How technology and the Internet have changed what we write, edit, and teach: Part 1

January 14th, 2010 . Posted in Editing, Teaching and Tutoring, Writing | No Comments »
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New meets old in a library...

Technology and the Internet have changed how we write, edit, and teach. But how have things changed for these professions?

Ah, 1993! I was attending the University of Missouri-Columbia and found myself researching in both the university library and the computer lab. Well, to be honest, I was researching mostly in the library. At that time, our dormitory’s computer room had old IBM 3270 PCs (though the master computer lab on campus had more “modern” computers) that could be used to telnet to a Bulletin Board System (BBS) or use Internet Relay Chat (IRC). (For the uninitiated, a BBS was in many ways the precursor to what is now called the World Wide Web. IRC is real-time text messaging and chat that is still used over 20 years after its creation.)

At that time, Internet content was still in its relative infancy. Thus, going to the library and browsing through dusty tomes was still very much a necessity. But as personal computer storage and processing technology has exponentially grown, how we write, edit, and teach has also changed.

With two-terabyte hard drives now on our doorsteps, we can store the equivalent of an academic research library on our computers. As broadband and high-speed internet availability continues to grow worldwide, more people are able to access more data using the Internet than ever before.

What have these changes meant specifically for those who write, edit, and teach? Generally speaking, exponential technological growth not only has changed how writers, editors, and teachers around the world conduct research, but it also has changed what medium is used to conduct the tasks of their profession. Computers, word processors, and projectors have all brought changes to how people in those professions work; however, the Internet arguably has had and will continue to have just as big an impact.

Now don’t be deceived by this statement; millions of professionals still depend on reference books, red pens, and chalkboards to do their jobs. These materials still play an integral part in their professional lives. Yet every day, more people are using technology to learn skills, share information, and connect with people. It would be foolish to deny the slow shift in paradigm created by new technology.

For example, when I spent my time as a freelance English tutor in Spain, the academies I worked for had physical materials available for me to supplement my classes. Yet much of the material was stale and outdated; I would have been ignored by my students if I had used it because it wasn’t relevant. Instead, I used the Internet to my advantage. After determining the interests of my students, I was able to find useful and relevant material with a few keystrokes. That material was then used to supplement my own ideas and personality as a teacher, providing a richer and more interesting classroom experience.

An even more interesting example is supplied by shining a light on one of my current income sources—editing Web content. While editing used to mean going to the office to review and mark manuscripts, news articles, or research papers, now a significant amount of that material can be edited from home using a computer and an Internet connection. I’m able to log into a client’s Web mail, edit article submissions, and post them to an online blog, all from the comfort of my home. If there is a style issue that my Chicago Manual of Style doesn’t clearly address, I can dig around on the Internet for an answer.

There are other clues that professional paradigms are slowly changing due to technology and the Internet. Copyright infringement has become a much more publicized issue with the digital age. The world’s civilizations are becoming more connected. They’re sharing more ideas and information than ever. As more people are compelled to convert physical media into digital media and share it with others over the Internet, questions of rights ownership and legality are raised. Who owns a digital book, song, or game? Can copies be legally made? Is sending a copy of a digital book to a friend the same as loaning a physical copy to a friend?

Another clue that things are changing can be found by examining the journalism industry. As more people turn to the Internet as an outlet for free news that interests them most, the economic model that has long kept the newspaper business running becomes irrelevant. Investigative reporting and in-depth analysis in journalism is dying with the newspapers, no longer able to financially support that type of reporting. The news content and how it is written and edited has changed with the Internet, for better of for worse.

What else? Teachers now can give courses over the Internet, forcing many to rethink how new material is learned. Smaller publishing houses that can easily target niche markets using social networking tools are able to thrive in a publishing industry that took a big hit at the end of 2008. Content providers that can quickly produce and distribute written content on-demand are slowly pushing out those that can not or choose not to adapt.

All of these changes are a sure sign that how we approach our profession has changed. It will likely continue to change. But what are some of the roadblocks that we currently face? What challenges arise with the growing prevalence of technology and the Internet in our industries? In the second part of this article, I’ll address those questions and more as we take a look at the future challenges faced by writers, editors, and teachers. Stay tuned.

Experimenting with writing

December 29th, 2009 . Posted in Teaching and Tutoring, Writing | 2 Comments »
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summercamp

When writers, teachers, and students experiment with writing, new doorways to creativity and learning are opened.

One of the most influential teachers I had in grade school was also the most subtle. My high school English teacher, Mrs. Christiansen, was never blunt or demanding. Rather, she preferred to let the class assignments do most of the captaining while she gently steered the course along during the year.

One of her methods was to give assignments that tapped into little-used aspects of the English language. There was the five-word poem that forced the student to think about how words work together. And there was also adjective story time, an exercise that sought to teach adjective order and use. And then there were assignments that encouraged absurdity.

I loved (and still love) absurdity in writing. But the art of absurdity needs to be as subtle as Mrs. Christiansen’s teaching methods. Sure, you can write a story about purple rabbits that fall up every time they sit, belch toads, and eat computer mice with salsa. That story would be blatantly absurd and be much like using a tanker truck as a hammer for your home improvement project.

But combining serious elements with subtle absurdity can often be very powerful.

My senior high-school English teacher (her name eludes me at the moment) also had a knack for subtle absurdity in writing. Through the combination of absurdity and special writing assignments, the class turned into a fun learning center rather than a drab repetition room.

I used this technique at times with my Spanish-speaking students in Spain. Some people frowned when told about their class assignment, but most grudgingly took to it and eventually laughed, all while learning.

Realizing that I haven’t done something like this in a while, I posted a request on Facebook yesterday, asking my friends to post a verb that begins with the letter “k” and add a definition if necessary. I explained that I would write a short story the next day using all of the verbs. What I didn’t tell them is that I’d also use all submitters as characters in the story.

What follows is the story I wrote today. I’ve changed the names of all the characters to respect the privacy of my Facebook friends, but the verbs remain intact.

I encourage all teachers and writers to perform such exercises to not only expand vocabulary, but also flex creativity. It’s perfect for writers and teachers as well as students. Poems that focus on the letter “l”, monologues with verbs that contain the prefix “over” or “out”, or songs with the “sh” sound… these all bring about creativity and learning.

And now, the story…

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Who is your intended audience?

November 25th, 2009 . Posted in Writing | No Comments »
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audienceKnowing who your intended audience is — and understanding they way they think — can go a long ways towards creating useful directed content.

As I begin to write this, I realize that I have no idea who my actual audience is. That may sound a bit strange given the title of this post, but it’s actually somewhat normal for a new blogger to not have a full grasp of who’s reading, at least in the beginning.

However, I am fully aware of who my intended audience is. I set out writing this blog with the intention of supplying useful information to a group of writers, editors, and teachers that incorporate the Internet and technology into their profession. By choosing a specific audience before I started, I was able to direct my thoughts, energy, and writing style in a much more focused manner.

That’s not to say that only people from my intended audience will read this blog, but rather it’s the recognition that there will be a small subset of people most likely to take interest in what I write. Why should I pander to the masses when all that does is lessen the impact of your message?

So what are the advantages of applying the magnifying lens to what you write and discovering your intended audience? By choosing a target audience, you can narrow down the range of topics that you’ll be discussing.

That sounds like an intuitive approach; however, bloggers far too often spread themselves thin by ranging too far into topics that are generalized and weak in content. With a narrower range of topics, a blogger can focus more effort on those topics and provide content that’s fresh and interesting. As the Internal continually expands its buffet, laden with information, a more focused approach will yield results that stand out.

Let me use an analogy. Cookie Monster likes cookies. He likes big ones, small ones, cookies with chocolate chips, cookies with raisins, cookies with banana cream, cookies with caramel icing… the list goes on. Cookie Monster is not exactly a discerning creature of taste when it comes to cookies.

Now, I don’t know about you, but when it comes to making cookies, I don’t know much. The one delicious exception is peanut butter cookies. I make a mean peanut butter cookie, let me tell you. I don’t know much about all those other cookies, but I think I could get some recognition for those peanut-buttery morsels of goodness.

For that reason, I want to publicize my peanut butter cookies, giving people a chance to try them. Who is my intended audience? My audience will be people (or creatures) that like peanut butter cookies. While I expect peanut butter lovers the world over to flock to my creation, I may pick up a few extra fans on the way. The Cookie Monster, with his wide range of tastes, may very well take my cookies and enjoy them. But I’m not targeting Cookie Monsters. I’m targeting peanut butter cookie fans.

In this analogy, by focusing on the intended audience, real value is added to the topic. Sure, there may be only 4,000 fans instead of 40,000. However, those 4,000 fans are likely to be loyal and dedicated to the topic, one that interests them highly.

Before I close, I should note that this advice doesn’t insinuate that you should always write about what you know best. A writer can, with research and practice, target say… underwater basket weavers in the Maldives without previous experience on the topic.

While this runs contrary to what most bloggers suggest, it’s completely viable as long as your intended audience is designated beforehand. The writer may have a huge learning curve ahead, knowing little about underwater basket weaving in the Maldives. But with dedication, research, and a love for discovery, the writer may very well reach the goal of providing valuable and relevant content.

There are other considerations like word usage and style when targeting an audience. However, determining who you’re writing for is the key.

Documentation, documentation, documentation

November 11th, 2009 . Posted in Writing | No Comments »
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Documentation is vital.Documentation has come a long ways over the years, but its importance is still often overlooked.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized, “If I’m going to be sitting at my desk doing freelance work every day, then I want a comfortable chair.” So off I went to Office Depot to find something comfortable and inexpensive.

After getting it home, it was time to assemble it. I opened the box and separated the parts, finally giving the instructions a brief glance. About halfway through the ordeal, I realized that some of the screws were slightly longer than others. I rolled my eyes and looked again at the documentation, realizing that I had failed to note the difference, a difference that was clearly shown in the instructions.

I was impressed, not because I had failed to fully read the instructions, but because the documentation was clear and concise. Every part had its own letter assignment, and the diagrams of the screw sizes were to scale. If I had taken the time to read through the brief instructions in full, I would have probably saved five minutes of assembly time.

My experience was different than many others though. People have pulled hair out trying to put “peg A” into “adapter B” or have thrown a wrench through a window in a fit of assembly rage. Standup comics have created whole routines based on the trials and tribulations of horrible installation instructions. Yet, the art of documentation has made progress over the years, saving already balding people like myself a few extra hairs along the way.

Documentation is considered part of the field of information science. Documentation isn’t reserved only for instructions; it includes any academic or professional discipline that requires the clear and concise detailing of information. Educational training materials, scientific journals, and just about any book written require some level of documentation.

Documentation is important. In fact, there is a journal called the Journal of Documentation dedicated solely to the purpose of providing a voice for those dealing with recorded information. The editor, David Bawden, was asked how information research is benefited by “a historical perspective”, saying: “It helps us understand technological change. When a new technology such as the Internet comes along, you think that you need a new way of looking at it. But in fact a lot of the things that were said about printing in the 16th and 17th century are similar to what’s now being said about the Internet — that it is an isolating force, may provide poor quality and offensive material, and so forth. So a historical perspective reminds us of what is invariant over time, and provides us with a perspective to analyse.”

Maintaining perspective is often difficult to do in our fast-paced world. Technology becomes obsolete quickly, leaving many people out of touch when standards and practices change in an effort to keep up. But it’s important to keep in perspective the changes that have affected the process of not only documentation, but also the science that depends on it. While it’s easy to take documentation for granted, it’s difficult to deal with the consequences of poor documentation. Without proper documentation, we wouldn’t have safe medicines, functional software, or cable television.

So whether a new vaccine is being researched or a video game is being distributed to the masses, it’s important to remember the role that documentation — or the lack thereof — has had on our lives. Quality documentation means the new vaccine being tested will be handled properly; poor documentation means that video game you just bought will be more frustrating and difficult to grasp.

Writing every day is a challenge

October 28th, 2009 . Posted in Writing | No Comments »
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Writing daily takes effort.At an early age, I heard the choir preaching, and their message was “Write something every day and you’ll become a better writer.”

I think I first heard this sentiment when I was eight while handing in my writing assignment to my teacher. She cocked her head sideways—as she was wont to do—and continued to explain that better writing was not to be achieved with sheer luck; it took dedication with many errors along the way.

Now, some people in the education field will tell you that making mistakes is necessary and should be a natural part of learning. Folks from other camps claim that mistakes are bad in some forms of learning. I fall in a camp somewhere in between.

Depending on which aspect of writing you consider, knowing the right way may or may not be enough. The grammar aspect of writing certainly falls under the category of “knowing the right way is enough.” Yet, the complicated process of formulating intricate plots full of interesting characters in a work of fiction may lend itself to the “knowing the right way isn’t enough” school of thought. In other words, memorizing grammar rules and style books leaves little need for mistakes; writing an intriguing, well-crafted work of fiction may require many “mistakes” along the way.

As I grew older, I took to writing poetry, but I failed to heed the internal and external voices and only wrote when I felt inspired. I continue to be that way with poetry, not wanting to force words onto a surface without some sort of clear inspiration to the whole process. However, I will have to reconsider my philosophy.

You see, I’ve been forced to write or rewrite something for a freelance job every morning for the last three and a half weeks. Normally “morning” and “writing” would be far apart from each other in my mental calculation of what must be done on any given day; however, this job has forced me to cozy the two words up a little closer.

Now I dare say that the process of not only writing in the morning but also writing every day has changed the crazy little chemical cocktails in my brain. Although I had a strong English background before I started, remembering the finer nuances of whether that extra comma rule was from the AP Stylebook or the Chicago Manual of Style has really swished the old gray matter around. Switching between styles is difficult; doing it without mistakes is even more difficult.

However, writing every day has allowed me to see old habits I have learned, and sometimes those habits are ones I have to unlearn because I learned them incorrectly. Writing every day has also made me more self-conscious about not only my own writing but also the writing of others. I edit my and other people’s mistakes. I teach myself or other people about the mistakes.

Now please excuse me while my brain melts.

A global world and its holidays

October 16th, 2009 . Posted in Writing | No Comments »
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globalworldA global world isn’t complete without the appreciation of the importance of holidays.

As is often the case in our lives, we have difficulty appreciating something until we can understand it in personal terms that we can understand. For example, Person A and Person B want to learn more about Islam to better appreciate—or at least understand—the nuances of the religion. For Person A it may be sufficient to read a short synopsis of Islam and talk to a few practitioners of the religion. For Person B, it may take living in a predominately Islamic country and following the practices of the religion to make any sense out of it.

Well, in a similar frame, I didn’t really begin to appreciate the importance of a holiday to a country’s people until I began writing material for a company that sells international holiday calendars.

I began writing for aglobalworld.com last week, and so far it’s been enjoyable and informative. Their blog is host to a great number of holiday descriptions from all parts of the world.

However, on most occasions I’ve looked at a holiday as just another day off work and not much else. “Wow, cool! I don’t have to work on Holiday X!” I would exclaim, relieved to break free from some perceived grind of activity. The actual significance of Holiday X would be either lost on me or considered trite.

Yet researching the history and writing the details of holidays like Armistice Day in France, Mtskhetoba-Svetitskhovloba in Georgia, or Rectification Day in Burkina Faso has given me new eyes with which to behold holidays.

Maybe it was the discovery that millions of people died in a war likely started by an assassination. Or was it the massive cedar that grew out of a holy grave that supposedly had Christ’s robe clenched in the occupant’s hand? It could have been when I discovered one government figure was made a martyr by assassination while the potential assassin received a holiday in his name.

I’m not entirely sure which story, if any, has changed my mind about holidays. However, I’m certain that the process of researching and writing about them has given me a new perspective into why people celebrate public holidays and, as my boss at aglobalworld.com puts it, why they’re often the first thing agreed upon by new governments.

Here are some links to some recently written holiday descriptions:

Georgia’s Mtskhetoba-Svetitskhovloba Day

Yemen’s National Day

Burkina Faso’s Rectification Day

SEO to the rescue!

October 12th, 2009 . Posted in Web Content Creation | No Comments »
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What is SEO?SEO rescues many web content providers, but what is it?

I’ve learned far more about search engine optimization (SEO) than I ever could have imagined during the last week. In fact, I didn’t even know what SEO meant when I first ran across the term.

“Is this some sort of ranking position that reports to a CEO?” I pondered.

Apparently, SEO is the bread, butter, jelly, knife, spoon and plate of the online business world these days. In fact, SEO has been popular for many years now, but like so many things in the online world, I’m behind the times. I used to do basic web design and follow all the latest trends; however, I left that industry behind to learn more about teaching in a foreign country.

However, within the span of a week, I’ve managed to learn a lot about what SEO is and isn’t, and I feel like I have a mountain of information left to discover. While writing articles for BabyChums.com, creating backlinks for a realtor, and discussing an international planner with a business owner, SEO was always somehow involved.

Basically, SEO is the art of creating and optimizing web content so that it is reached by the largest, most appropriate audience possible, especially after a search query. The biggest player in the business is obviously Google. Most will in fact say that Google is King of Search Engines, and it’s likely true. (Some may question this supposition, just as some may doubt that Budweiser is “King of Beers”.)

As I dig deeper into the mystery that is SEO, I find that many people have tried and will continue to try increasingly elaborate schemes to ensure that their web material tops search engine queries. While some invest only modest time and effort into making their web content SEO-friendly, those who are serious about their content (i.e. those who have money on the brain) will go to an extreme to maximize the SEO friendliness of their web content.

After only a week on O-Desk, an online freelancer’s site, I’ve found out both how popular it is and how cheap it is. While perusing the “Writing and Translation” job section of the site, it’s difficult not to trip over all of the job postings asking for SEO-friendly writers for blogs, business sites and product reviewers. It also has its fair share of people asking for help with posting comments on blogs—comments that include linkbacks to the poster’s site.

What really strikes me is just how cheaply the work is being done in most cases. I’m already starting to feel fortunate making above 10 dollars an hour for what I do, especially when I see so many providers undercut the market and do similar work for close to one dollar an hour. Is this the true cost of getting web content at the top of a relevant (and sometimes irrelevant) search query?

For now, I’ll continue immersing myself in the theories of SEO, social networking and Web 2.0 and hope that in the end, I’ll make myself a more marketable, dynamic writer. If it doesn’t turn out, then I didn’t lose anything by trying.

And so my first writing assignment begins…

October 5th, 2009 . Posted in Writing | No Comments »
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babychums.comAnd with every first, there is the hope that it won’t be the last.

Today I started doing a bit of article writing for a web site called BabyChums.com. This is my first freelance job, so I’m pretty excited. I’m expected to write two or three articles a day, and complete the task in an hour. It’s going to be a little difficult at first as I’ve already found out that I tend to spend too much time researching leaving little time for writing. I can write two well-researched articles in an hour, but will have to work hard to get to three. Perhaps with time and as I grow more accustomed to the task, it will become a faster process. I’m going to try to do idea generation and research the day before to stay ahead of the curve.

Anyway, you can follow what I write here: http://www.babychums.com

And if you are an expectant mother, have children of your own, or are interested in topics like pregnancy, fertility, or child care, I recommend you peruse the site. And if you have any tips, stories, or topics you’d like to see written, let me know.

“No offense, but I’m looking for a female.”

October 4th, 2009 . Posted in Teaching and Tutoring | 2 Comments »
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Being a male tutor in the US can be difficultWorking as a male tutor in the US can be difficult sometimes.

Part of the beauty of traveling around the world is having the opportunity to experience different cultures and customs. While there are occasional pitfalls, the process of interacting with and learning about the cultures of other societies is a highly rewarding experience. Sometimes, however, these interactions act as a flashlight and bring about a real awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of a particular society.

Take, for example, a brief phone conversation I recently had. This morning I called a woman who had sent me an e-mail inquiring about my services as a tutor, a service I had advertised on Craigslist. (For context, I’m living in the United States in the city of Saint Louis.) In the e-mail, she explained that she was looking for a Spanish tutor for her four-year-old daughter. The phone conversation went something like this:

Me: Hello! Could I speak with (insert name)?
Her: That’s me.
Me: Yeah, my name is Shawn. You had sent me an e-mail through Craigslist inquiring about a Spanish tutor for your daughter.
Her: Oh! Well, uh… No offense, but I’m looking for a female. I’m sorry.
Me: Gotcha’. Thanks?

So how does this interaction shed light on a strength or weakness of a society? It doesn’t become clear until I compare this interaction with my experiences in Madrid, Spain.

I spent two years in Spain teaching English to people as young as six years old and as old as sixty years old, and I did so in a wide variety of environments. One of the most common environments to teach Spanish youth was and still is the bedroom. I remember feeling awkward and unsure the first few times I taught young students—especially females. The parents would think nothing of ushering me off into the bedroom of their son or daughter and closing the door afterwards. Opening the door again would more often than not surprisingly end with another solid closing by the parent minutes later.

After a few months, I realized there were fundamental differences in the levels of safety, security, and paranoia between Spaniards and Americans. Spaniards are overtly sociable; Americans are subtly reserved. Spaniards seem to feel safe in their homes; Americans often appear paranoid in their homes. Spaniards seem to trust adults in positions of authority to be around children; Americans seem to be wary of adults in positions of authority being around children.

Being a teacher or tutor is difficult. The experiences I had in Spain provided real awareness of how difficult it is to be a teacher or tutor in the United States. In the U.S., all it takes is one poorly worded statement or one misperceived action to get branded an awful teacher, or even worse, a sexual predator. That paranoia seemed significantly less prevalent—almost non-existent—in Spain.

And now, I have already experienced that reality of paranoia laced throughout the U.S. culture. This morning, my credentials meant nothing, and my gender meant everything.

So that is what it’s like to be discriminated against? While discrimination by ethnicity or gender is nothing new to the world, it still hurts when it happens to you. And I’m sure it won’t be the last time it occurs.

I’m chuckling while I type this because I realize that this experience also makes me more aware of the similarities that exist between cultures. Gender discrimination is one of those similarities; however, I get the feeling that it’s usually more subtle than “No offense, but…”

Online and Operational

September 25th, 2009 . Posted in Web Content Creation | No Comments »
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A few pulled hairs later and I’m ready to go with my online self-created content. The learning curve slowed me down a bit, but learning how to integrate some technologies with others has been strangely gratifying. I’ve felt fully immersed in my work the last three days, and my head feels full of new knowledge.

But my brain hurts at the moment. Enough words. It’s Friday evening. I need food and recreation, whatever that may be.

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