how do your online research skills measure up?

The all-mighty Google is my go-to source when I begin research for an article. I'm not alone. A story in the Guardian (posted on the TFEW listserv), reports on a study that looked at online research behaviour. Of those of us who do use Google, not all use it wisely. The article states:

The report, Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future, found users "power-browsing" or skimming material, using "horizontal" (shallow) research. ...

Many libaries have assumed young students have learned to use the internet for research simply by virtue of their age. But while many are proficient with Facebook and Wikipedia, they may not be information- literate. Many lack lack the skills to differentiate between authoritative information and amateur blogging. ...

Students of all ages need to learn to make independent assessments of the quality of material by looking at the authors' experience, funders, use of sources, and where published. ...

Rowlands suggests in his study that schools are failing to equip students for independent online study. ...

My university never covered how to determine the veracity of online sources, and I know it's not the only one. Many interns I've worked with – as well as, unfortunately, a few editors – are quick to source the first site that pops up in their Google searches, even if it happens to be Joe Schmoe's amateur blog.

blogging for readers

Last night I attended CSME's spring mixer on blogging (see earlier post). Among many other interesting tidbits, the idea was raised that magazine blogs may be at odds with the very nature of what a blog is. (I'm sorry, I can't remember who said what, so consider due attribution paid equally to the three panellists, Douglas Bell, Heather Mallick and D.B. Scott, with some of my own thoughts mixed in.)

On one hand we have the blog: Immediate and visceral. Casual and conversational. Sometimes controversial. From the gut and unedited. On the other hand we have the magazine: Carefully choreographed over months. A well-managed brand. And definitely edited. So can a magazine that's so used to managing its brand relinquish control, which is arguably necessary to build a good blog that attracts readers? Are the blog's that magazines are coming up with too much in line with the magazine's mandate and not enough in line with what the readers want? Have magazines come to terms with the fact that a publication's audience and a blog's audience can be, usually are, two very different beasts? Are magazines forgetting the most important thing of all: readers come first?

website: MastheadOnline

It occurred to me today that I neglected to post about Masthead's expanded and improved website. A month or so ago, MastheadOnline dropped its paywall and added discussion boards and an internship category on its job board, among other improvements. Check it out here.

stop whining and do something about it

I'm with Craig Silverman on the constant complaining about freelance writing rates: we know the state of the industry sucks, now adapt. Among others, he offers two pieces of advice I've always believed in: build your brand, and always be learning.

[Came to Craig's post through Canadian Magazines]

event: CSME mixer on blogging

CSME's next mixer, on April 24th, is all about blogging. Douglas Bell of Toronto Life's Spectator, D.B. Scott of the Canadian Magazines blog, and Heather Mallick of HeatherMallick.ca talk about the ins and outs of blogs. Apr. 24, 6 pm, Bar Italia (582 College), $15 members/$30 nonmembers.