Writing Online

Michael Wesch, an assistant professor of cultural anthropology, has a fascinating, 4 1/2 minute video (Web 2.0 … The Web is Us/ing Us) on the influence of digital text, and thus, the web, on us, and vice versa (via jill/txt). In particular, the separation of content from form (i.e., the code, such as html and xml) has enabled easy web authoring, blogging, wikis, and other online writing tools. The video shows how it isn’t just information that is linked on the web, but people as they collaborate and link to one another. What does that mean with respect with differentiating between “real” and “virtual” reality, online and offline identity, authorship and copyright, …?

Problogger is a good source for down-to-earth information on writing and maintaining a blog. This recent post of his is titled “Understanding the rules of great content.” In breaking down blog writing, he gives his 1/9/90 rule, which is:

1% create content
9% enrich content
90% consume content

As he comments, it’s “unrealistic to believe that you’re going to create new stuff out of thin air — all the time.” But it is possible to be in the 9% that enrich content rather frequently, primarily by “providing a critical perspective and commentary to existing content.” And he gives 18 tips on how to do that. It’s worth reading.