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to
accomplish?
A. I started an e-mail critique of desk work for the editing classes here
several years ago, and the blog was supposed to be an online complement to that. It's come to look more at stuff from other papers and less at particularly local stuff. I still try to concentrate on things copy editors do or things they can do something about.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. Newspapers and their Web sites.
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. Comments on language columns, especially the ones that start out on the order of "You kids are going to Destroy The English Language if you don't turn your baseball caps around." I've gotten some appreciative comments for being unkind to news reports about social-science research.
Again, I like to look for stuff that helps copy editors win arguments, and
if that's "Gee, here's the abstract from that study, and it looks like
it completely contradicts our lede," that'd be great.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much
interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?/If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. I know a good number of them, mostly journalism people. Some language experts check in every now and then. A couple of civilians have found their way in. On the whole, everyone seems pretty polite. That may be atypical, but I like it.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. I'm pretty much ad hoc, though I try not to let the thing stay dark too
long.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. The more links the better. I'm not as good at it as most folks -- Doug in particular is really good at identifying kindred sites and pointing us toward them -- but I'm all for it.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will
we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely
replace this method of communication?
A. Jeez, no. (Brushing pterodactyl from keyboard.) I'm still using dial-up at home. I hope we're still at this in five years. I might have it figured out by then.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. My dissertation director is going to have me kneecapped if I comment on that.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. The Language Brothers, Hat and Log. The TCEs discussion. Lots of the folks who move words for a living and still have some time to appreciate them.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. ? ? ?
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. April '05.
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to
accomplish?
A. I started an e-mail critique of desk work for the editing classes here
several years ago, and the blog was supposed to be an online complement to that. It's come to look more at stuff from other papers and less at particularly local stuff. I still try to concentrate on things copy editors do or things they can do something about.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. Newspapers and their Web sites.
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. Comments on language columns, especially the ones that start out on the order of "You kids are going to Destroy The English Language if you don't turn your baseball caps around." I've gotten some appreciative comments for being unkind to news reports about social-science research.
Again, I like to look for stuff that helps copy editors win arguments, and
if that's "Gee, here's the abstract from that study, and it looks like
it completely contradicts our lede," that'd be great.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much
interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?/If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. I know a good number of them, mostly journalism people. Some language experts check in every now and then. A couple of civilians have found their way in. On the whole, everyone seems pretty polite. That may be atypical, but I like it.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. I'm pretty much ad hoc, though I try not to let the thing stay dark too
long.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. The more links the better. I'm not as good at it as most folks -- Doug in particular is really good at identifying kindred sites and pointing us toward them -- but I'm all for it.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will
we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely
replace this method of communication?
A. Jeez, no. (Brushing pterodactyl from keyboard.) I'm still using dial-up at home. I hope we're still at this in five years. I might have it figured out by then.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. My dissertation director is going to have me kneecapped if I comment on that.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. The Language Brothers, Hat and Log. The TCEs discussion. Lots of the folks who move words for a living and still have some time to appreciate them.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. ? ? ?
Not So Funny
Here's a word the Language Monitor could consider adding in its search for the one-millionth word in English: Gendercide.
China grapples with legacy of its ‘missing girls’
Disturbing demographic imbalance spurs drive to change age-old practices
By Eric Baculinao
Producer
NBC News
Sept 14, 2004
BEIJING - China is asking where all the girls have gone.
And the sobering answer is that this vast nation, now the world's fastest-growing economy, is confronting a self-perpetuated demographic disaster that some experts describe as "gendercide" -- the phenomenom caused by millions of families resorting to abortion and infanticide to make sure their one child was a boy.
The age-old bias for boys, combined with China's draconian one-child policy imposed since 1980, has produced what Gu Baochang, a leading Chinese expert on family planning, described as "the largest, the highest, and the longest" gender imbalance in the world.
...‘Missing girls’
From a relatively normal ratio of 108.5 boys to 100 girls in the early 80s, the male surplus progressively rose to 111 in 1990, 116 in 2000, and is now is close to 120 boys for each 100 girls at the present time, according to a Chinese think-tank report.
The bias for boys is hardly new; from a Chinese book written somewhere between 1000 and 700 B.C.E. :
"When a son is born,
Let him sleep on the bed,
Clothe him with fine clothes,
And give him jade to play...
When a daughter is born,
Let her sleep on the ground,
Wrap her in common wrappings,
And give broken tiles to play..."
As someone who has benefited personally from China's decision to relinquish so many of its lovely little girls, I find myself both happy with its result and greatly disturbed by what it means for that country. While traveling China in 1996 to adopt, several of us asked our guide who the Chinese boys were expected to marry, given the departure of so many girls to countries around the world. The answer was that they were expected to leave the country, get educated and return home to marry the boys. Fat chance, we all thought, hugging our little girls ever so much closer.
The word "gendercide" seems exactly right to describe the impact on Chinese society.
China grapples with legacy of its ‘missing girls’
Disturbing demographic imbalance spurs drive to change age-old practices
By Eric Baculinao
Producer
NBC News
Sept 14, 2004
BEIJING - China is asking where all the girls have gone.
And the sobering answer is that this vast nation, now the world's fastest-growing economy, is confronting a self-perpetuated demographic disaster that some experts describe as "gendercide" -- the phenomenom caused by millions of families resorting to abortion and infanticide to make sure their one child was a boy.
The age-old bias for boys, combined with China's draconian one-child policy imposed since 1980, has produced what Gu Baochang, a leading Chinese expert on family planning, described as "the largest, the highest, and the longest" gender imbalance in the world.
...‘Missing girls’
From a relatively normal ratio of 108.5 boys to 100 girls in the early 80s, the male surplus progressively rose to 111 in 1990, 116 in 2000, and is now is close to 120 boys for each 100 girls at the present time, according to a Chinese think-tank report.
The bias for boys is hardly new; from a Chinese book written somewhere between 1000 and 700 B.C.E. :
"When a son is born,
Let him sleep on the bed,
Clothe him with fine clothes,
And give him jade to play...
When a daughter is born,
Let her sleep on the ground,
Wrap her in common wrappings,
And give broken tiles to play..."
As someone who has benefited personally from China's decision to relinquish so many of its lovely little girls, I find myself both happy with its result and greatly disturbed by what it means for that country. While traveling China in 1996 to adopt, several of us asked our guide who the Chinese boys were expected to marry, given the departure of so many girls to countries around the world. The answer was that they were expected to leave the country, get educated and return home to marry the boys. Fat chance, we all thought, hugging our little girls ever so much closer.
The word "gendercide" seems exactly right to describe the impact on Chinese society.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Finding Our Way
I've always been fascinated by maps, perhaps because of my complete lack of any sense of direction. (Should you ever travel somewhere with me, and I assure you we should turn left at the next corner, go right. GO RIGHT to be right.)
All sorts of sites are demonstrating ways to use maps on web sites, teaching geography and space in the process.
Peter Zicari got me started on this topic by sending a very cool Google map quiz. After exploring some topics on the host Mindpicnic site (which I plan to get back to at some point) and then a games site Peter also sent, I went poking around some more and found Geospatial Training. And the blog Google Maps Mania shows us good examples of how the maps can be used well.
As newspapers turn more and more to putting stories on the web, knowing more about how to use good, information-loaded graphics would seem to be a smart move. I'm not talking about graphics used as decoration, or replacing facts, but rather enhancing them. As the Boston Globe points out, online mapping services can't always keep up with reality.
All sorts of sites are demonstrating ways to use maps on web sites, teaching geography and space in the process.
Peter Zicari got me started on this topic by sending a very cool Google map quiz. After exploring some topics on the host Mindpicnic site (which I plan to get back to at some point) and then a games site Peter also sent, I went poking around some more and found Geospatial Training. And the blog Google Maps Mania shows us good examples of how the maps can be used well.
As newspapers turn more and more to putting stories on the web, knowing more about how to use good, information-loaded graphics would seem to be a smart move. I'm not talking about graphics used as decoration, or replacing facts, but rather enhancing them. As the Boston Globe points out, online mapping services can't always keep up with reality.
Blogger Q&A: No.10 Pam Nelson
Pam Nelson, who confesses to having a schoolmarm streak (as many editors do), comments on language use and misuse in her Triangle Grammar Guide for the News & Observer in Raleigh.
Q.When did you start blogging?
A. I started in April 2005. My first post was about lay and lie.
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A.I wanted to sound off about grammar and usage, but I also wanted to offer extra value to readers of The News & Observer. I was thinking as much about the readers of the printed paper as of the online readers. I hoped to give our very educated readership a chance to sound off, too. I am aiming my work, for the most part, at readers, not at other journalists. My fondest wish is to set some people straight! I am a schoolmarm at heart.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. Readers suggest most of them, but some just come up in my regular reading of the paper.
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. The most comments came when I wrote about the language in obituaries, such "transitioned into the heavenly host." Several readers posted their own favorite euphemisms for death.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. I answer readers' questions about grammar and writing. They seem to be people who are very concerned about getting their words right.
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. Most of the people I hear from seem to be regular folks.
Q.Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. My goal is to post at least twice a week, but mostly I post as topics arise. Sometimes a letter, an e-mail message or a phone call to the public editor prompts my posts.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. I don't know. I might need to see this in action to understand what it would mean.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. For a 52-year-old, I think I am Web savvy and up to date on technology, but I have no idea what the next big thing will be. I enjoy writing on my blog, and I will keep it up as long as it's feasible.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. I spend about 3 or 4 hours a week, I guess. All outside my regular work. Even though my blog is part of The News & Observer online, I usually don't use work time for it. If I get an e-mail request for help, I try to answer that as soon as I can, though. Once I am off deadline with my daily work. I usually write my posts early in the morning; my brain works best then.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A.I refer readers often to the language-usage works on bartleby.com. I also refer often to Purdue University's Online Writing Lab, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/, and Capital Community College Foundation's Guide to Grammar and Writing, http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/. Academic sites have been very helpful.
I like John McIntyre's You Don't Say, http://blogs.baltimoresun.com/about_language/, because he writes so well. But I check other blogs, too, when I have time. Like many readers, I am too busy to check blogs often.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. Thanks! And best of luck to you and all the language/usage/grammar bloggers!
Videogamers, the Sequel
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Daily Game columnist Chris Buffa who had complained about poor editing and writing in the world of videogame journalism. Now, others are are responding, with suggestions on how to improve.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Copy Editor Makes Good
APA Editor Named Publisher of Idaho’s Largest Daily
BOISE, Idaho — Mi-Ai Parrish, 35, the deputy managing editor for features and visuals at the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, was named publisher of The Idaho Statesman newspaper by the McClatchy Co.
Active in the Asian American Journalists Association, Parrish has worked for the Star Tribune, McClatchy’s largest newspaper, since 2001. Before that, she served in editing positions at The San Francisco Chronicle, The Arizona Republic and The Chicago Sun-Times. A New York City native, she began her career in journalism as a reporter and copy editor at The Virginian-Pilot after graduating from the University of Maryland in 1992.
“The Statesman is a newspaper with a strong tradition and a talented staff,” she said. “My husband, Dave, and I are excited to become part of that exciting and beautiful community.”
David Parrish is a journalist who was a part of a team of reporters at the Orange County Register that won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.
BOISE, Idaho — Mi-Ai Parrish, 35, the deputy managing editor for features and visuals at the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, was named publisher of The Idaho Statesman newspaper by the McClatchy Co.
Active in the Asian American Journalists Association, Parrish has worked for the Star Tribune, McClatchy’s largest newspaper, since 2001. Before that, she served in editing positions at The San Francisco Chronicle, The Arizona Republic and The Chicago Sun-Times. A New York City native, she began her career in journalism as a reporter and copy editor at The Virginian-Pilot after graduating from the University of Maryland in 1992.
“The Statesman is a newspaper with a strong tradition and a talented staff,” she said. “My husband, Dave, and I are excited to become part of that exciting and beautiful community.”
David Parrish is a journalist who was a part of a team of reporters at the Orange County Register that won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.
Comments
Thanks to the vicious rantings of a bitter editor who has been banned by any number of other web sites, I've had to revert to moderated comments. Sorry. I'd hoped to keep it open but the jerk found me, assaulted my intelligence and commitment to journalism (AGAIN) and left. Don't need the aggravation.
Blogger Q&A No.9: Doug Fisher
The blogger Q&A continues. Today's e-mail interview is with Doug Fisher, a professor of journalism at the University of South Carolina, and proprietor of the Common Sense Journalism blog.
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. January 2004 as we were gearing up the "Wireless Election Connection" mobile web log project here to cover the elections and conventions. It was a natural way to do some "real-time" reflection on what was going on. It was also a natural extension to the Common Sense Journalism column I'd written since 2001 -- for all those quick-hit things that never get into a column.
Q. What's your purpose or motivation for blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. Several things: First, as noted above, those quick-hit language and similar things that don't make it into the column. Second, I have done a lot of work in new media with the Wireless Election Connection (wec.textamerica.com) and Hartsville Today (www.hvtd.com), and so I like to ruminate on that and on the latest developments in new media, specifically as it pertains to journalism, management, editorial and reportorial resources, and business models. Third, I use it for editing class -- some of those quick-hits become class discussions or quiz questions. And finally I just like to occasionally spout off. With the editing, language and resource stuff, I hope to get people thinking about those issues and maybe learning (or refreshing) a little about how to do journalism a bit better. With the new media stuff, I hope maybe some journalists will be less reactive and think more about the future of this business.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. From my own current experience with things I am doing, from research, from e-mail and similar newsletters (way too many), from contributors (many of them former students), from things I put together for professional seminars, and from my 30+ years in journalism.
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. No one thing in particular. The language stuff always gets some good response. The most traffic comes from original, longer think pieces (such as the one questionin the concept of replacing AP with a peer-to-peer news sharing system), the updates on AP style, and original reporting, such as the piece on Lauren Rich Fine's presentation at ACES this year.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. I know some of them -- I know Bill Walsh checks in some, as do you and some other folks I know in the industry. I also get a fair amount of students seeking journalism advice, etc.
Q.If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
see above.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A.I try to post at least three times a week, but it is topic driven. When I am involved heavily in teaching or in another writing project, it can slip.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. No. I think those who want it can find us through various links, Google searches, directories, etc.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. I'm pretty up to date. I've been dealing with computers since programming in Fortran with punch cards in another life (yes, I'll admit to being an astrophysics major originally in college). Much of it is just time enough to keep up with things and learn them decently. I know enough Flash and Photoshop just to be dangerous, for instance. Need to become familiar with PHP and Python -- not so much to be able to program in them, but to know their capabilities.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A.Too much. Probably eight to 10 hours. But a lot of that is thinking through things before posting.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. They're all pretty much listed on the right rail of my blog.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. Nope.
Vamos Wordsmiths!
Over at Language Monitor, they're predicting the arrival of the one millionth word in English. (As of July 20, we were 11,206 words short of that goal.)
Monitor's prediction led the Empress at The Washington Post Style Invitational (she awards weird prizes to people sending in suggestions) to say this about searching for the millionth word:
... Just to be imperious, the Empress decreed that the word had to end in -ion. Some otherwise good entries turned up too often on Google, such as "comcastration," getting your cable cut off.
4 Martyration: A request for only 36 virgins in paradise. (Chris Doyle, Forsyth, Mo.)
3 Espanation: Stupidly adding a vowel at the end of an English word to try to talk to a Spanish-speaker; e.g., "Which aisle-o has the cerealo?" (Alan Hochbaum, Atlanta)
2 The winner of the "Brechlinker," the Inker with the Barbie head:
Errudition: Comical misuse of big words. "Madam, your dress looks positively superfluous on you tonight," he said with amazing errudition. (Tom Witte, Montgomery Village)
And the Winner of the Inker
Percycution: Giving your child a name he will hate for the rest of his life. (Marty McCullen, Gettysburg, Pa.)
Monitor's prediction led the Empress at The Washington Post Style Invitational (she awards weird prizes to people sending in suggestions) to say this about searching for the millionth word:
... Just to be imperious, the Empress decreed that the word had to end in -ion. Some otherwise good entries turned up too often on Google, such as "comcastration," getting your cable cut off.
4 Martyration: A request for only 36 virgins in paradise. (Chris Doyle, Forsyth, Mo.)
3 Espanation: Stupidly adding a vowel at the end of an English word to try to talk to a Spanish-speaker; e.g., "Which aisle-o has the cerealo?" (Alan Hochbaum, Atlanta)
2 The winner of the "Brechlinker," the Inker with the Barbie head:
Errudition: Comical misuse of big words. "Madam, your dress looks positively superfluous on you tonight," he said with amazing errudition. (Tom Witte, Montgomery Village)
And the Winner of the Inker
Percycution: Giving your child a name he will hate for the rest of his life. (Marty McCullen, Gettysburg, Pa.)
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Money Changes Everything. Maybe.
Blog and get paid. No, this is not a cheesy ad.
Wired says this
By Eli Milchman|
Dollar signs went off in the blogosphere Wednesday as blog pioneer and recent Netscape recruit Jason Calacanis offered up to $1,000 a month to woo volunteer posters away from popular reader-generated link sites like Digg and Reddit.
If getting paid is what would motivate you to blog, you're probably coming in too late for this particular Netscape offer. It's looking for established bloggers.
But Netscape's move is interesting, nonetheless. It came about the same day that the Pew Center released a report about whether bloggers consider themselves journalists, a sore point amongst many people I know. Surprise: most of them don't. Of course, some ARE journalists in the traditional sense, and others have won legal standing as journalists.
Now, my day would be perfect if blogger.com would eliminate all those blogs started when someone had a thought and never followed through. You know, those blogs with one posting (or none) that are more than a year old and never got around to adding so much as a link.
Wired says this
By Eli Milchman|
Dollar signs went off in the blogosphere Wednesday as blog pioneer and recent Netscape recruit Jason Calacanis offered up to $1,000 a month to woo volunteer posters away from popular reader-generated link sites like Digg and Reddit.
If getting paid is what would motivate you to blog, you're probably coming in too late for this particular Netscape offer. It's looking for established bloggers.
But Netscape's move is interesting, nonetheless. It came about the same day that the Pew Center released a report about whether bloggers consider themselves journalists, a sore point amongst many people I know. Surprise: most of them don't. Of course, some ARE journalists in the traditional sense, and others have won legal standing as journalists.
Now, my day would be perfect if blogger.com would eliminate all those blogs started when someone had a thought and never followed through. You know, those blogs with one posting (or none) that are more than a year old and never got around to adding so much as a link.
English Rules!
English is by far the language spoken most by Internet users.
Rapidly increasing is the China market:
China market: 123.0 million Internet surfers at end of last month, up 19.4% on year
Lisa Tsai, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DigiTimes.com [Thursday 20 July 2006]
China had 123.0 million users of Internet services, as of the end of June this year, growing by 19.4% on-year, according to the latest regular half-year survey, conducted by the government-sponsored China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) and published on July 19.
China, at the end of last month, also had 54.50 million Internet-connected computer hosts, 2.951 million IP (Internet Protocol) domain names, 788,400 websites and an international Internet connection bandwidth of 214.175Gbps (up 159.2% on-year) at the end of last month.
It's unclear exactly who is listed in the totals. Are, for example, speakers of Asian English included?
Rapidly increasing is the China market:
China market: 123.0 million Internet surfers at end of last month, up 19.4% on year
Lisa Tsai, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DigiTimes.com [Thursday 20 July 2006]
China had 123.0 million users of Internet services, as of the end of June this year, growing by 19.4% on-year, according to the latest regular half-year survey, conducted by the government-sponsored China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) and published on July 19.
China, at the end of last month, also had 54.50 million Internet-connected computer hosts, 2.951 million IP (Internet Protocol) domain names, 788,400 websites and an international Internet connection bandwidth of 214.175Gbps (up 159.2% on-year) at the end of last month.
It's unclear exactly who is listed in the totals. Are, for example, speakers of Asian English included?
Blogger Q&A No.8: Cheryl Norman
Today's Q&A is with Cheryl Norman, aka the Grammar Goddess
Q.When did you start blogging? What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. A year ago I started this grammar blog, hoping to set up a place to funnel the many grammar questions I get and to share the answers with others. It hasn't exactly taken off as I'd hoped. Most people still prefer private e-mails, which is all right, too.
Q.Where do you get your topics?
A. I post the questions I get from e-mails, if the sender agrees. Otherwise I'll post a general discussion on the topic. I suppose some writers are embarrassed to expose themselves as needing help. They shouldn't. We all have questions from time to time.
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. Comma usage and non-words. I've actually done battle with an editor who insisted that alright is now acceptable usage. Well, it's not acceptable to Grammar Goddess! Comma usage could have its own blog, there are so many questions.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. I've become acquainted with some of them through contact. My friends just send me private e-mails or call me on the telephone with their questions.
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. I get questions from legal secretaries, school teachers, people from abroad who use English as a second language, and novelists.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. I try to post on a regular basis or at least monthly. My bloggers haven't found grammar and style to be interesting enough for daily blogging.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. I add links to my blog anytime I find a useful or informative site or blog.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. I keep up better than the average old broad my age. I think blogs or some form of community sharing will be around for awhile.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. Unfortunately, I'm committed to several blogs, so none gets a lot of my time. I'd prefer to blog weekly, and that's my ultimate goal.What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
Q. If I like and use one, it's linked here (on my blog sidebar).Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. I wish I knew how to generate more traffic to my grammar blog. Or maybe not! I might get more questions than I can handle!
Q.When did you start blogging? What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. A year ago I started this grammar blog, hoping to set up a place to funnel the many grammar questions I get and to share the answers with others. It hasn't exactly taken off as I'd hoped. Most people still prefer private e-mails, which is all right, too.
Q.Where do you get your topics?
A. I post the questions I get from e-mails, if the sender agrees. Otherwise I'll post a general discussion on the topic. I suppose some writers are embarrassed to expose themselves as needing help. They shouldn't. We all have questions from time to time.
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. Comma usage and non-words. I've actually done battle with an editor who insisted that alright is now acceptable usage. Well, it's not acceptable to Grammar Goddess! Comma usage could have its own blog, there are so many questions.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. I've become acquainted with some of them through contact. My friends just send me private e-mails or call me on the telephone with their questions.
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. I get questions from legal secretaries, school teachers, people from abroad who use English as a second language, and novelists.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. I try to post on a regular basis or at least monthly. My bloggers haven't found grammar and style to be interesting enough for daily blogging.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. I add links to my blog anytime I find a useful or informative site or blog.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. I keep up better than the average old broad my age. I think blogs or some form of community sharing will be around for awhile.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. Unfortunately, I'm committed to several blogs, so none gets a lot of my time. I'd prefer to blog weekly, and that's my ultimate goal.What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
Q. If I like and use one, it's linked here (on my blog sidebar).Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. I wish I knew how to generate more traffic to my grammar blog. Or maybe not! I might get more questions than I can handle!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Great Advice From a Pro
Just came from a wonderful presentation by Sree Sreenivasan, dean of students at Columbia University's journalism school, on the topic of blogging, Internet tools, etc. If you ever get the chance to sit in on one of his sessions, do it. Sree is bright, enthusiastic, pleasant, informative and witty. One of the points he made to an audience of editors, researchers, librarians and reporters is that, yes, lots of blogs are a waste of time, but be smart and find the useful ones. Separate the wheat from the chaff. And don't be afraid of them. Use them as sources, just as if they were callers to the newsroom trying to tell us something. Seems pretty obvious to me. Sree has led the way in teaching journalists how to understand technology in its many forms.
I asked him about how newspapers ought to handle corrections or misrepresentations of their stories, specifically, what to do when a newspaper makes an error which is then amplified on the blogosphere. The NYTimes had exactly that situation occur recently when a reporter incorrectly wrote that Hillary Clinton had criticized Democrats when she had actually knocked the Republican leadership in Congress. That incorrect story then zoomed around the blogs for more than a day, before the Times corrected it. Sree's answer was that newspapers will have to confront the errors or misrepresentations, not simply ignore them, and, as he said earlier in his presentation, newspapers can no longer simply stand on their reputation.
Sree also showed two blogs that all copy editors should know about:
Bill Walsh's Blogslot and RegretTheError.com.
Good advice all the way around.
Editors in the Digital Age
While it's a few months old, an article on The Editor's Weblog does a pretty good job looking at the role of editors in the digital age. It's a subject near and dear to the hearts of many of my colleagues.
The article gets off to a good start but could go further. Where, for example, are we heading if readers' opinions are what determines what we publish? Are we headed for nothing more than ever-increasing coverage of celebrities? Or do we try to assert our role as educators, informing people of what's "important"? It's hardly a new topic but still a vital one, with much more debate to come.
The article gets off to a good start but could go further. Where, for example, are we heading if readers' opinions are what determines what we publish? Are we headed for nothing more than ever-increasing coverage of celebrities? Or do we try to assert our role as educators, informing people of what's "important"? It's hardly a new topic but still a vital one, with much more debate to come.
Blogger Q&A No.7 John Robinson
In our continuing series of interviews with language/journalism bloggers, we talked with John Robinson, editor of the Greensboro, N.C., News-Record, an innovator in online journalism and community involvement. Read him; he has important things to say. No, he's not a relative.
Q.When did you start blogging?
A. When I realized that there was a conversation about civic affairs going on in my community that the newspaper wasn’t a part of and should be. Or, to be more precise, August 2004.
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. Big questions. The core purpose is to engage with the public in another way outside of the print paper. The blog extends the journalism we do. I can talk with readers, listen to them, ask their advice, learn from them. In addition to the robust interactivity, I can provide – actually, the readers demand -- greater transparency. The blog helps open the doors to our business, and it’s a place where I can explain why we do what we do, acknowledge screw ups when we screw up and ask for help. And it’s part of a community I want to be a member of. (And they accepted me with pretty much open arms, which they didn’t need to do so I’m grateful for that.) Generally, bloggers and commenters are a sharp bunch, involved in the community and working for the betterment of the community in their own ways. I like being around smart people, and most of the bloggers around here are smart, smarter than I am.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. Everywhere. Most topics emerge from within the newsroom – issues we’re discussing and/or struggling with – or from the community as it relates to the newspaper. One day I may write about a story we’re kicking around, trying to find the best way to approach it. The next, I may respond to a local blogger who is questioning or criticizing something in the paper. A third day I may explain (or complain about) something on our Web site. A fourth day, I may write about someone who is leaving the paper, or someone who is joining the paper, or someone who used to work at the paper and who has done something notable elsewhere. And on a fifth day, I may give my take on some national journalism issue. So they come from everywhere. I try to write about what I know. Pretty much I stick with journalism topics, specifically newspaper and online topics, except of course when I write about rocket science and brain surgery.
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. Race or the war, both polarizing issues in this community, at least. They also tend to attract the most shouters and trolls as well. For awhile, during election seasons, issues pertaining to whether the newspaper was liberal or not also attracted a lot of comments.
The hottest posts have probably involved discussions of race. One day last summer, for instance, we published a photo package of kids sitting on their front porch eating watermelon. Really, it was a group of compelling photos capturing a rite of summer. Except the kids were African American. We knew it was a touchy subject, but we thought people had gotten past the old stereotypes. When I explained the choice, it was hotly debated. Another time, I announced our efforts to recruit and hire more minority journalists in the newsroom. You might have thought I was trying to suggest that Texas barbecue is better than North Carolina barbecue. Hot topic all around.
Q.Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. Those bozos? Hell no. Oh, did I say that outloud? Just kidding! I know who some of them are in the flesh, but most of them I know only in cyberspace, which is fine. Some I like, some not so much, which is fine, too. It’s like life. Seems as if I have a great deal of interaction with them, although I am often surprised by what sets them off and what doesn’t. Some posts that I think will get them stirred up, get nothing. Other posts that I think are innocent cause a great rumpus. I have my share of trolls and my share of commenters who oppose everything I say. I think these people overestimate how much I care about what they have to say because some of their comments are so predictably negative and destructive that they’ve lost any credibility in my eyes. Mostly, though, the great majority of my readers tend to be smart, engaged, supportive and constructive in their criticism.
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. I don’t really know, or, honestly, care. I’d just as soon they were people ‘round here. I know that “regular folks” are good enough language experts because they correct my grammar and spelling often enough – our blogs aren’t edited so typos and dumb mistakes creep in. I know some journalists read it because I know some of them who comment on it. Many journalists will e-mail me with comments on a particular post, but they won’t comment on the blog itself. I’ve never understood that.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. I try to post when I have something to say. Ed Cone, a writer and blogger who happens to live in Greensboro and who bears a great deal of credit or blame for my blogging, quoted Jim Rome once when he talked about content and frequency of posts: Have a take and don’t suck. That’s pretty much what I try to do.
I would be dishonest, though, if I didn’t say that I try to post eight days out of 10. It’s not difficult to find something to write about. What’s difficult is deciding whether I have something to say that will advance the discussion.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. There are too many people around here who would laugh out loud if I lied about this one. I’m web savvy but not a techie by any stretch of the imagination. I know that technological advances are occurring faster than anyone has anticipated. So who knows what’s around the corner. Still, blogging is a powerful tool. The ease of use, utility and interactivity are too valuable.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. A couple hours, probably. But that’s just the post themselves. I used to write editorials and found that you’re always thinking about issues, whether you’re in a meeting or in the shower or mowing the grass. It’s the same way with blog topics. Always thinking about this issue or that. Some come quickly and are easy to write. Others are tougher and take some time to grasp intellectually and articulate cogently. Too often I don’t take the time I should to think things through. Oh well.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. Don’t drink and blog. Develop a thick skin. Be human. Ignore the trolls. Have a take and don’t suck. Have fun.
Q.When did you start blogging?
A. When I realized that there was a conversation about civic affairs going on in my community that the newspaper wasn’t a part of and should be. Or, to be more precise, August 2004.
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. Big questions. The core purpose is to engage with the public in another way outside of the print paper. The blog extends the journalism we do. I can talk with readers, listen to them, ask their advice, learn from them. In addition to the robust interactivity, I can provide – actually, the readers demand -- greater transparency. The blog helps open the doors to our business, and it’s a place where I can explain why we do what we do, acknowledge screw ups when we screw up and ask for help. And it’s part of a community I want to be a member of. (And they accepted me with pretty much open arms, which they didn’t need to do so I’m grateful for that.) Generally, bloggers and commenters are a sharp bunch, involved in the community and working for the betterment of the community in their own ways. I like being around smart people, and most of the bloggers around here are smart, smarter than I am.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. Everywhere. Most topics emerge from within the newsroom – issues we’re discussing and/or struggling with – or from the community as it relates to the newspaper. One day I may write about a story we’re kicking around, trying to find the best way to approach it. The next, I may respond to a local blogger who is questioning or criticizing something in the paper. A third day I may explain (or complain about) something on our Web site. A fourth day, I may write about someone who is leaving the paper, or someone who is joining the paper, or someone who used to work at the paper and who has done something notable elsewhere. And on a fifth day, I may give my take on some national journalism issue. So they come from everywhere. I try to write about what I know. Pretty much I stick with journalism topics, specifically newspaper and online topics, except of course when I write about rocket science and brain surgery.
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. Race or the war, both polarizing issues in this community, at least. They also tend to attract the most shouters and trolls as well. For awhile, during election seasons, issues pertaining to whether the newspaper was liberal or not also attracted a lot of comments.
The hottest posts have probably involved discussions of race. One day last summer, for instance, we published a photo package of kids sitting on their front porch eating watermelon. Really, it was a group of compelling photos capturing a rite of summer. Except the kids were African American. We knew it was a touchy subject, but we thought people had gotten past the old stereotypes. When I explained the choice, it was hotly debated. Another time, I announced our efforts to recruit and hire more minority journalists in the newsroom. You might have thought I was trying to suggest that Texas barbecue is better than North Carolina barbecue. Hot topic all around.
Q.Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. Those bozos? Hell no. Oh, did I say that outloud? Just kidding! I know who some of them are in the flesh, but most of them I know only in cyberspace, which is fine. Some I like, some not so much, which is fine, too. It’s like life. Seems as if I have a great deal of interaction with them, although I am often surprised by what sets them off and what doesn’t. Some posts that I think will get them stirred up, get nothing. Other posts that I think are innocent cause a great rumpus. I have my share of trolls and my share of commenters who oppose everything I say. I think these people overestimate how much I care about what they have to say because some of their comments are so predictably negative and destructive that they’ve lost any credibility in my eyes. Mostly, though, the great majority of my readers tend to be smart, engaged, supportive and constructive in their criticism.
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. I don’t really know, or, honestly, care. I’d just as soon they were people ‘round here. I know that “regular folks” are good enough language experts because they correct my grammar and spelling often enough – our blogs aren’t edited so typos and dumb mistakes creep in. I know some journalists read it because I know some of them who comment on it. Many journalists will e-mail me with comments on a particular post, but they won’t comment on the blog itself. I’ve never understood that.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. I try to post when I have something to say. Ed Cone, a writer and blogger who happens to live in Greensboro and who bears a great deal of credit or blame for my blogging, quoted Jim Rome once when he talked about content and frequency of posts: Have a take and don’t suck. That’s pretty much what I try to do.
I would be dishonest, though, if I didn’t say that I try to post eight days out of 10. It’s not difficult to find something to write about. What’s difficult is deciding whether I have something to say that will advance the discussion.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. There are too many people around here who would laugh out loud if I lied about this one. I’m web savvy but not a techie by any stretch of the imagination. I know that technological advances are occurring faster than anyone has anticipated. So who knows what’s around the corner. Still, blogging is a powerful tool. The ease of use, utility and interactivity are too valuable.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. A couple hours, probably. But that’s just the post themselves. I used to write editorials and found that you’re always thinking about issues, whether you’re in a meeting or in the shower or mowing the grass. It’s the same way with blog topics. Always thinking about this issue or that. Some come quickly and are easy to write. Others are tougher and take some time to grasp intellectually and articulate cogently. Too often I don’t take the time I should to think things through. Oh well.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. Don’t drink and blog. Develop a thick skin. Be human. Ignore the trolls. Have a take and don’t suck. Have fun.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
This Is Really BIG!
The headline's a little bit of an inside joke.
But seriously, here's something you don't see every day: The startup of a new journalism school. Ex-Newsday editor Howard Schneider, one of the most energetic people you could ever meet, has helped launch an undergraduate journalism school at the University of Stony Brook on Long Island, a first for the state university system. The school promises that the school will be forward thinking and, if you know Howard, this will be some exciting ride.
Blogger Q&A No.6: John E. McIntyre
Another in a series of interviews with bloggers who focus on language and journalism issues. Today's Q&A is with John McIntyre, a former president of ACES, the assistant managing editor for copy desks at the Baltimore Sun and author of a blog called You Don't Say on the Sun's web site.
Q.When did you start blogging?
A.In late December 2005.
Q. What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. To add a bit of content to The Sun’s Web site that isn’t duplicated
elsewhere. To address questions about language and usage that come from
readers. To write about subjects that I wasn’t seeing addressed in
other blogs, or to add my views on points that were addressed elsewhere.
To vent my spleen.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. Often from reading my own newspaper. Issues that other copy editors raise or things that I talk about in workshops on editing. And, of course, comments and suggestions from readers of the blog lead to new postings.
Q.What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. A posting on our test for copy desk applicants that included some sample questions. I innocently included “Who wrote ‘The Iliad’?” and got a swarm of posted comments and messages on the Homeric question.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them? If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. Response to two questions combined: Hard to tell who’s reading. I just get a raw count of unique hits each week, average about a little over 800 — not an overwhelming number. I have a few local readers who communicate, and a number of colleagues in journalism who follow the site. Oddly, even some members of the Sun staff look at it. And I am encouraged, and flattered, by praise from my fellow bloggers, for whose opinions and judgment I have a profound respect.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. I try to post twice a week.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. It would be nice if the American Copy Editors Society could link language blogs and resources to its Web site, but I know that creating and maintaining such a resource is laborious and time-consuming. I follow the ACES discussion board closely, and it is refreshing to see all the viewpoints. I think, though, that a slightly different approach, a kind of uber-blog on which a panel of language bloggers would be available to answer questions put to them, would be valuable.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we
still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace
this method of communication?
A. The Sun uses TypePad for all the staff blogs, and it is simple but irritating. It arbitrarily changes type size or repositions elements, and I don’t know enough about the coding to remedy the problems quickly.
And if I did, the coding is on the screen in type so small as to drive me
blind. No, I am not Web savvy and don’t expect to be anytime soon. My
function is to be a cranky old guy snickered at by the young.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. The postings are all short, so none ever takes more than an hour or so.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. I check Nicole Stockdale’s “A Capital Idea,” Doug Fisher’s “Common Sense Journalism,” Bill Walsh’s “Blogslot,” Fred Vultee’s “headsuptheblog,” and, um, Pam Robinson’s “Words at Work” ever day to see whether there is something new. I’ve also bookmarked Andy Bechtel’s “The Editor’s Desk,” John Rains’ “Notes from a Writing Coach” and “Language Log” (to check for rude remarks about copy editors). I enjoy Jan Freeman’s column in The Boston Globe.
The Testy Copy Editors bulletin board often provides fodder. And I periodically troll around to see what things I’ve overlooked.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A.Blogging is turning out to be one more means to draw editors out of isolation and provide occasions to sort out issues and arrive at common understandings.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Fun With Interns
Over at Office Pirates, they're having fun with interns and how people should respond to them and other young workers. Apparently the Sunday Times of London got things rolling by writing about "skinterns" but the Office Pirates, as usual, have a much wackier view of the matter.
For more serious advice, interns should check out Joe Grimm's News Jobs Cafe.
For more serious advice, interns should check out Joe Grimm's News Jobs Cafe.
Blogger Q&A No. 5: Language Hat
We're talking with Language Hat, proprietor of a highly informative and entertainingly written language blog.
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. July 2002; I'd been commenting on other people's blogs, and enough people (particularly Songdog, the top name on my blogroll) urged me to try it myself that I thought "Why not?"
Q What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. I enjoy sharing my thoughts on language and literature with people and getting their responses (I wouldn't enjoy blogging without the comments), and I hope to increase public understanding of the basic facts of linguistics (language changes, different people use language differently, and that's OK) to whatever small degree I can.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. From my reading, from other blogs, and from links people send me.
Q.What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. For a long time it was a piece I did in September 2003 called RDIAENG, which began "Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae." That got tons of hits and links. But in mid-April of this year I suddenly got a huge surge of hits; the strange thing is I have no idea
why -- I hadn't posted about anything particularly controversial, and
as far as I can tell I wasn't linked by some high-profile site.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. My readers are an incredibly diverse lot with all sorts of interests. The degree of interaction depends; some I know only through their comments, some I have occasional or regular e-mail contact with, and a few I've actually met and become friends with in person. I don't know if there are any useful generalizations I could make except that they all seem to have an interest in language. When I ask a question to the public at large, someone always seems to be able to answer it for
me. Without the responses from readers, I would have given up blogging long ago.
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. Some are journalists, some are linguists, some are just folks. (See above.)
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. I try to make at least one post a day; the only substantial breaks have been for vacations -- and now for the mysterious problems that have made me unable to access the MT control panel! I've been getting e-mails asking me when it'll be fixed, saying "I miss LH"; so do I, and I wish I knew -- my techie pal is working on it!
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. Not sure what this means. I have a "Linguablogs" blogroll, and I frequently communicate with fellow language bloggers by e-mail.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. Far from it -- I'm a complete ignoramus about technical stuff! I have no crystal ball, but blogging is so satisfying and so popular I expect it to last a good deal longer than five years, even if the technology changes.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. Depends. Maybe a couple of hours a day on average.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. Glosses.net (when Renee is updating it), Language Log, Tenser, said the Tensor, Anggarrgoon, sauvage noble, Jabal al-Lughat, wordorigins.org, Double-Tongued Word Wrester.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. Just that I hope my site gets back to normal soon!
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. July 2002; I'd been commenting on other people's blogs, and enough people (particularly Songdog, the top name on my blogroll) urged me to try it myself that I thought "Why not?"
Q What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. I enjoy sharing my thoughts on language and literature with people and getting their responses (I wouldn't enjoy blogging without the comments), and I hope to increase public understanding of the basic facts of linguistics (language changes, different people use language differently, and that's OK) to whatever small degree I can.
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. From my reading, from other blogs, and from links people send me.
Q.What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. For a long time it was a piece I did in September 2003 called RDIAENG, which began "Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae." That got tons of hits and links. But in mid-April of this year I suddenly got a huge surge of hits; the strange thing is I have no idea
why -- I hadn't posted about anything particularly controversial, and
as far as I can tell I wasn't linked by some high-profile site.
Q. Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. My readers are an incredibly diverse lot with all sorts of interests. The degree of interaction depends; some I know only through their comments, some I have occasional or regular e-mail contact with, and a few I've actually met and become friends with in person. I don't know if there are any useful generalizations I could make except that they all seem to have an interest in language. When I ask a question to the public at large, someone always seems to be able to answer it for
me. Without the responses from readers, I would have given up blogging long ago.
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. Some are journalists, some are linguists, some are just folks. (See above.)
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. I try to make at least one post a day; the only substantial breaks have been for vacations -- and now for the mysterious problems that have made me unable to access the MT control panel! I've been getting e-mails asking me when it'll be fixed, saying "I miss LH"; so do I, and I wish I knew -- my techie pal is working on it!
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
A. Not sure what this means. I have a "Linguablogs" blogroll, and I frequently communicate with fellow language bloggers by e-mail.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. Far from it -- I'm a complete ignoramus about technical stuff! I have no crystal ball, but blogging is so satisfying and so popular I expect it to last a good deal longer than five years, even if the technology changes.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. Depends. Maybe a couple of hours a day on average.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
A. Glosses.net (when Renee is updating it), Language Log, Tenser, said the Tensor, Anggarrgoon, sauvage noble, Jabal al-Lughat, wordorigins.org, Double-Tongued Word Wrester.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A. Just that I hope my site gets back to normal soon!
Copy Editor Honored
This is a nice and something you don't see very often--a news story about a copy editor who is retiring.
TL salutes retired copy editor
Tom Mooney lauded for knowledge of local facts and for guiding a long string of newsroom employees.
By STEVE MOCARSKY
WILKES-BARRE – He might not be Superman, but his friends and colleagues at the Times Leader on Sunday recognized Tom Mooney as a guy who has saved countless reporters – from embarrassment and an editor’s tongue-lashing – by catching typos and factual errors in stories before they made it to print.
Mooney, who will continue to write weekly genealogy and seniors columns for the newspaper, retired from his full-time copy editor position on June 30 after 25 years with the Times Leader.
Chief copy editor Mike Liechty threw a retirement party for his close friend and colleague of 17 years Sunday to honor him for his years of service to the newspaper and the community.
....
TL salutes retired copy editor
Tom Mooney lauded for knowledge of local facts and for guiding a long string of newsroom employees.
By STEVE MOCARSKY
WILKES-BARRE – He might not be Superman, but his friends and colleagues at the Times Leader on Sunday recognized Tom Mooney as a guy who has saved countless reporters – from embarrassment and an editor’s tongue-lashing – by catching typos and factual errors in stories before they made it to print.
Mooney, who will continue to write weekly genealogy and seniors columns for the newspaper, retired from his full-time copy editor position on June 30 after 25 years with the Times Leader.
Chief copy editor Mike Liechty threw a retirement party for his close friend and colleague of 17 years Sunday to honor him for his years of service to the newspaper and the community.
....
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Blogger Q&A No.4: Joe Marren
Continuing the blogger question-and-answer series. Today's interview is with Joe Marren, assistant professor at Buffalo State College and an ACES contributor. His blog.
When did you start blogging?
several years ago, though i rarely post anything lately
What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
it's a way of talking to my students; it's primarily about journalism topics
Where do you get your topics?
from list-servs
What has provoked the most response from readers?
topics on role of editors
Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
mostly j-students and some interested bloggers
If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
mostly j-students
Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
unfortunately, no
Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
yes. the idea is that blogs are conversations with readers. links add depth without writing a word
How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
unfortunately, not much. i'm an ivory tower blogger (LOL)
What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
i sample a lot. probably yours soon as i look at it
When did you start blogging?
several years ago, though i rarely post anything lately
What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
it's a way of talking to my students; it's primarily about journalism topics
Where do you get your topics?
from list-servs
What has provoked the most response from readers?
topics on role of editors
Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
mostly j-students and some interested bloggers
If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
mostly j-students
Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
unfortunately, no
Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly? (This is completely off the top of my head and did not inspire this Q&A.)
yes. the idea is that blogs are conversations with readers. links add depth without writing a word
How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
unfortunately, not much. i'm an ivory tower blogger (LOL)
What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
i sample a lot. probably yours soon as i look at it
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Blogger Q&A No.3: Bob Stepno
Continuing our series of e-mail interviews with language and journalism bloggers.
Bob Stepno and I go way back to our days together at The Hartford Courant where some of us spent waaay too much time at a gin mill known as Kenney's. Musta been Bob, though I don't remember... :)
Bob Stepno and I go way back to our days together at The Hartford Courant where some of us spent waaay too much time at a gin mill known as Kenney's. Musta been Bob, though I don't remember... :)
Bob is a professor of journalism at the University of Tennessee, and a former reporter at the aforementioned Courant ("the oldest paper of continuous publication." Don't believe claim by the NY Post. But you knew that.)
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. In 2000, although mostly as a "demo" to get my students doing it...
(Remember Tom Sawyer and that fence?): I assigned my Online Journalism and Digital Culture" classes to write summaries of their online and textbook readings, adding links and comments, primarily as a way to get them reading more, and to teach
them some simple HTML. The next year, one of the Digital Culture students said, "Can I just use my Blogger account?" and I knew the revolution was on.
Meanwhile, I'd been looking for a content management system to start an online classroom newspaper; I experimented with Dan Bricklin's Blogger-like Trellix program and Userland Software's Frontier scripting language... which is now the engine under the blogging platforms Manila and Radio Userland, which I still use.
Q.What's your purpose or motivation to blogging? What do you hope to accomplish?
A. I started with a demo and "class notes" for my students and I still
have "demos" around using four or five blogging programs. When I joined a series of weekly blogger meetings at Harvard three years ago I added another blog site there as part of the Berkman Center community discussion of blogging issues. Since then my main radio.weblogs.com blog has become a combination school-and-community thing.
I use the software's "category" feature to offer separate addresses and RSS feeds for posts that might be of more interest to one audience or another: An AEJMC Newspaper Division category mostly of interest to newspaper-journalism teachers; another for local Knoxville neighbors; others for my "online journalism" or "digital culture" students. Just for fun, I was hoping to get out the microphone and produce a regular podcast about my other passion -- folk and old-time music. I set it up,
didn't have time to do it regularly, and keep the "podfolk" site as a place to post music-related items very infrequently. And the separate blog category about Attention Deficit Disorder was a joke, mostly.
Almost everything in the blog-subcategory blogs also appears in the main one here:
(Now also available as Couranteer)
Categories include:
AEJMC Newspaper Division blog:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0106327/categories/aej/
Knoxville:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0106327/categories/knoxville/
Online Journalism:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0106327/categories/oj/
Digital culture, communication & community:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0106327/categories/digicom/
Folk Music & Folklore:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0106327/categories/podfolk/
I wasn't kidding:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0106327/categories/
attentiondeficitweblog/
And the now for demo only Harvard blog-meeting site is here:
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/stepno
Q. Where do you get your topics?
A. Newspapers, e-mail lists and other bloggers, mostly. I've also blogged
eye-witness accounts of places and events with photos, including (rarely) some personal events, like defending my Ph.D. dissertation in Chapel Hill and moving from Boston to Knoxville.
(http://radio.weblogs.com/0106327/2004/08/15.html)
Q. What has provoked the most response from readers?
A. Other than items I explicitly asked students to respond to, most
response has been to critiques of newspaper websites, particularly
comments from local readers (and fellow bloggers) concerning the local
paper.
Q.Do you know who your readers are and if so, do you have much interaction with them? Anything interesting to say about them?
A. Whoever paraphrased Andy Warhol to say that blogs could make you "famous for 15 people" had it about right in my case. Old friends use my blog to stay in touch; I use theirs to do the same... and I've used my blog and other folks' blogs to get to know people in a new city. When I was about to move to Knoxville, I e-mailed one of the local bloggers asking about neighborhoods near the university -- he sent me three or four pages of comments on different parts of town, complete with the names and e-mail addresses or phones to get me started "networking." Come to think of
it, I still owe that guy a beer. (We've been to some events together too.
Oops.)
Q. If you know, are your readers language or journalism experts or just regular folks?
A. Because "journalism" is in the name of my blog, and because I teach it, I know I'm being read by other journalism teachers... a class at an U.K university was even monitoring my blog at one point and chided me for not posting often enough.
Q. Do you try to post on a regular schedule or as topics arise?
A. No schedule; rarely more than four days a week; sometimes only a
half-dozen times in a month on my main blog. I post when topics arise or are about to come up on my class syllabus. Otherwise I post whenever I'm under a lot of pressure to do something *else.* Classic procrastination blogger.
Q. Do you think we should think about linking in some fashion to
deliver language or other advice by e-mail or share content more regularly?
A. I'm not sure who "we" are in that question. I link "out" to at least
two or three sources in each post, and other people link "in" to my blog
posts from time to time. (The more the merrier.) I'm also on a
half-dozen e-mail lists -- more than I can keep up with -- so I've
gotten pretty selective about adding new ones.
Q. Do you consider yourself web savvy or up to date on technology? Will we still be blogging in five years or will technology completely replace this method of communication?
A. I've been online since BITNET and FIDONET, wrote a master's thesis about hypertext in 1988, and more recently wrote a PC World magazine mass-review of RSS aggregators a couple of summers ago. I also spent some time with the guru of RSS at Harvard and attended the first two "Bloggercons" there. I think RSS -- subscription-delivery of blog content or news headlines, with or without audio or video attachments is a powerful way to monitor a lot of sites at once... or become fully
information-overloaded.
Speaking of RSS attachments, I haven't had time to do a regular "podcast" audio "show," but I've had the software ready to go for three
years. Maybe I'll get around to that... either with audio or video.
Otherwise, the answer depends on what you mean by "blogging." On one level, it's just "creating web pages with easy online tools." I'll be doing that as long as I keep teaching. On another it's "writing a personal opinion column or diary," which hasn't been my main focus. On another it's "being part of an online (and in-person) community of correspondents," and I'd like that to continue.
Q. How much time do you spend each week on your blog?
A. I have a don't-ask-don't-tell policy about that question. I miss having
a copy desk to cover my back, so I fuss about the blog too much.
Q. What are your favorite language web sites or blogs?
I have a batch of links for my writing students here:
Grammar
and more link topics here:
Links
That's a more modest (and manageable) list than the 2,000+ bookmarks I
was juggling in Boston -- and donated to the local SPJ Pro chapter for
further upkeep. Alas, the well-structured database version has been
offline lately and I'm no longer in charge of it. The original of that
one is here, with a very crude menu system:
Bob Scribes
... and this may be its most relevant section to the topic at hand:
And more
(Yes, my motto is "Information Overload Are Us")
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Mostly just "Hi Pam! Say 'hi' to any other Courant refugees." By the
way, when I migrate to a new blogging software, I'll probably rename or
nickname my blog after an archaic word for "newspaper reporter":
"couranteer." I've already grabbed "http://couranteer.com," which is
now just framing my main blog. Maybe more Hartford Courant alumni will visit!
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