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Re: New Halo Preview is awful
Posted By: Mik <michaelchase@mediaone.net>Date: 2/13/00 10:47 a.m.

In Response To: Re: New Halo Preview is awful (Legend)

> Personaly I have never cared that much about grammer or spelling
> on the web unless it is to the point that it is a strugle to
> understand. Does it really matter that much to you? The point of
> the Web is to communicate information, not to have a gramtical

I have to offer a few points of disagreement here:

Yes, the purpose of the web is to disseminate information, but the same can also be said of lectures, newspapers, magazines, books, television, any media that stores or distributes information.

The web is much more open to people than the traditional means of relaying information - any person with the desire to do so can quickly publish information on the web. While this freedom of the media is a good thing, it also means that often editorial checks are thrown away.

What results from a loss of competant editing is far more than bad grammar and poor spelling. When there is no solid editorial hand, a publication loses a number of things that make it unique:

* Singular voice: The best publications are collaborative efforts. The editor(s) ensure that all the various parts have the same "feel" to them, such that the publication is a seamless experience for a reader. Without that singular voice, reading from article to article can be jarring as styles chage dramatically.

* Economy: Perhaps the web's biggest editorial problem is economical relay of information. Writers love to "hear" their own voices. They ramble on and on much as I am doing here. The editor cuts out all the dross in a document and distills it to the most efficient form. This means you don't have to read a writer's gum-flapping to get to the information.

* Coherence: Arguments and positions have to be arranged and backed up, and the relay of news should follow a specific flow. When a writer has no editorial input, and little experience, the peices they publish tend to run around in circles. Often, reading these peices feels like listening to a six-year-old describe a movie; "Oh, and the, I forgot, this guy, see, he gets up, and shoots the other guy. And that guy goes like this! Isn't that cool?"

* Grammar: Many people feel grammar is extraneous, but language has rules for a reason. Without the simple rules of grammar, it actually does become difficult to understand information. Once a reader begins to doubt a particular peice of information, they are less likely to continue reading it.

Yes, the web is a lively and changing means of disseminating information, but there is a huge gulf between good documents and bad documents, no matter what the media.

=Mik

Message Index



Replies:

New Halo PreviewLegend 2/12/00 9:36 a.m.
     Re: New Halo PreviewWirehead 2/12/00 10:05 a.m.
           Re: New Halo Preview is awfulGorehead 2/12/00 12:59 p.m.
                 Re: New Halo Preview is awfulDesio 2/12/00 1:18 p.m.
                       I concur :) ntSomatic 2/12/00 2:49 p.m.
                             :)Dreamcatcher 2/13/00 8:47 a.m.
                       Re: Literate gaming and gaming journalism.Gorehead 2/12/00 6:38 p.m.
                             Since when has anyone spent a few minutes there?ntDavid Oosha 2/12/00 8:21 p.m.
                             Re: Literate gaming and gaming journalism.Marty 2/13/00 12:14 a.m.
                                   Re: Literate gaming and gaming journalism.Gorehead 2/13/00 11:15 a.m.
                                         Re: Literate gaming and gaming journalism.Forensic 2/13/00 11:45 a.m.
                                               Re: Literate gaming and gaming journalism.Redox 2/13/00 2:03 p.m.
                             Re: Literate gaming and gaming journalism.platon 2/13/00 1:43 p.m.
                 Re: New Halo Preview is awfulWirehead 2/12/00 3:03 p.m.
                 Re: New Halo Preview is awfulLegend 2/12/00 4:14 p.m.
                       Re: New Halo Preview is awfulDesio 2/12/00 5:06 p.m.
                       Re: ehe•Mimer 2/12/00 9:57 p.m.
                             lol unintended typo, but makes my point more. ntLegend 2/12/00 11:04 p.m.
                       Re: New Halo Preview is awfulMik 2/13/00 10:47 a.m.
     I HATE...Platon 2/12/00 10:47 a.m.
     Re: New Halo PreviewHaveBlue 2/12/00 12:16 p.m.
           lol ntLegend 2/12/00 12:30 p.m.



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