Writing for the Internet This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial- Share Alike 3.0 License. Larry Press, [email protected]@csudh.edu.

Writing for the Internet

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Larry Press, [email protected]://bpastudio.csudh.edu/fac/lpress

Context

Internet writing in the context of IT literacy

IT literacy platforms and generations

Gen. Platform Content

0 Batch processing none

1 Time sharing BASIC, IT concepts

2 PC with CLI Productivity applications, DOS, fewer concepts

2.5 PC with GUI Office, Windows, fewer concepts

3 Internet Create content, develop applications, different concepts

3.5? Mobile internet ?

Gen. Platform Content

0 Batch processing none

1 Time sharing BASIC, IT concepts

2 PC with CLI Productivity applications, DOS, fewer concepts

2.5 PC with GUI Office, Windows, fewer concepts

3 Internet Create content, develop applications, different concepts

3.5? Mobile internet ?

IT literacy platforms and generations

Batch processing era: no IT literacy courses

IT literacy platforms and generations

Gen. Platform Content

0 Batch processing none

1 Time sharing BASIC, IT concepts

2 PC with CLI Productivity applications, DOS, fewer concepts

2.5 PC with GUI Office, Windows, fewer concepts

3 Internet Create content, develop applications, different concepts

3.5? Mobile internet ?

Dartmouth public terminal room and the Teletype

Gen. Platform Content

0 Batch processing none

1 Time sharing BASIC, IT concepts

2 PC with CLI Productivity applications, DOS, fewer concepts

2.5 PC with GUI Office, Windows, fewer concepts

3 Internet Create content, develop applications, different concepts

3.5? Mobile internet ?

IT literacy platforms and generations

In 1975, a personal computer with a CLI became affordable

Dumb terminal – a “glass teletype”

Gen. Platform Content

0 Batch processing none

1 Time sharing BASIC, IT concepts

2 PC with CLI Productivity applications, DOS, fewer concepts

2.5 PC with GUI Office, Windows, fewer concepts

3 Internet Create content, develop applications, different concepts

3.5? Mobile internet ?

IT literacy platforms and generations

In 1984 a personal computer with a GUI became affordable

The first Mac, 1984 Windows 3, May 1990, Office became the skills part of the course

IT literacy platforms and generations

Gen. Platform Content

0 Batch processing none

1 Time sharing BASIC, IT concepts

2 PC with CLI Productivity applications, DOS, fewer concepts

2.5 PC with GUI Office, Windows, fewer concepts

3 Internet Create content, develop applications, different concepts

3.5? Mobile internet ?

NSFNet backbone, 56kbps, July 1986-July 1988

John Kemeney and Thomas Kurtz were first to teach computer (IT) literacy

Kemeney worked on the Manhattan Project, was Einstein’s mathematics assistant as a student, and was Professor of mathematics and President of Dartmouth College.

Kurtz studied under John Tukey at Princeton, has been professor of math, computer science and Computer Information Systems and computer center director at Dartmouth.

IT as part of a general education began with Kemeney and Kurtz

“The average college graduate of today is almost sure to need a computer in his work twenty years from now. Therefore, we must prepare him today to use this most powerful of tools”. “Even more significant is the need for changing the attitude of the typical intelligent person towards computers. ...It is vitally important that the leaders of government, industry and education should know both the potential and limitations of the use of computers, and to be aware of the respective roles of Man and machine in the partnership”.

John G. kemeney and Thomas E. Kurtz, “The Dartmouth Time-Sharing Computing System,” Final Report to the NSF), June 1967.

IT Literacy

The skills and concepts needed for success as a student and after graduation as a professional and a citizen.

Course organization

• Internet concepts– Applications– Technology– Implications for

• Individuals• Organizations• Society

• Internet skills– Application development– Content creation

• Text• Image• Audio• Video

Three types of Internet writing

• Writing short documents• Conversational writing• Collaborative writing

Some blog posts on writing for the Internet: http://computerliteracy3.blogspot.com/search/label/writing

Jason Fried requires Internet writing skill

Jason Fried, founder of 37 Signals, a leading Internet software company, looks for these traits and skills in hiring:• positive outlook• well rounded and flexible• quick learner• trustworthy -- work independently and accomplish a task• good writer

On writing, Fried says: Probably the most important thing and probably one of the surprises is you have to work with people who are good writers, Jason Fried, 2005.

Listen:

Material I’ve developed• PowerPoint presentation

– Wrting short documents– Conversational writing– Collaborative writing

• Narrated video of presentations – Writing short documents– Conversational writing– Collaborative writing

• Sample assignments– Writing short documents– Conversational writing– Collaborative writing (compiled documents)

Other two videos soon …

Short document examples

• A blog post• The initial message in an email conversation or

a new thread in a discussion forum• The initial post on a Wikipedia topic or your own

wiki• A press release• The “about” page on a blog or Web site

Question: How do people read short documents on the Internet?

Answer: quickly and superficially, starting in the upper left hand corner.

A little research on Internet reading

Jakob Nielsen’s blog writing tips• Picture your reader, their background, and interest in your topic.• Write a clear, meaningful title that will help the user decide if the post is

relevant (see The world’s best headlines).• Work typical search terms into the title or first sentence.• Begin with a short summary of your conclusions – what will users find in

this post and how it is relevant to them? • Keep the post short – use links for detail.• Be sure a sentence or bullet point with a link gives an accurate picture of

what it leads to – don’t waste the reader’s time.• Include an image, table, or list to make it visually interesting and focus on

key information.• Stay above the scroll if possible.• Write the post early then let it cool off and read it aloud.Plus two additions:• Get someone else to read it if possible.• Be sure you are responding to the “assignment” if there is one.

Do not do all of these every time, but keep them in mind when you write.

Collaborative writing examples

• A collection of independent articles like Wikipedia• An article or report written by two or more people• The manual for a program• The evolving plan for a project• The description of an event as it is occurring• Students sharing lecture notes• Students compiling a list of points needing clarification

(What was confusing in today’s lecture?)• Students compiling a list of possible exam questions• Students co-authoring a term paper or answering an

essay question

Note – the student examples do not involve the teacher

Collaborative writing tools – structured and un-structured

• Google docs and other network-based word processors (unstructured)

• Wikis (unstructured)• Shared relational databases or spreadsheets

(structured)• Various tools for very large groups (structured)• People are working on new tools that combine

advantages of structured and unstructured data

A database or spreadsheet has a pre-defined format.

A wiki or word processing document may have a suggested format or template, but it is unstructured text.

Document revision example 1

• Original version (some x-rated footage)• Edited version (x-rated material blocked)• Presentation on the evolution

Jon Udell’s video on the evolution of the Wikipedia article on the heavy metal umlaut.

The umlaut

Conversation examples

• An email conversation with an individual

• An email conversation with a group of people on a list server

• A conversation with a group of people on a threaded discussion forum

• A comment on a blog post

Conversation: formal speech acts with dated commitments

Request Action

Decline(someone does it)

Promise

Request Action

Declare complete

CancelAsk for progress

report

Report completion

Revoke promise

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 Felippe’s?

> Noon is great --- where is Felippe’s?Near Union station --- here is a link:http:// …

Great -- I will meet you there at noon.

OK

Effective because

• The conversation was focused and stayed on the topic.

• The conversation came to a shared agreement.• Both parties felt the conversation was ended –

there were no loose ends.• They quoted each other in replies to stay

focused and to let the other person know they were being responsive.

Conversational writing tips

• Read carefully before replying.• Quote previous statements when appropriate, for

example when asking for clarification.• Reply to all questions or requests for information – no

loose ends.• Respond to all requests for a commitment, and honor

commitments or deadlines you agree to.

Studies you might find of interest

Stanford study

• Five-year longitudinal study of student writing, following 189 students during four years at Stanford and their first year after graduation (some 15,000 pieces of writing)

• Some findings– Students are writing more than ever– Some of their “life writing” is profound– Their writing is done to achieve some purpose

or goal

Other material

• Two videos on digital writing– Interview of Andrea Lunsford, principle investigator for

the Stanford writing study (12 min. 18 sec.)– Moderated discussion among four professors,

including Lunsford, on digital literacy (39 min. 30 sec.)• Center for Writing in Digital Environments at Michigan

State University

Writing for the Internet

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Larry Press, [email protected]://bpastudio.csudh.edu/fac/lpress