The Mothership

Who said we should never judge a book by its cover.

I always judge a book by its cover, and so far- this has served me relatively well. I mean a pink cover with girly swirls and elegant writing implies romance. A dreary, dark, blood red title can usually mean a a thriller. Judging a book by its cover is what we all do as human beings, metaphorically and literally.

But a site called good reads.com is a place where avid readers can now use as a means of book selection. 

To me, this is something of a godsend as I have spent many hours at the library, trawling through aisle after aisle anxiously deciding which book to choose and have wasted precious brain pattern on books that were not my cup of tea.

This site 'Goodreads' is where users recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they've read and would like to read, find their next favorite book and form book clubs with friends (Goodreads, 2012). 

All you have to do to join is sign up (I know, ANOTHER password to remember) and review 20 books you have read. Then the site will recommend books that you may be interested in. 

The output is personalized to your own tastes and so far, I am enjoying the couple of books which I ordered from my library as a result of these recommendations.

Not only am I going to be reading more, but the chances of me reading a book that I will enjoy, is all the more likely because of this site. 

Meme Meme Meme Meme Meme

What is in a meme? A meme as it is today, is like all of these new Internet sensations- it starts off in some geeky pimply 16 year olds bedroom and suddenly it takes the world by storm.

I’m sure you’ve all seen (consciously or unconsciously) or heard of a meme. Meriam Webster defines meme as “an idea, behavior, style or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.”

Although ‘meme’ is only now becoming a popular trend, the idea has been around for a while.  If you have ever told a common knock knock joke or have laughed about ‘ghost chips’- you have been a part of a real world meme. 

A meme is fundamentally the ability to communicate ideas, behaviors and styles through pictures and text.  Over the past few years, popular internet sites like Facebook, Twitter and instagram have allowed for popular memes to go viral despite the differing cultures and backgrounds of an individual.

It seems to be able to reach and resonate with people who have entirely different life experiences, backgrounds and countries.

A picture meme is where you take an image and add text (also known as an image macro)  and then post it on your social media sites.  This has resulted in a plethora of meme’s being shared, liked, Instagrammed and tweeted throughout the internet on a daily basis.

I played around with the idea of a meme and was challenged to create a serious meme and a funny meme in paint. It was quite simple and the results made the picture slightly more interesting.

Memes are a great means of communication as it is now catering to the new breed of internet users, who want short and sharp bits of information. Like the old adage says, a picture tells a thousand words,  memes accentuate and resonate with people from all across the worlds divides. 

Lost in Translation

Google is the ultimate website. I don't know how they did this but somehow they managed to create a huge database of languages so people can go online and translate text from other languages into their own.

I don't want to know how many hours were put into creating the function, Bruno Latour a famous philosopher, philosophized with the concept of Actor's.

It basically looks at anything and eveything then breaks it down into component networks. Take google translate. The networks for this site are immense. You have the different languages, users, dictionary's, domains, computers, connections.... the list is endless.

But alas google translate has come about to make my life and I'm sure many others, much more simpler. So when you are in a restaurant and the menu looks foreign to you, hop onto Google Translate and have it search for the translation.

But it is not as well oiled as it could be, I played around with text too see whether the laguage would hold true through different translations.

I started with:
Don't go chasing waterfalls.
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to.
I know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all,
but I think you're moving too fast.

Then I translated it into Belarusian then Azerbaijan, Hindi then Russian and back to English.

And this is what came out:
Falls to follow or not.
If you follow the rivers and lakes.
I know that we will be your way or nothing at all;
But I think you're moving too fast.

So although this function is pretty amazing, its not perfect, but I mean.... nothings perfect right?

Search engine optimization

SEO is becoming a well known tactic for driving targeted online traffic.  Integrating SEO is one of the MOST cost-effective search engine marketing methods a company can use to drive more traffic to its web site and convert more searchers into 
customers (Domain info, 2012).  

Google and other engines place a high amount of importance on the keywords that appear in domain names in determining where a web site shows up in search results.  A geo-targeted domain name is just that – a domain name with a geographic identifier.

Consider Saarah’s blog, a fictional character set in Papakura. Saarah writes local stories and has cultivated a small following and a reputation for political quips and insights.  

But local people may never realise her blog exists or don't even know what is a blog. To grab the attention of potential customers in papakura, Saarah needs to use search engines and promote her presence online, with as many keywords and geographical references as possible.

Establishing a domain name that relates to your business is the first step e.g. saarahspapakura.co.nz or papakurablog.co.nz.

Having good onsite content using your location and subjects will also increase the chances of saarah’s blog appearing in searches including the words “Papakura” and “Judith Collins” – her exact target audience!

Ensuring that business and writers alike use this tool for local internet marketing online will ensure we maximise our online presence and reach as many potential followers as possible. 

Wikipedia, friend or foe?

I think we can all assume that you know what Wikipedia is? It describes itself as "a user-generated and user-edited resource that provides information on a vast array of topics. Its entries are not always complete and not always accurate”.

The co-founder, Jimmy Wales, an ex porn lord, describes Wikipedia as "a free encyclopedia of the highest quality, wikipedia exists to bring knowledge to everyone who seeks it".

Clearly Wikipedia is a world wide phenomenon, and is now available in over 285 languages, but is this great encyclopedia of shared knowledge really all its cracked out to be?

Having a plethora of well meaning and not so well meaning contributors can lead to questionable sources as well as information.

I personally, am not a fan of using Wikipedia as a reference. Mainly because amongst my academic peers it is seen as something of a joke- how can anybody take me seriously if my information came from Wikipedia?

So, I conducted a little experiment to see how easy it was to add, change or delete information on Wikipedia.

My subject was nationally renowned author and poet, Robert Sullivan. I chose him because I know him personally and I thought his Wikipedia page could do with a bit of renovating.

At first it was a bit fiddly but I soon got the hang of it, all that was required was basic HTML knowledge and a login.

Because I have a conscience, I researched a few academic references to Robert on EBSCO host and set about inserting it into Wikipedia.

It was without a doubt the easiest task I could have done- easier than doing my washing, making my bed and even doing the dishes.

Worrying? I should think so- many people are now basing their sources of information and knowledge management on Wikipedia.

I mean, the site is set up relatively well and contributors are encouraged to reference every bit of information added, but I don’t think it should be people’s ONLY source of information.

Considering that anyone with an axe to grind and an ounce of writing ability can add false information on Wikipedia without challenge from the site's editors, it’s a wonder why people think Wikipedia is the be all and end all of information.

I guess it’s because it’s just a little too convenient. Granted, I have used it many a time, but it is by all intents and purposes a starting point. I think that in this day and age we should never rest on our laurels.

As writers we should strive to deliver accurate and in depth information on a subject, it will not only make us much more credible, we will also be able to better convince our readers of the authenticity of that which we are describing.

Facebook Story: Virality- what it means for writers

I haven’t been writing long, I only started a couple of years ago. I mean there were those embarrassing attempts at high school, but it’s only recently that I’ve started developing my writing.

Since then writing has become an integral part of my daily routine. I do annual reports, newsletters, brochures, blogs and many other projects that come with being in marketing and communications.

I’ve always taken pride in my work. I mean- I’m no Shakespare, but I make a conscious effort to write stylistically and get to the point. 

I consider writing to be a craft that, while many can do, only few are really good at. It isn’t that average joe couldn’t do a better job- it just takes effort.

Writing is easy; it’s the drafting, rewriting, shaping and redoing that’s hard and takes practice- most people obviously don’t see the point.

The nature of the Internet and the instantaneous “Publish” affect has encouraged greater laziness amongst readers and writers alike.

When did good writing become a pastime? Well it does seem people want nano information, targeted, simple and brief. But as people are doing more scanning and less reading online, good writing has taken a back seat.

These days the internet is flooded with wannabe writers trying to get noticed and stake their claim in an ever growing medium within a seemingly dwindling industry.

But what’s key to getting noticed is insuring that your writing pulls at people’s heartstrings. You have to make them sit up and READ what you have to say. Although the medium may be different, the communication goals and strategies are the still the same.

Good writers need to stick to what they know, and remember that only emotion endures. Write the pieces that you are passionate about and then go and find your audience online. With social media as it is, it’s easy to find niche markets and interests groups who would read your stories and follow your creative journey.

Never underestimate the power of emotion.

http://youtu.be/edHAn2qV9Qs

Here is a quick video I created about virality for writers.