29 June 2011

Blogging Lesson 1

OK, so with my eagerness to start a blog I overlooked a simple process that any written work should go through. Proofreading! Now I am not saying that I have made many spelling mistakes if at all any in my previous blogs. However it is not just about spelling mistakes, it can also be about the structuring of your words, perhaps what you intend to communicate as a writer may not actually be the message that a reader receives. I learned this from my previous post that my girlfriend picked up on, no need to go into details, however she had a point and that is why I am writing this post.

Basically this is a fundamental process any creative should go through, I mentioned proofreading in this case but double checking your work should apply to all forms of publishing in whatever medium that may be, digital, paper, graffiti, correspondence to your bank manager etc. It is something I naturally do in my professional life, perhaps the fact that I am publishing on the web via a blog  made me lazy for a moment? And this is an important question! Do people get lazy and careless when blogging, emailing, sending a text message, basically sending any digital message because they feel perhaps they are not talking directly to another human because the interface has changed? The interaction between human and human has has become more and more through the interface of a screen. Is there a danger here? The reality is we are all responsible for our actions as individuals, groups, communities, organizations etc as much on the web as we are in real life human interactions. There is a very serious issue that could be tied into this topic which is not exactly what I am talking about, however it is an extreme illustration of what we put on the web can affect real life too, I am referring to cyber bullying.

I don't want to go off topic here, all I wish to say is that we have responsibilities in the messages we create in whatever medium or forum we choose. For me it was a simple lesson that I overlooked but was a reminder for me that even on this very simple level what I write here in my blog may actually have an affect on someone in a way that was not intended. And on a larger canvas these small details that we may overlook could have consequences that we did not intend or foresee in the future.

Visit my professional website at http://iamliamroberts.com