Ch. 14 & 15

Ch.14

This is a very handy chapter. It helps to improve revision work. I personally have problems to revise my own writings. I miss some errors and imperfections. As chapter mentions, writer is so much adhere to his/her writing such that it is hard to find and correct problems. You read but don't see errors. Book's advice: put aside your writings, cool down, so your memory freshens up and then start revising. Also, if you are a reviewer, some tips from the book on promoting openness with a writer will be just helpful.

Ch.15

This chapter introduces a professional way of revising and testing drafts for usability and persuasiveness. It even describes a facility where testing is held. As an example the book describes how computer manuals are being tested for usability. Testers observe manual users, who represent the target audience, how they react for a specific task in manual, etc. So it helps to identify where manuals need some improvement. In other words, as in previous chapter, testers want to look at manuals from readers' point of view. This ensures successful testing.

Response to Inna's blog

Like Inna I have never paid much attention to the ethical part of the news. I myself thought that a news media (TV or newspaper) is a sport: whoever first to transmit the news is the best, leaving ethical factor behind. Now I realize how important is to comply with ethics, even if you loose business or it slows you down. I also amazed how Jesse is so much enjoying his job despite non-stop deadlines and stress. Also, I always thought that those journalists or reporters who stand in front of camera actually wrote their stories. Now I have an answer: there are invisible men inside the studio who produce most of that work and give it away so others could take advantage of it: sort of journalistic socialism...

Journalism

When I was in high school I dreamed to be a journalist. I even was published in the local newspaper called Communist. There was very little of communism in it. Paper was focused mostly on local news and events. After USSR collapsed they published mostly ads to make some money to survive. After the last class I realized how smart I was not to pursue career in journalism. There are few reasons for that. First of all, after I saw a REAL journalist I realized that to become one is not the same as to become an accountant or manager or even professor. You have to have a TALENT. Jesse Day seems to have one. Education on this matter is just a ticket to job market to show that you're educated. Second, it seems to be a pretty stressful job to live constantly on deadlines, especially for TV and broadcast journalists. That's a lot of pressure. So to be a journalist you really-really have to love this "sport".

Response to News blogs

For curiosity's sake I read most of the blogs about news. And it's not surprise to me that majority of students in our class have neutral if not some negative attitude toward news channels or news in general. Some watch news because they have nothing else to watch or they don't like news content or a reporter. Some feel that news are shallow or stuck to one big event and dance around it for a while until you got tired of it and switch a channel. Some students prefer to learn news from internet because it is more convenient. I agree with Inna that news nowadays are a bit depressing because there are more negative than positive information. I personally don't know anyone who would say that he enjoys so much watching news that he watches it all leisure time. News are not a pleasant thing, so TV stations put a lot of emphasis to make it like a show to attract viewers. As I said in my blog about news I prefer to watch news from outside to get more less objective picture of what is going on inside the country.

About NEWS

I grew up in the USSR, the country where 9pm news were equal to the show of national scale. The country was giving report to the people where it stands in terms of economics, politics, culture etc. Now I live in the US, however I prefer to watch news from Russia. My favorite channel is Russia Today( www.russiatoday.com). It is broadcasted in English directly from Moscow and it is designed for English speaking countries. This is 24/7 100% news. I like this channel because it gives more less unbiased information about what is happening in Russia and around the world. I also prefer to learn about what is going on in the US again from this channel, because I think local news feed people with information to keep everybody happy, not always giving them complete info.

Response to Freelance Writing blogs

I have read most of Freelance Writing blogs. I can say for sure almost all of us were unaware of this kind of niche in the market where you can write about anything you want and make an extra buck. I agree that many of us see this kind of work as a supplementary income, not a full time job. It makes sense . Any job that has high level of solicitation is low security job, because you never know what's gonna happen next month, if they take your work to publish or not. So, to become a full timer in freelance writing you really need to be known by publications in the way that they will be looking for you to give you an assignment. Otherwise, the fun sport of writing may turn to headache while trying to meet the ends with your hobby to write.

Thoughts on freelance writing

What is freelance writing? Someone might think of it as a hobby, who likes to put their thoughts together. For others it's another way to complement their income. Others see it as a full time job. When I think of freelance writing, freelance photography comes on my mind. I like to take pictures. Sometimes when I'm lucky to freeze a good moment I'd like to share it with others. But to show a picture is not enough, even if it is a good one. It is always good to accompany your work with a good message. I like Popular Photography and National Geographic magazines. I like to read articles written by freelance photographers+writers. They write about their trips to some exotic or dangerous places, accompanying writing with excellent photos. Or they share their experience on some technical aspects of photography. If I had to send an article to a magazine, I would write something about my home country. People like to read about other places. I myself like to read about remote regions. Here in the US we all live pretty much in a good comfort . To read and write about another comfort is kind of boring. So, I think to write and photograph other world is a good way to stand out and be accepted by editor.

Response to Sara Ross Ch 8 and 19

Sara is right about being careful using stereotypes. I know what it is since I work in multicultural environment. Sometimes people carelessly can make a comment about your skills or abilities mentioning your cultural background. This sounds very insulting. So, when communicating with co-workers from other cultures, I always avoid mentioning about their backgrounds. I try to sound neutral. I remember this from my International Management course. My instructor was from Argentina. He shared his experience managing multicultural teams. It is easy to ruin reputation with stereotypes but it is hard to rebuild trust again.

Chapter 8 and 19 reading

Ch.8

This chapter is really handy when it comes to writing styles. I found out that there are different styles that companies use in their environment. But what I discovered for myself is that bureaucratese style really exists. That is why some information is easily understood and other I have to read 3 or more times to get an idea what they want from me. Interestingly, in some companies they practice bureaucratic style on purpose. But it is a great idea to pass the law to use plain English in government documents to avoid confusion. America is the country of immigrants, so it is important to use simple language when you write instructions, emails, directions etc. Another valuable advice is to keep in mind cultural factor. The writing voice we use here may sound offensive and rude in other cultures. So, it is good idea to consult with someone who is familiar with particular culture you are dealing with.

Ch.19

This chapter talks about managing client's projects. We know how to use reader-centered approach. Now we can rephrase it: client-centered approach. It is important to understand client's needs and communicate with the client throughout the project. Also, working on the project, we also must learn about client's target audience. It will ensure better outcome. The last guideline tells how to deliver the final product. Usually we follow up by sending a letter or instructions how to use product. Or we could provide some information on software that was used to develop client's product etc. We need to use some level of creativity to keep a good relationships with the clients.