11 Related George Orwell Article

I mentioned George Orwell’s unfortunately titled article, “Politics and the English Language” above, but forgot to link it. Here is [url=“http://www.actsofvolition.com/index.cfm?section=board&id=322”]my overview and link to the article[/url].

posted at 10:07 pm on August 15, 2002 by Steven Garrity

12 oops

perhaps I should be doing some omitting right now… a robot ate my link the above post (which is why previews are great on forms). Here’s the link:

http://www.actsofvolition.com/index.cfm?section=board&id=322

posted at 10:08 pm on August 15, 2002 by Steven Garrity

13 the nuances that make it work

The most authoritative instructional guide to blogging that I have read, because it emphasizes the importance of

1) maintaining rewarding relationships with an audience through the living web. It is true that the audience deserves more than drivel and should never suffer betrayal. Too often writers disappear and accordingly kill their readers, too.

2) maintaining an important relationship to one’s self as a writer by writing often to gain agility and by linking to previous posts to inspect progress and admit failure.

These two two concepts are basic instructions that a newbie like me never got. Thanks.

posted at 10:24 pm on August 15, 2002 by erin

14 Engineered Conflict

I wonder if Greg Jorgensen post above is using more than one tip from the article, namely numbers 3 AND 5.

posted at 11:21 pm on August 15, 2002 by MrNonchalant

15 Jorgensen was correct

I agree wholeheartedly. The author of this piece rambled, and used what Strunk and White would have termed ‘weak language’. Or was that Steven King? No matter. Jorgensen hit it on the head.

However, this writer did give me an AHA moment. He says “Seeking to exchange links without ideas is vulgarly known as blogrolling.” Thank you! Well said. I new there was a difference between good linking and blogrolling (I use harsher language on my own site) but it’s the best definition I’ve heard. It should be set in bold type!

This article made sense, not as tightly written as a similar bit by Dennis Mahoney, but then, few write like Mahoney. (Mahoney made me so disgusted with my own writing I quit for 5 months)

posted at 12:29 am on August 16, 2002 by Ray

16 Topical archives sound good.

The thing that really stood out for me in the article was the comment about topical archives. I am currently using a chronological index but I am now inspired to implement a topical index as well.

I’ve just looked at the archive page for ala and noticed that they have a drop down topic selector that looks pretty cool. It certainly helps when you want to find several articles to look at rather than just look for a specific article.

Summation: topical archives are a good thing.

posted at 05:42 am on August 16, 2002 by BenM

17 Jorgensen Gets a Nod

Nice to see a good guide to blogging, but as Jorgensen points out: too heavy. The writer’s passion about good writing causes him to lose sight of the strength of brevity and forcefulness.
I disagree about sex – everything you send on the Internet, whether Web traffic, e-mail, or ICQ chat, is recorded for later retrieval. Ten years from now you might be pursuing a job and not feel very good about a potential employer doing a search and pulling up your “night of the wet juices” piece. It also depends on what kind of journalism or experimental writing you are trying to master. I also dislike the “sex sells” message that, while true, is not necessarily in accord with the “be true to yourself” dictum.
Lastly, everything a decent writer spins should be correct with respect to grammar, punctuation, and style. There are no valid excuses for typos. I fail to understand why so many people regard the Web as a magic place in which the errors that would be impermissible in print are suddenly unleashed on a reading public. If you make lots of typos, practice typing. If your spelling is bad, study orthography. And read a style guide every now and then. I wouldn’t weasel on this one but I expect that the idea was to encourage writers to write and reduce the intimidation factor. Frankly, based on the number of “Here’s what I ate for breakfast” blogs out there, I wish more people WERE intimidated.
Thanks for a good blog.

posted at 09:38 am on August 16, 2002 by The Raven

18 A wake up call

Yeah, a great read which I think was needed to many, myself including, as a wakeup on the reality of bad writing.

I was an A grader in English at college, but I took a technical line as a carrer path and haven’t written for a while. I was rusty and really feel like my weblog has re-opened a door I was looking to open for a long time. It’s allowed me to write again, and not just for my own viewing. The article has great pointers I shall take heed of in my future writings.

Great!

posted at 09:35 am on August 17, 2002 by Jon

19 revealing all, getting personal is very difficult

My goal as a writer is a connection with passion, to make a change, as put by A List Apart : “Undressing, literally (no way..) , figuratively, or emotionally, has always been a powerful force in personal sites and web logs. Pictures don’t matter in the long run; what matters is the trajectory of your relationship with the reader, the gradual growth of intimacy and knowledge between you…” To me, this is very difficult, as you can tell by my Dog News log. The desire to remain anonymous overpowers my writing style. I have a fear of disclosure. Your tips are invaluable; I have a long, long ways to go.

Perhaps the most important thing is to have integrity, to be as honest as you can in your writing. Try to document every thing you write. I find I make mistakes and I am willing to correct them. It’s important to always go back and rethink an issue. Knowledge is power; that’s what writing exposes for others: links, resources, information and the power to unite behind a cause.

posted at 11:53 am on August 17, 2002 by

20 revealing all, getting personal is very difficult

My goal as a writer is a connection with passion, to make a change, as put by A List Apart : “Undressing, literally (no way..) , figuratively, or emotionally, has always been a powerful force in personal sites and web logs. Pictures don’t matter in the long run; what matters is the trajectory of your relationship with the reader, the gradual growth of intimacy and knowledge between you…” To me, this is very difficult, as you can tell by my Dog News log. The desire to remain anonymous overpowers my writing style. I have a fear of disclosure. Your tips are invaluable; I have a long, long ways to go.

Perhaps the most important thing is to have integrity, to be as honest as you can in your writing. Try to document every thing you write. I find I make mistakes and I am willing to correct them. It’s important to always go back and rethink an issue. Knowledge is power; that’s what writing exposes for others: links, resources, information and the power to unite behind a cause.

posted at 11:53 am on August 17, 2002 by