genre: a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.
The article, Blogging as a Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog," raises some interesting issues concerned with the blogosphere. Firstly, besides for Rebecca Blood's The Weblog Handbook, this is the first in depth, academic analysis of blogging that I've seen so far. The article also provides an insight into the extent of blogging simply by classifying the movement as a genre. I prefer to call the "phenomenon" a movement because of the momentum it has gained in the past few years.
I found the article interesting because of an approach to blogging that I found unique. The authors compare the rise of blogging to Darwinism because the movement is constantly evolving and dividing itself into subgenres. From a list of annotated links to microniched focused entries, blogging has come a long way to become a part of every day living for an increasing number of people. The authors say, "because blogs appeared so suddenly and so recently, and because evidence about them and those who use them is so available, we have an unusual opportunity to study the evolution of a genre. In this case we can examine [...] the development of a new genre, rather than the process of adaptive transformation." In other words it is possible to observe and trace the development of the genre in real time, i.e., as it develops, rather than research buried archives.
Miller and Shepherd go on to explain the motives behind blogging, and boil them down to the following: "self-clarification, social validation, relationship development, and social control." Considering that most blogs are open to the public eye, it is a natural assumption that posts are being published to cater to an audience. After all, why spend so much time writing and publishing if there's no one around to read it? Does that mean that bloggers are self absorbed? Not really - this just means that they're using a non traditional medium to communicate with the world to achieve the same ends that "traditional" writers did. As they conclude, "the blog-as-genre is a contemporary contribution to the art of the self."
"Yes we are all finding our voices now, suddenly everyone has an opinion. Everyone thinks he/she should be involved. Talking to all the volunteers in the cities we’ve been to really gives you a push. There was an article before the war, I think by makiya but I am not sure, saying that Iraqis after all this time have been depoliticized. You wouldn’t think so after walking in the streets these days. The people we deal with are my age or younger, we are not apathetic about the politics of this country. The University of Baghdad will be a very interesting place to be in these days."~ Dear Raed.
The quote above is from a particularly lenghty entry that explores the involvement of the Iraqi youth in the midst of all the chaos that was bombarded on them. Infact, Dear Raed is a blog maintained by an Iraqi youth who documented the movement of the U.S. armies during the recent war against Saddam Hussain. The entries are interesting, and sometimes very solemn and moving.
A quick google search lets you know of the extreme popularity of this blogs activities. Given the depth and clarity of Salam's posting, it's hardly surprising that his blog built a huge fan following during the war. The reverence is flabbergasting. Some of the blogs that come across as die hard followers are:
Around March 24, 2004 the blog was rendered inactive because Baghdad lost power and the telephone lines were knocked out, which raised questions of the blog's legitimacy. I'm hard pressed to say that the blogger is/was genuine because BBC, one of my favorite news sites, published a celebratory article to announce his return from the "hiatus" (along with the other bloggers listed above).
If you haven't seen it, then I strongly recommend taking a look at the Dear Raed posts and archives. It's amazing how one blogger was able to provide the world with the progression of the war in real time from the eyes of a local.
This post is a collection of all the other posts that will be compiled together as a part of my portfolio.
Panel Discussions
Reading Reflections
Wildcard
Rebecca Blood, Crawford Killian, and Jonathan and Lisa Price seem to send the same message through their books: good writing is concise writing, and presentation matters. However, you can tabulate, chunk, and bullet your text to your heart's content, but if it loses it's clarity at any point, people are going to stop reading it. And you thought writing was easy? At some point I'm going to write about how I really feel about tailoring text for an audience, but for now I'll delve into what I've gleaned from Killian.
The problem with passive voice is that it tends to drone on because it can get too wordy. However, the active voice is, well, active. It involves the reader because of the continuous action, for example
Passive voice: The ball was thrown by Tom.
Active voice: Tom threw the ball.
The active voice maintains the emphasis on the verb instead of changing it to a noun. Notice also how the active voice gets to the point without wasting any time at all.
If someone has to run to the dictionary after every second word you've written then they're simply going to stop reading. Good writing does not equate to words with seven syllables or more. Jargon is also another warning sign to watch out for, because it's limited to people working in a specific field. For example, did you know that the exterior of a building is known as its "facade"?
A cliche is a phrase that was once new, but got repeated so often that it eventually lost its meaning. Examples of cliches to avoid would be:
1) Proverbs - Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
2) Slangs - "That totally rocks dude!"
3) Psychobabble - Words and phrases like "self-actualizing, holistic, meaningful, one dat at a time, and wellness," (Killian 44).
Simply defined, a verb is a doing word. It defines action. Verbs animate and breathe life into almost any form of writing. A bad example of verb usage would be to say, "Try and run across the field." It sounds much better when it's said simply as "Run across the field." The emphasis here is on the verb "run," and the second example does a much better job of maintaining it without being too wordy.
English is an extremely entertaining language. Did you know that a hoagie in PA is a grinder in CT and a sub in NY? I didn't until I watched the Food Network. It's important to be tuned into the dialect of the area you're writing from, especially if the locals will form the majority of your readership. People like to feel connected with what they read.
I recently read Chris Ulicne's post on blog ettiquette, and I've been inspired to reiterate it here. I've been leafing through Rebecca Blood's Weblog Handbook, and she says, "most of these [blogging] rules seem like common sense, but I have seen them broken often enough that I think they are worth mentioning," (103). I concur. Often times web authors feel that since its their weblog in their space, the freedom of speech should tag along naturally. There's nothing wrong with that viewpoint, but indulging in libel or slander is crossing one line too many. Etiquette and maturity aren't exclusive to academic circles.
Acceptable Behavior - The Do's of Weblogging
Warning Signs - The Dont's and Unthinkables
I've just finished reading "Shorten That Text!" in Jonathan & Lisa Price's book, Hot Text, and I have to say, they had me sold at "shorten." People who know me and have been reading my work online know well enough that I'm a die hard minimalist. If something can be said in two words, I rarely use an entire sentence to communicate my thought. I've been practicing minimalism for so long that people now wonder why I never talk at social gatherings. It's just an unfortunate consequence - my lips are sealed shut. I digress. On to the readings.
Price recommends reducing the number of words we would normally use in online writing by half. According to him, "people use text, to put off reading," (86). People also tend to ignore distractors. I think this is a valid statement, because a significant component of our communication is visual. If the path between the reader and the text is cluttered with pop-up ads, unnecessary "plugs," and incessant text, people aren't going to read it. This would defy the entire purpose of writing online, because you're aiming to build an audience through your writing. Honestly, no one wants to sit through anything - text or speech - that drones on. Your readers have the option to click on something else if the first sentence doesn't grab their attention.
While you're keeping the distractors away, think about chunking your paragraphs into 2 or 3 lines each. The easiest way to get around to accomplishing tighter text is to revise and rewrite. Read your sentences out loud - chances are you'll have to cut out the portions that read like you have marbles in your mouth. By the same token, be careful about cutting too much out of your work. If a key issue is too wordy, then rewrite it. There's no point sacrificing the essence of your thought at the cost of fewer words.
To quickly summarise the rest of the chapter:
When I first heard of Wikis, aside from not knowing what they were, I thought they were probably something like Internet information fairies. Why? Just because "wiki" is such a fun word. Turns out, I didn't land too far away from what my initial perception was. Heck, they aren't fairies by any means.
I was very surprised (pleasantly, I might add) to discover that wiki's can be navigated with a lot of ease. When I first visited Wikipedia, I was somewhat overwhelmed by the layout of the page. I think there are far too many distractors on the main page to allow the eye to linger on any one given topic. However, all said and done, I'm beginning to think that Wikipedia might just be a boon to online researchers, mainly because the pages are updated continuously by people who hopefully know what they're really talking about. In other words, they're peer reviewed. Moreover, it is much easier to search on Wiki's as compared to Google, because the searches are aren't based on web sited being "bombed." Over here, quality as opposed to quantity is what really matters.
The most attractive component with wikis, as far as I'm concerned, is the ability to link to other pages without endless research and navigation. Two square brackets are the difference between a linked post and a dead one. Definitely takes the toil and sweat out of blogging. Not surprisingly, wikis come pre-packaged with their own brand of jargon that sound like a cross between the internet and Harry Potter. That's right - we now have WikiGnomes, WikiFairies (there they are again!), and WikiGremlins. For their definitions, take a look at Mike Iorio's blog. Don't be surprised if you see little green men running around with tiki torches trying to chase bugs out of the "lawn"!
Pundit is the Hindi word (actually, probably Sanskrit) meaning "priest." It is also equivalent to the word doctor (as used in academic circles) to denote an individual highly learned and proficient in his/her field of study. In the blogosphere, pundit blogs are usually maintained by people who like to set the political world right. In other words, those who are trained to recognize real news and know a tad bit more about the topic at hand than Average Joe. I'd like to think, however, that the realm of the pundit blogs isn't necessarily limited to politics. I've read a number of blogs out there that initiate long, insightful, and well researched conversations, only to share information and educate readers. Moreover, they discuss a plethora of topics around, e.g. art, architecture, food, culture and the like.
Edu-blogs on the other hand deal with education for the most part. As Chris says on his post, "their purpose is to aid in education, not simply discuss the topic of education itself." Since edu-blogs are authored by educators for the most part, it's refreshing to see posts that are angst free and don't view education as part of "the establishment." Either ways, it is very obvious that these authors have a firm grip on their specialties and reality. As a result, they are fast being accepted as authoritative voices online.
I've switched the form slightly for this post, because I wanted to present the various blogs that I stumbled across and the list grew too long to include them in text. I thought a categorised list might be much more helpful and easier to navigate. For more on Pundit & Edu-Blogs, read Chris's post (here). While you're at it, go ahead and take a look at How To Write Like A Pundit on O'Reilly's Developer Blogs.
Pundit & Culture Blogs
Edu-Blogs
As the semester rolls on, I've come to realise more and more how I can manipulate blogging to my favor. Academically speaking ofcourse. I think my blog is a wonderful platform to develop my portfolio. It's wonderful that blogging has begun to prod many more people into practicing their writing skills regularly. That's right - you're writing. Like it or not, it's going to make a better writer out of you. It's not just about writing skills, it's also about communication skills. Think of it as writing an academic paper, only with lots more fun attached. You don't have to adhere to any rules, save for citing your sources, and providing links. And if you're in Dr. Jerz's class, they better be well researched links.
An unanticipated, yet very pleasing consequence of blogging is networking. Honestly, I don't think we're taught enough about the importance of networking in college. Someday, I should blog my "How I Heard About Seton Hill" story. Would you believe it was a result of blog networking? You're not just publishing posts out there - in time, you're linking to other bloggers, and developing and maintaining relationships.
A significant component of maintaining these relationships is following a basic code of ethics, which basically amounts to:
For more information, visit Amanda Cochran's blog (here). She's done a fantastic job of pulling together academic guidelines.
Perhaps the most intriguing issue related with Interactive Fiction(IF) is that of space. Where does it exist? Ofcourse the obvious answer would be "uploaded on a program," but lets think about the deeper aspect for a moment. Really, where does it exist? How do text games define our concept of space and reality? We're in there, playing characters, completely absorbed and oblivious to world (okay, I am), and in the case of Photopia, bouncing around from "space" to "space" in a non-linear world. Where does the book start from? Do stories really have to be read from beginning to end? More importantly, does anything really exist? I've been hooked on IF purely because of its non-traditional outlook on the much repeated story. It doesnt have to start at the beginning...it doesnt have to sacrifice the story elements to be a great narrative.
One of my favourite IF pieces is one written by my friend Chris (see here), where he experiments with history. This is the beauty of it. It allows a user to ponder over the "what if" question, and recreate history the way s/he saw it happen. It's also a great platform for developing critical thinking skills. When was the last time you walked away from an IF game just because you couldnt figure out what direction to move towards? It makes great readers out of people, simply because they have to notice the minute details. Which, I think, ties into the overall issue of space once again. The user struggles with space to understand how and where every detail needs to be placed, and whether its relevant to the story or not. Keep playing these games for a while, and I guarantee that not much from your surroundings will escape your eyes. The only forseable problem is thinking of the word "if" as an Interactive Fiction reference every time it appears.
For more on IF from the class bloggers, see Moira Richardson, Simon Andrews, and Dr. Jerz's guide to playing, studying and writing IF.