Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Print, Web, who cares, just be informed

Recently I had a friendly discussion with a colleague on the topic of print versus digital publishing. The mediums are very similar in that they provide information.

That is were the similarities end.

When an individual sits down to read a newspaper or magazine, they do so as a leisure activity, a way to pass time, which yields knowledge. At the same time they are limited to the information provided by the author/writer. If the user has questions, they cannot interact or find a quick answer within the same media vehicle. The reader is left to ponder and resolve their own thoughts and ideas on the piece. Readers usually find themselves reading the piece two or three times looking for clues that will help them come to a conclusion.

When a reader opens a browser, it is done with the purpose to satisfy a hunger for knowledge. They seat at this dinner table and start with a search, one or two key terms. They dive into the topic at hand and quickly find themselves jumping from one topic to the next, all trigger by the information they are receiving. Like in print, one topic leads to questions, the difference, the reader has a quick satisfaction. The need to think is drastically diminished. A reader simply needs to turn back to the search box and be ready to face a multitude of choices and options for an answer.

This medium is able to provide a great deal of information to be consumed. The hunger never seizes, but merely a level of satisfaction is achieved that allows the reader to walk away from the table empower with applicable knowledge.

The bottom line is that there is a need and room for both mediums. Writing for the Web is a whole different art form than that of print. The Web is a medium of collaboration where a reader is provided a multitude of opinions and ideas that lead to a conclusion. Where as Print is a medium for those seeking one experts opinion allowing the reader to either accept the conclusion or form their own with at their own capacity.

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Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Blogger, Remember Me

I blog regularly using Blogger as my platform. I think its design is user friendly and have just enough features both in its "Compose" and "Edit Html" panes making it one of the easiest textboxes / HTML editors. I have use a few in the past like FCK editor and HTMLArea, but these type of editors offer the user too many options.

I also enjoy the "labels" area and, the recently added, save now button.

Google is known for designing simple to use, yet very powerful interfaces. Most importantly, they provide these free of charge.

The only beef I have so far is that the "remember me" check box in the blogger homepage never remembers me. I have cookies enable and other Google sites, such as youTube, Analytics/Urchin, iGoogle, and Gmail seem to remember me just fine.

The bottom line is that I'm very surprise that a powerful company like Google with unlimited resources has left this small detail sly. I understand that Blogger didn't start out being a Google company, but in the two years that I have been using the site, this has never worked for me, regardless of browser. Oddly enough I googled this topic tonight and didn't get too far in finding a resolution.

Update to previous entry: I received a Halloween Joke from a colleague, here it is:


A man was walking home alone late one foggy night,

when behind him he hears:

BUMP...

BUMP...

BUMP...

Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him.

BUMP...

BUMP..

BUMP..

Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing quickly behind him

FASTER...
FASTER...

BUMP...
BUMP...
BUMP...

He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in, slams and locks the door behind him.

However, the casket crashes throught his door, with the lid of the casket clapping...

clappity-BUMP...
clappity-BUMP...
clappity-BUMP...

on his heels, the terrified man runs.

Rushing upstairs to the bathroom, the man locks himself in. His heart is pounding; his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps.

With a loud CRASH the casket breaks down the door.

Bumping and clapping toward him.

The man screams and reaches for something, anything, but all he can find is a bottle of Robitussin!

Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket... And, the coffin stops!


-- Thanks Mike.

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