Working with Words | September 2010

Strategies for social networking

The development of Web 2.0 which allows users to build their own web content, combined with the convergence of web and mobile phone technologies has produced an explosion in the number of people who are involved in the social networking phenomenon. No longer do we think of e-mail as being the fastest way to communicate; these days we tweet, or use microblogs to communicate with the world in real time. Facebook alone has more than 400 million users around the world and there are many other SNS from which you can choose. Do you need to become involved in social networking? Well, only you can decide that but like many things, until you get involved you will not know what you are missing. Can you have too much social networking? Yes, it has become obsessive with some people – especially young people. Social networking can become addictive – but often with people who may be insecure in other aspects of their life and who feel more comfortable in virtual relationships than in getting "up-close-and-personal". The psychology of social networking is still in its infancy and no doubt we will hear more of this in the future but clearly no web-based communication protocol, no matter how convenient and instantaneous, can take the place of the most ancient communication tool still available to us – the face-to-face meeting.		For more than twenty years, since leaving the Department of Foreign Affairs, Mike lived and worked in Asia running his own research consultancy, first in Taiwan and then in the Philippines. He has now returned to enjoy Australia with his family while continuing with his writing and editing. Mike now works as a full-time freelance writer and editor as well as mentor, encouraging young people especially to develop their writing and communication skills. Mike is an experienced economic and political analyst and specialises in the development editing of complex reports. He is also now into training and has developed his own course in effective writing - combining creativity with productivity. It is offered both in face to face classes as well as by remote learning. The manual is freely available to readers of this newsletter. Check it out at ww.workingwithwords.com.au Subscribe to this monthly newsletter direct from the website or by emailing Mike at: thecreativegenie@gmail.com However if you do not wish to receive it, just send us an email reply with the word "remove" in the title and we will do the rest.
With those caveats in mind, consider carefully your own portfolio of social networking sites based on your interest set. How you choose will depend on what your objective is. If you are just looking to stay in touch with friends and family then A Facebook account may be all you need. On the other hand if you are in business and are looking to market yourself online then you may want to think about a broader social networking strategy. The elements of such a strategy are quite simple: What purpose are you seeking to achieve? How will you establish your credibility on the Web (or what profile do you want to present to people)? How will you network to find like-minded people (which SNS will be best for you)? Whether you are using SNS for purely social or for business purposes, the same push-pull factors will operate. We will talk more about web strategies next month. Mike Clancy Gold Coast 31 August 2010
Converting PowerPoint to Video
With social networking and especially blogging, becoming so popular these days, many people want to add PowerPoint presentations to their websites. If you are using a collaborative space to work on a presentation with colleagues, then uploading a PowerPoint presentation is a simple matter; however, if you want to add a presentation to Facebook or to your blog, then first you need to convert your presentation to a video format. There is no means of converting a presentation to video format within Office although Windows does give you a manual workaround of sorts. One way is to use the Windows snipping tool to capture each screen of your presentation and save it as a separate image file. Then you can use Windows Movie Maker to reassemble your slides, add transitions and, if you wish, a voice narration as well. This is one way of doing it but it is not ideal. Alternatively you can purchase program suites that will automate the task for you. Converting a presentation to video can be achieved automatically in one of two ways: either you purchase a program that is solely concerned with PowerPoint to video conversion, you specify the file, the transition rate and other variables and allow the software to compile the video into a format of your choice. AVI, MPEG and WMF are commonly used formats by these programs. Alternatively, if you want a little more sophistication, you can use screen capture software to accomplish the same task but with far more options at your disposal. Some of these programs will give you the option of publishing directly to YouTube or a blog of your choice – but make sure the blogging site you are using supports video format (not all do). One word of caution, try before you buy. Some suites work better than others depending not only on the version of Windows or Office you are using but also on the speed and memory of your computer. Working with video files is highly CPU and memory intensive so approach with caution. We cover this topic in more detail in our course on blogging for business and you will find additional resources online at www.workingwithwords.com.au See an example at http://mike-clancy.blogspot.com/2010/08/test-post.html
The importance of punctuation
The appendixes to Effective Writing provides a succinct list of common writing errors. It is not a complete list but rather a compilation of some of those I come across most frequently as an editor. Last month we looked at capitals, colons and semicolons. This month we continue our journey. Dashes and hyphens There are commonly three types of hyphens and dashes used in punctuation. These are the straight hyphen () plus the extended hyphens: the Em dash (—) and the En dash (–). The hyphen is used in spelling to link compound words, form prefixes and compound adjectives. It is also used to define syntax within sentences by forming compounds needed to keep words together as in the "the soon-to-be prime minister..." Compound family names are also separated with a hyphen as in Barbara Smith-Jones and in printing it is used to split words that do not fit at the end of the line although this should be avoided if at all possible and there are rules as to how to split words when there is no other option. An Em dash is used in much the same way as a colon or parenthetic expressions (in place of brackets). It is often associated with the less formal writing styles and in formal writing a colon or bracket would be used as appropriate. The En dash is used to denote sequence or range as in 2008–2009; "module 2 can be found on pages 36–55" or "module 2 can be found from page 36 to page 55." A spaced En dash " – " can also be used in place of an Em dash which generally does not take spaces. The free and fair elections – if you can call them such – will be held in May of this year. The free and fair elections—if you can call them such—will be held in May of this year. Word 2007 shows a distinct preference for the former and will automatically replace a spaced hyphen with a spaced En dash as you type. Sadly, if you prefer Em dashes (as I do) then you have to place them manually. You can also do this via a global Find and Replace. Some companies and organisations use a Spaced Em dash rather than an unspaced one, so check the preferred style of the organisation for which you are writing. Inverted commas Quotation marks are inverted commas but not all inverted commas are quotation marks. They are a form of punctuation that separates out a group of words from the surrounding text and can be single (' _ ') or double (" _ "). Inverted commas can be used (i) to identify direct speech, (ii) to identify the titles of literary works (but see comment on italics below), (iii) to draw attention to a particular word or a word used in an unusual context or (iv) to indicate that the writer does not necessarily agree with the proposition being put forward. Whether to use single or double quotation marks is a common problem for authors and again there is no one rule for all occasions. In Britain, single commas are more prevalent than double while in the United States the reverse is true. In Australia, the Australian Government style is to use single quotation marks. There are some easy rules to apply and which are widely practised by writers. These are a few suggestions: Use double marks for inline quotations and direct speech Use single marks for specific words and for quotations WITHIN quotations Use italics to identify titles and avoid inverted commas altogether. As in other areas, in the absence of firm rules being set down for you, what matters most is consistency in your use. .. More next month
Recent Blogs from Mike
Before returning to Australia, Mike spent more than 20 years living and working in Asia and is well-known for his insightful analysis. His most recent monthly commentaries on developments in Taiwan and the Philippines — both countries in which he has lived and worked can be found on his writing blog: http://mike-clancy.blogspot.com/ The ties that bind (Taiwan) http://mike-clancy.blogspot.com/2010/08/ties-that-bind.html A new paradigm for the Philippines http://mike-clancy.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-paradigm-for-philippines.html You can read this newsletter and other writing tips on Mike's Creative Genie blog at online at http://thecreativegenie.blogspot.com/
Working with Words – Mike's courses
Mike makes his living as a writer and editor. He has developed a number of short courses to share his knowledge and to help others who either want to write for profit or need to be able to use the tools of writing in their business and personal life. Course currently on offer include: Social Networking (basic) Saturday 18th September, 9am–12 noon, Ashmore Wednesday 13th October, , 6pm–9pm, Mount Gravatt Blogging for Business (Basic) Thursday 2nd September, 6pm–9pm, Gold Coast College of Technical and Further Education, Ashmore Wednesday 20th October, 6pm–9pm, ACE Adult Education, Griffith University, Mount Gravatt Campus Effective Writing (intermediate) Saturday 16th October and Saturday 23rd October, Mt. Gravatt For details and copies of the course outline see Mike's blog for writers: thecreativegenie.blogspot.com *** Mike is always available to assist writers and researchers with any queries they may have. Prices are reasonable, professionalism is assured. Other services include: Volume, manuscript and copy editing Manuscript development Assistance with theses and dissertations Corporate presentations, manuals and reports Tutoring and course presentations — effective writing Staff creativity and productivity training For a no-obligation discussion and quotation please e-mail Mike at thecreativegenie@gmail.com or skype: MikeClancy2 In-house web design (content, architecture and graphic design) at competitive rates through our associates. Just email Mike or go direct to web_solutions@mayamaya.com.
http://twitter.com/Virtual_Mike	Michael Clancy & Associates PO Box 1043 Pacific Square Qld, 4218 ABN 73 279 729 004 Mobile: +61 (0) 420750171 E-mail: thecreativegenie@gmail.com Web: www.thecreativegenie.com.au