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Re: SlashdottedLink! Link! Link! (too lazy to go look myself.) http://it.slashdot.org/it/05/03/01/203215.shtml?tid=185&tid=218 The original article is at: http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/02/25/209222&tid=93&tid=130
Me? I'm still left sputtering feebly, "But I didn't say that!" or "Didn't that jerk read the article?" So often, the comments seem to have no relation to what was actually said. The other thing is probably something you're already familiar with: the academic ideal of criticism, where knowledge is understood as a collective, if agonistic, enterprise. Where criticism is meant to advance knowledge, not tear it (or individuals) down. (AS I said, it's an _ideal_. :) I've had the good fortune to know marvelous role models who graciously accepted really harsh criticisms. I suspect it's a lot easier to do when you are not running "You & company" and when you have tenure. heh. That's also the theory behind open source, and the forums on places like Slashdot. In fact, open source is really based closely on the academic ideal. And, in theory, I agree with that. But I admit that I find the practice can be excruciating when directed against me personally. But, in the few months that I've been doing journalism, I've developed a slightly tougher skin. For example, to keep me from forever jumping into the comments, I mostly just let the comments flow. When I do reply, I restrict myself to two answers to anything that anyone says (it's a good policy for any discussion where there seems to be a fixed opinion on the other side, in fact).
I think the trick (and I'm paraphrasing a quote that I can't track down here) is to take the work seriously, but not yourself - and then let go of it once you've sent if off. Another perspective: One of my favorite musicians Ray Wylie Hubbard, does a long monologue on an album about his misgivings on having written the song "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mothers" thirty years ago. He complains about always been asked to sing it, and about being known mainly for that song. He concludes with, "And then twice a year, I walk down to my mailbox and take out a cheque -- and, suddenly, life doesn't seem so bad." Or, in my own case, I may be misunderstood and attacked, but I'm also paid. Remember: Any publicity is good publicity. Any publicity is good publicity. repeat after me. :) Any publicity is -- go -- No, sorry. Can't say it, quite. -- Bruce Byfield 604-421-7177 http://members.axion.net/~bbyfield ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT - EDIT AND REVIEW, REDEFINED Accelerate the document lifecycle with full online discussions and unique feedback-management capabilities. Unlimited, efficient reviews for Word and FrameMaker authors. Live, online demo: http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l Doc-To-Help 7.5 Professional: New version with new features, improved performance and reliability, plus much more! Download your free trial today at www.componentone.com/techwrlfeb. --- You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info. Follow-Ups:
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Re: Slashdotted!
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