washwords

I just finished reading The 10 Major Newspapers That Will Either Fold or Go Digital Next – TIME.

Sigh. Time isn’t missing the irony that I read this on its Web site. It linked me here  –How to Save Your Newspaper – TIME — next, in double irony, a story about, among other things, the danger of hyperlink to the print-based world of yore.

Why does it matter? Aren’t I the exact example of someone who consumes news/info/WORDS online and loves it – quicker, faster, sleeker? Yes.

And yet…

I will NEVER buy a Kindle. Nev. er.

I hate the idea of them (sorry amazon), the idea of not being able to pick up my dad’s college copy of Emerson when I study Transcendalists in college, reading and writing over, around, and alongside the notes he took. Handing off my favorite childhood book to a new kid friend. In the same way, I would never advise fellow writers or readers to edit anything be it a two line blog post or a dissertation online only. You must read the printed word. Outloud preferably.

In the above article, Isaacson mentions, that actually the problem is not readers.

There is, however, a striking and somewhat odd fact about this crisis. Newspapers have more readers than ever. Their content, as well as that of newsmagazines and other producers of traditional journalism, is more popular than ever — even (in fact, especially) among young people.

The problem is that fewer of these consumers are paying. Instead, news organizations are merrily giving away their news.

Giving. It. Away.

Why does it matter, to me, personally? Sure, because I have friends hurt directly and friends of friends. And more, because I love this former profession, still vocation, deep in my heart and my soul.

Maybe you do, too. Maybe you don’t.

The tension between the business and the news of journalism has always existed. But, in its simplest form, you can’t have one without the other. This online addict will be resubscribing to some of my favorite publications in the next few days. Just don’t use my checks to create newspaper kindles… please?

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Thanks everyone for your thoughtful comments on all sides of the to anon or not to anon issue. I agree with… well… all of you on the reasons to and not to come out of the bloggycloset. I’m still mulling it, but one of the things I’ve had in the back of my mind is that for those who WANT to find me, it’s not that tough. In fact a little less tough then I realized when a certain (old media) blog directory listed Washwords in its newfangled blog directory, much to my delight, and then… MUCH TO MY HORROR!!!!!, my full name alongside it. No worries, thought I, I’ll just use this handy-dandy “click here to email” mistakes thingy – but Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, so maybe there’s 12. Or 13. But man alive, there’s a lot of cool stuff out there on the Interweb. (and a few non-web goodies thrown in for good measure too). Oh, and first of all, you are using firefox, right? Umm go get it. And you know that you can use tabs to open multiple sites at a time right? And you know that you can simply drag any one of them there tabs right up to your “bookmarks toolbar” where it’s there ready and waiting for you to click, click, click away. Oh boy, we have a lot to cover.

Full disclosure, this is mostly for my fellow blogger buds out there, but, in my typical style not wonkish enough for those of you who REALLY know anything about technology. Still stick around. I’m learning something everyday in this brave new world. Hope you will too!

In no particular order,some of the cooool things I’m using: Read the rest of this entry »