Archive for the ‘Writing/Publishing’ Category
Reliable sources. And not-so-reliable
After my comments this week about the need usefulness for ‘new media’ operators to have or develop a ‘traditional’ media sensibility, I pulled out my copy of Salisbury’s Without Fear or Favor and reacquainted myself with this great book about the NY Times. It’s like everything: Where you put your focus is where you produce […]
Just because it is brilliant …
I was browsing an old discussion thread at PropertyTalk Internet Marketing Consultants – suddenly there are so many…. to check when I first expressed, let’s call it ‘skepticism’ about Shaun Stenning/Geekversity (Answer: June 2009) … since I mentioned that here when discussing how his ex-business partners are NOW blowing the whistle on him. It was […]
Taking criticism hard
A while ago, in follow up comments to a post A tale of woe … or fevered imagination?, I quoted Lemony Snickett about how reading bad news is the worst way to get it. Here’s a similar thought from The Guardian‘s Jean Hannah Edelstein about why bad reviews rankle writers far more that good reviews […]
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams
from Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by William Butler Yeats Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only […]
Honest opinion
A brief extract from Bevan Marten’s thesis ‘A FAIRLY GENUINE COMMENT ON HONEST OPINION IN NEW ZEALAND’ … (Victoria University) [PDF 400k] III UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES Common to all such jurisdictions is the major tension in the law of defamation between freedom of expression and the individual’s right to reputation. The defence of honest opinion holds […]
Harvesting the ‘wisdom of the crowd’
I know I knock Wikipedia a little bit … but it is inescapable, whether it is completely ‘trustworthy’ or not. I go there all the time — and reference it. (It’s also top-of-the-pops in search results.) I listened to this fascinating BBC documentary ‘Wikipedia at 10‘ when it first came out earlier this year, and again […]
Nice logo, nice sentiment
This design appeals to me. Simple. Unified. Consistent. Good. I like it. And here’s their associated tagline which I like too … although I probably read something else into ‘media freedom‘ given my background — more John Pilger/Amnesty International/WikiLeaks than TV shows over wifi, huh? – P
The sort of spruiker who gives spruikers a bad name
My hero Neil Jenman shares his experience with an Australian spruiker … Interesting about the tie-up between Steven Fagan, his book ‘Accidental Millionaire’ and Carly Crutchfield. Have a read: Nick and Wendy are a delightful young couple. In 2004, after advice from Fagan’s property group, they purchased an apartment in the western Sydney suburb of […]
PropertyTalk, public criticism and the public good
An interesting discussion has started about discussion forum PropertyTalk in the comments thread of my post about Linking to sources and the Sean Wood case study. Two of my favourite PropertyTalk (ex) posters poormastery and exnzpat kicked it off last night in response to comments from Perry … with some pretty strong opinions… PT moderator […]
Linking to sources — why it’s vital for credibility (Case study: property spruiker Sean Wood)
I read a really interesting article I read this morning on The Guardian’s Comment is free website: ‘A case of never letting the source spoil a good story’ subtitle: Perhaps it’s too embarrassing for some writers to risk linking to primary sources that readers can check for themselves Wherein Ben Goldacre concludes: But more than […]
Anyone could be a critic …
In the spirit of my recent post ‘Why am I doing this? Muckraking?‘ is this very worthwhile and thoughtful piece in the NY Times from Frank Rich: Confessions of a Recovering Op-Ed Columnist … For me, anyway, the point of opinion writing is less to try to shape events, a presumptuous and foolhardy ambition at […]
Why am I doing this? Muckraking?
Remember Cactus Kate’s description of blogging as “an utterly useless waste of a person’s time” (Soooo well put, Kate!) But her comment, of course, fits into Jonathan Swift’s self-aware description of satire … Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own, which is the chief reason for […]
OK. So some impersonation is acceptable, even useful
I know I sometimes rail against online impersonation and sock-puppets being used for foul and dishonest purposes (case in point: Anonymous comment vs IMPERSONATION and yesterday’s post about Aaron Barr of HBGary Federal‘s dastardly scheme.) But there are exceptions (besides Fake Steve Jobs). From The Atlantic‘s Alexis Madrigal: Revealing the Man Behind @MayorEmanuel Feb 28 […]
