Connecting Librarian

I have learnt a lot about writing in the nearly 3 years that I have been blogging, much of which I haven’t realised until I started writing for other avenues.

I am in the process of finishing up one conference paper, reviewing a journal article on the basis of peer review and researching for another conference paper. Both conference papers have to be submitted for publication in the proceedings, so a full paper is required.

Lesson number 1 - writing is not as easy as it may seem. Or rather, good writing isn’t. I have come to the conclusion that I need to be inspired, or at least greatly motivated to be able to write half-way decently. Which probably explains why my blogging tends to be sporadic, rather than regular posts, as I am not always motivated to write.

Lesson number 2 - I can write when the pressure is on, but generally its not very good. Point in case, the paper I am polishing now I had trouble starting, but I got it down. When I went back to review it, I was amazed to see how bad it was - of course, I went back to in a time of motivation, so I was seeing it through more creative and critical eyes.

Lesson number 3 - good writing will take you over. When I feel like writing, I will write everywhere. So not only am I working on those three things, but I’m blogging here and I will be going off to post on some other blogs as well, with items that have been sitting in my to-do pile for a while.

© 2008 Digital Inspiration

Lesson number 4 - I can be as temperamental as any artist. Writer’s block seems to happen for me on a regular basis and in those times (with arm across forehead and dramatic flair) I just can’t work!

Lesson number 5 - Distractions are a problem only if my writing motivation is lacking. If I’m having trouble writing, then anything will distract me, but television and a book - any book, are key distractors. When I’m motivated, nothing will distract me, in fact it will be hard to keep me away from the computer.

Lesson number 6 - I create best on computer. I learnt to touch type in high school, one of the best skills I ever learned. Now, all those decades later and still with a healthy typing speed, I find I write better with the keyboard than with pen and paper. My fingers type well with the thoughts flowing through my head and they don’t get as tired as they do if I am writing the same amount with pen and paper.

Lesson number 7 - I review better on paper. Again back to the paper I am polishing. It was created on computer, but when I went back to re-read it, I was better able to do so on paper. Then out came the red pen and I went to town on it. Don’t know why that is, but that’s the way it is.

Lesson number 8 - I have to believe that what I am writing will be good. I can put out some good content, not from the very word go obviously, but I can get down what I want to say in a way that people call relate to. Not that I am anywhere in the same league as great authors, in either the wider publishing world or even the library publishing sphere, but unless I believe that I can communicate in a way that people will be engaged by, then its not going to happen at all.

Lesson 9 - I am enjoying writing more than I thought I would. Despite the anxiety caused by writer’s block and fast approaching deadlines, when the mood takes me I really enjoy putting my hands to the keyboard and creating content. Not that I think I would ever make a career out of it, but rather it gives me the ability to express my passion for what I am doing and to share that with an audience who hopefully relates to it.

Lesson number 10 - there will be many more lessons as I continue to learn about writing. I am very fortunate to have a range of opportunities to hone my craft. As I continue to look for and take up these opportunities and learn from my experiences and those of others, my writing will continue.

So these are my learnt on the fly lessons. Would love to hear of your writing experiences and other lessons you have learnt. By doing so, you help me with lesson 10! Thanks!

Andy is Senior Product Manager for Online Communities at National Public Radio and was a last minute replacement for the scheduled speaker who was unable to attend. His powerpoint slides are available at http://www.andycarvin.com/complibraries.ppt.

If you wanted to produce content for a mass audience you needed to be a publisher, broadcaster, billboard owner, sky writer or guy holding a sign up at a televised event. Enter Web 1.0 (40 years ago!), but producers still needed HTML, programming and graphic design skills, hosting ability and promotion mechanisms.

Today= Web2.0. New online software in late 1990s allowing people to focus on the content, rather than the technical know-how. A mass democratization of content with a common thread of online communities where people are actively encouraged to use and share each other’s original content.

Content Production: all the cool kids are doing it. Young people are more likely to post content, although race, income and education are less of a factor. Shared stats from Pew which were blogged yesterday! Web 2.0 Universe is changing so quickly, so the slide of things happening is already out of date as new tools are developing almost daily.

Most famous example are blogs - began as geek personal homepages. Blogging software has made it easier for anyone to do it - like me! Fill out a form publishing, with the result of 60-100 million blogs online, Andy thinks thats conservative. Guestimate that there are more bloggers in China than there are English bloggers worldwide.

Media hates bloggers! Cant trust citizen journalists to get the story right, they have biases, a mob mentality and more. Bloggers don’t trust big media, claim they’re unbiased - right!, dominated by soundbites, don’t respect the public’s intelligence and pandering to lowest common denominator. Happy Internet - concerted efforts at finding understanding between the media and the blogosphere. Media/blog collaboration now more common, with a greater emphasis on networked journalism, finding ways for the media to work with “The people formerly known as the audience”. (Jay Rosen)

Why do Media outlets embrace 2.0 - improving journalistic transparency, creating a public dialogue, tapping into public knowledge and creativity, new collaborative opportunities with affiliates and maybe its profitable too?

At NPR have been involved in Open Piloting. They invite the public to help create new broadcast programming, sharing rough drafts of shows before they’re ready for prime time. A focus group concept, but everyone’s welcome. Examples - Rough Cuts - Tell me more, Bryant Park. Aim to make better programming that better meets their listeners needs. Would put podcasts of pilots up for people to listen, sometimes several options and invite them to discuss the good, the bad, the better options, which they have been contributing to.

Radio Open Source - www.radioopensource.org. Blog with a radio show. Not about open source software. Website with blog supporting the development and continued improvement of shows broadcast. Opens editorial process to the public, users recommend guests and questions and participate on-air. Hosts online debriefs after shows.

BBC Have your say. Centralized forum for discussing news, only select stories covered, highlights user comments at the top of the page. CNN iReport citizen journalism project, with users asked to submit photos, video for specific stories, very best clips are included online other are archived in a gallery. Published early video from VT shooting. USA Today embedding social networking across site, not just in one section, users can comment on any story, comments featured throughout the website and are now syndicating blogs from around the world. Irony that users were using the new social networking features to complain about the change to the new social networking features.

Ohmynews - Korean online news service, publishes in Korean, English and Japanese, dedicates 20% of its space to citizen journalists and invites content submission as volunteers, those that submit consistently get paid. Global Voices Online (Harvard), international news media service using bridge bloggers - Reuters are working with them to get content from places that they don’t have news outlets. Many more examples including New Assignment.Net, VoteGuide and Minnesota E-Debate, H2OTown.