Slide 1
Skills: conversational writing techniqueConcepts: the growing
role of conversational writing, JCR Licklider, the formal nature of
conversational writing, synchronous versus asynchronous
applicationsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. Conversational
writing1Much of our writing on the Internet takes the form of
conversations.
Well informally analyze an effective email conversation, asking
what makes it good, and leaving you with some tips.
Hopefully being aware of what makes a conversation effective
will improve our conversational writing.
Well also look at an ineffective email conversation to see some
pitfalls.
Well also distinguish between synchronous and asynchronous
applications and mention the role of JCR Licklider, a leader in
early research on both the personal computer and the Internet.
We tend to take Internet conversations for granted, and to be
rushed and sloppy.
I hope this presentation will improve the quality of your
Internet conversations.Where does this topic fit?Internet
conceptsApplicationsTechnologyImplicationsInternet
skillsApplication developmentContent creation (text)User skills2The
presentation deals with the creation of text content.Conversation
examplesAn email conversation with an individualAn email
conversation with a group of people on a list serverA conversation
with a group of people on a threaded discussion forumA comment on a
blog postAn online chat3Here are some examples of Internet
conversation.
Youve surely had an email conversation, and probably several or
even all of the others, but may not have thought about the
process.
Well ask what makes an effective conversation in this
presentation, but first, lets hear an example of the ways
conversation is used at work.
Meet Jason FriedWhich do you think he considers most
important?When hiring, Jason Fried looks for:A positive attitudeA
well rounded, flexible personA quick learnerTrustworthiness an
independent workerA good writer
Most important (34 sec)All five criteria (2m 42sec)
4Jason Fried is the founder of 37 Signals, a prominent Internet
software company.
Fried speaks and writes frequently on software design and
development.
In one talk, he outlined the five things he looks for when
interviewing job applicants.
As you see, he considers being a good writer the most
important.
That is because work is increasingly decentralized and workers
often interact online rather than in person.
Stop at this point and listen to these two short excerpts from
Frieds talk.
The short excerpt focuses on writing.
In the longer one, he explains each of his five hiring
criteria.J. C. R. Licklider
Licklider and Taylor, The Computer as a Communication Device,
1968.
5Fried was not the first to understand the importance of online
conversation.
JCR Licklider deserves much of the credit for the invention and
development of both the personal computer and the Internet.
He foresaw the importance of computer networks and personal
computers, and was instrumental in funding the early research that
led to both.
This illustration is from a 1968 paper in which he and co-author
Bob Taylor described the online conversations we would have one
day.
The paper is worth reading today even though it was written long
before the Internet began..
Licklider was a visionary to whom we owe a great debt.
An effective email conversationWould you like to have lunch
today?
> Would you like to have lunch today?Yes, what time and
where?
> Yes, what time and where?How about noon at Felippes?
Noon is great --- where is Felippes?
Felippes is near Union station --- here is a link: http://
Great -- I will meet you there at noon.
OK6Lets look at an example of an effective email
conversation.
Pause and read it over -- what do you think made it
effective?
Its effective becauseThe conversation was focused and stayed on
topic.
They quoted each other in replies to stay focused and to let the
other person know they were being heard.
No statements or queries were ignored.
The conversation came to a shared agreement.
Both parties felt the conversation was ended -- there were no
loose ends.
7One reason the conversation succeeded is that the participants
quoted each others previous messages as a reminder of the
context.
Quoting is necessary because the person you are talking to may
be involved in many conversations.
It also lets them know youre reading carefully and paying
attention to what they are saying.
No statements or queries were ignored there were no loose ends
when the conversation ended.
The participants came to a shared agreement.
An ineffective email
conversationhttp://som.csudh.edu/fac/lpress/presentations/bademail.docxSame
timeDifferent timeSame placeShared screen in classroomDifferent
placeOnline chat sessionEmail, blog comments, threaded
discussionConversation classificationOur lunch-date conversation
used email, but there are other forms of Internet conversation.
We can classify them as to whether all participants must be
present at the same time and whether they can be at different
places during the conversation.
If the participants must all be online at the same time, we say
the application is synchronous.
If they can contribute at different times, it is asynchronous,
not synchronized.
For example, email conversations are asynchronous.
Perhaps you read your email only once a day, and reply to any
pending messages at that time.
Similarly, you can still comment on a blog post long after it
was published.
9Conversational writing tipsThink about the purpose of the
conversation.
Quote previous statements when appropriate.
Reply to all questions or requests for information no loose
ends.
Respond (positively or negatively) to all requests for a
commitment, and honor commitments or deadlines you agree to.
Read carefully before replying.
If time allows, set your reply aside before re-reading and
sending it. Better yet, have someone else read it.
10Weve seen the importance of Internet conversation, analyzed a
successful example, and learned to differentiate between
synchronous and asynchronous applications.
These conversational writing tips summarize what weve
seen.SummarySame timeDifferent timeSame placeShared screen in
classroomDifferent placeOnline chat sessionEmail, blog comments,
threaded discussionWeve seen good and bad examples of email
conversations and tips for good conversational writing.
We also saw a formal scheme that classified statements in
conversational writing, tipped our hats to JCR Licklider, who
understood that we would be conversing online fifty years ago.
Finally, we differentiated between synchronous and asynchronous
conversation tools..11We are covering three types of writing that
are common on the Internet. Conversational writing is one what are
the other two?Which Internet conversation applications are
synchronous?Which Internet conversation applications have you used?
Did you use them in school, at work or in your personal life?Have
you had an Internet conversation with a stranger?Are you reluctant
to post a comment on a blog or ask a question on an email list? If
so, what do you think stops you?When you reply to an email or other
message, do you include snippets from the original to establish the
context.Google J. C. R. Licklider and describe his role in funding
the research leading to the personal computer and Internet.
Self-study questions12ResourcesTalk by Jason Fried:
http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail471.html
Jason Fried on decentralizing
work:http://www.ted.com/talks/jason_fried_why_work_doesn_t_happen_at_work.html
Licklider and Taylor, The Computer as a Communication Device,
reprinted from Science and Technology, April 1968: and J. C. R.
Licklider, Man-Computer Symbiosis January 1992 IEEE Annals of the
History of Computing , Volume 14 Issue 1
http://memex.org/licklider.pdf
Winograd, Terry, A Language/Action Perspective on the Design of
Cooperative Work, Human-Computer Interaction 3:1 (1987-88),
3-30.http://hci.stanford.edu/winograd/papers/language-action.html
An ineffective email
conversation:http://som.csudh.edu/fac/lpress/presentations/bademail.docx
Formal analysis of conversationsRequest for action: a request or
offer which is subsequently confirmed or dropped
Request for clarification: obtaining more information about
something said earlier or in a prior conversation
Creating possibilities: creating ideas and selecting one or more
for future discussion
Orientation: exchanging information about themselves or a
situationOptional14Terry Winograd and Fernando Flores developed a
system for analyzing conversations in the 1980s when the Internet
and email were just beginning to catch on.
They came up with four kinds of statements -- requests for
action or clarification and statements for creating possibilities
and for orientation.
They believed that no statement should be ignored.
For example, if one person requests an action, the other must
respond, and, if the offer is accepted, they must agree on a
completion date.
Winograd and Flores developed a software package that forced
users to make formal commitments.
It didnt catch on, but they focused our attention on the nature
of conversations.Formal analysisWould you like to have lunch
today?
> Would you like to have lunch today? Yes, what time and
where?
> Yes, what time and where? How about noon at Felippes?
Noon is great --- where is Felippes?
> Noon is great --- where is Felippes?Near Union station ---
here is a link:http://
Great -- I will meet you there at noon.
OK
(confirmation and clarification request)(commitment
request)(offer a possibility or
confirmation)(confirmation)(confirmation and clarification
request)(clarification)(confirmation)Optional15This how Winograd
and Flores would have seen our lunch-date conversation.
I dont expect you to analyze every conversation in these terms,
but thinking about them will hopefully improve your writing and
communication.