Internet

Wikipedia: Fact or Opinion?

I’ve just concluded a writing assignment of a deeply technical nature. The assignment was in two parts, first of all dealing with the need for Solvency II in the context of life insurance companies and secondly, the factors that persuaded the Massachusetts legislature to implement a mandatory universal healthcare system, the first US State to do so.

By now, you are probably thinking “What?” or yawning. For the curious, click on the links above and they will take you to Wikipedia for a brief overview.

This assignment is not totally uncharted territory for me; I hold UK life insurance professional qualifications so grasping the general view and identifying the issues did not mean I was stumbling around in the dark.

My research took me first of all to Google – inputting search terms that related to the topics produced the usual, incredibly long list of results and in both cases, Wikipedia was featured on the top page of my queries.

Now this is one time when you really need to question the value of an online resource such as Wikipedia. Equally, you could be using some other voluntarily compiled reference work such as DMOZ, but my point is, you must question what you are being told by your source no matter who is providing it.
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5 Reasons to Take a Break from the Keyboard

On a windy Sunday morning, I’m sitting at the PC for the second time of the day. I woke up at 6 buzzing with a slight hangover from the excesses of a boozy Saturday night with my cronies. Several coffees later I sat down to start writing at 8 full of good intentions.

The result was absolutely nothing. I just sat there and fiddled, checking email, checking google, and playing around instead of working.

As an example of gaining ideas to post about, this one is pretty lame – knowing when to leave the keyboard because you can’t write due to a hangover! Nevertheless, sometimes you do need to take a break from keybashing and there are warning signs to look for that should sound an alarm. When writing you need to be mentally and physically on your toes.

#1 Procrastination

At #1, procrastination is a sure sign you need to take a breather. If you’re surfing the internet and getting hooked on topics at a tangent which have no direct bearing on your assignment in hand, this is a sure sign you need to take a break. This is my number one sin as I’m forever getting sidetracked but procrastination takes many more forms than just idle surfing the internet to no effect. Sales people call this “soldiering”; making up chores and tasks in order to give yourself the feeling that you are being productive when in fact you are not.

#2 Not Knowing Where to Start

DMOZ – Open Directory Project

DMOZ is The Open Directory Project and it is the largest, human-edited directory on the web today.

So what?

Well actually, it is quite a big deal as DMOZ represents a considerable opportunity to gain exposure for yourself on the web and in commercial writing circles. DMOZ is in fact, staffed by a huge number of volunteers situated around the globe and offering their services as “experts” in whatever field you can name. Many of these volunteers receive ediotorial status, that is, they are considered to be trustworthy and knowledgable enough about their chosen field that they are allowed to become part of the editing resource for the directory. Incidentally, this human component is what differentiates a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo! from a directory; directories rely on humans to analyse, evaluate and give weight to content whereas a search engine uses an algorithm.

So what’s in it for me?

For very little effort on your part, you can become an editor quite easily. There is considerable kudos to be gained by becoming a DMOZ editor and you’ll also gain some valuable experience working with other community minded web geeks. DMOZ is especially good at mentoring those with less experience and bringing them on by providing opportunities on very small editing and web projects under the supervision of more experienced hands.
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Stopping readers in their tracks! Advice for internet writing

Internet writing is not as easy as it first appears. Writers who write articles for the internet have to keep some things in mind. It is essential for you to realize that you have 5-7 seconds to capture the attention of readers, otherwise they will move on. The internet, being the way it is, enables readers to go on and look for other articles and information from other sites. In this article I will be discussing some of the key areas that one has to look into when writing for the web.

Similar to all other forms of writing, the headline of a page or blog post is the most important. It either makes or breaks a reader’s interest – if readers like the headline they will carry on reading, otherwise they will just click onto something else. Don’t try to be cute when it comes to headlines and never use funny phrases, especially if they are confusing. You should write a headline that people can associate with, something that fits the topic you are writing in. Use key words such as love, anger, mistakes and truth. These words, when used properly, can actually be effective in grabbing the attention of prospective readers.
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Why should you critique your own writing?

Writing gives a two dimensional structure a three dimensional look. It creates visuals in the mind of your readers. It gives some form to a non-existent structure. Once put down in print, you have actually captured and contained it. Your idea has been made presentable. The more you do it, the more you are able to do it and it thus becomes easier for you to churn out writings and express yourself through words. Use words that you have learned in your mind to express your ideas. You really don’t have to wait until you learn the perfect words. The words that you have right now are enough; one can always refine everything later.

You should allow your writing to be free flowing. You should not stop yourself from putting whatever you are thinking into writing. Just write down whatever thoughts come into your mind about the subject. Make notes. Jot down all your ideas and phrases as they occur to you, and as an open minded writer, you should always keep a pad where you can write down notes where ever you go. It’s much easier to build upon existing material than it is to create it from nothing. Editing can always be done and refined later. You will generally find that you have an abundance of things to write about when you plan things this way.
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Blogs! Can they form a career option?

Today internet writing is a reality. Even a few years ago, internet writers, especially bloggers were not deemed as writers who could make a difference, but today, with the explosion of information that the internet has created, online writing has finally come of age. Bloggers today can make a living out of writing and blogging. Although this concept is still very new to the people in many countries, I believe that everything takes a while to start off, and after a certain point in time when people see that it is effective, it becomes popular.

If individuals concentrate on what they intend to do with their lives and the difference they can make if they think a little differently, then they have a certain urge to work harder. Blogging is this volatile domain that is getting ready to erupt. Although the eruption has started, until and unless more people see the difference it can have on the lives of bloggers, they will not give it a try. Today, people who are into blogging can see a future in writing, and there are cases where people have already started to make a living out of blogging and online writing. As I would put it, “blogs don’t just know or imagine the future, they make it happen”.
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