brown bag lunch: longreads, in-depth writing for a wider a public
TRANSCRIPT
CREATING TOMORROW
Longreads: in-depth writing for a wider public
Miriam Rasch, Institute of Network [email protected] / [email protected]
CREATING TOMORROW
Leonieke, Jess, Matt (and me)
tl;dr?
tl;dr?
urbandictionary.com
Proposition:
• people do want long, in-depth content online• to read on mobile devices (phone, tablet) • especially professionals who want to keep up
with developments in their line of work, field of study or personal interests
Enter: longreads
Enter: longreads
#longread & #longform
Enter: longreads
#longreads & #longform
What is it?
What is it?
• Long rather than short• Multimedia rather than just text• Digital first rather than print first• Journalistic writing style rather than academic
…..?
What is it?
• Long rather than short• Multimedia rather than just text• Digital first rather than print first• Journalistic writing style rather than academic
…..?
‘An essay written for and published on the web, of more than 3,000 words, based on in-depth research.’
INC Longforms?
Longform experimentsQuestions:1. which open source tools are available to enhance and enrich
existing content?2. in what way can a purposeful connection be made between a paper
edition (magazine) and an online addition, making use of the options the web offers?
3. how can we leave the primacy of the text behind, and use other modes of expression to convey a message?
4. how can the readers be involved in a text in a meaningful way, to create a dialogic essay instead of a ‘monologic’ one?
Lessons learned1. which open source tools are available to enhance and enrich existing content?>> see overview
Lessons learned2. in what way can a purposeful connection be made between a paper edition (magazine) and an online addition, making use of the options the web offers? >> hybrid workflow
Lessons learned3. how can we leave the primacy of the text behind, and use other modes of expression to convey a message?>> think from the content
Lessons learned4. how can the readers be involved in a text in a meaningful way, to create a dialogic essay instead of a ‘monologic’ one?>> design for interaction, e.g. horizontal hierarchy
Lessons learnedWeb development:
• think about the back-end• responsiveness• offline reading possibilities
Budget:• the sky is the limit, but so is your wallet
Overall: • co-operation is key!
Lessons learnedMany questions are left open: • relation between form / content • how to engage the reader• criticism in a world of Likes• etc. etc.
INC Longforms?
INC Longforms?
INC LongformsQuestion: how do design for seriality
Criteria:• easy-to-use for writer, editor and reader• attractive both in content and form• multiple media and sharing options• recognizable as a series• adaptable to the needs of the article at hand• usable within the INC online environment
(Wordpress)• fitting in a hybrid workflow• available for a limited budget, preferably open source
INC Longforms!
Aesop Story Engine, theme: Novella
Proposition:
• people do want in-depth content online• to read on mobile devices (phone, tablet) • especially professionals who want to keep up
with developments in their line of work, field of study or personal interests
Plans• Starting with 1 article per month• Up-and-coming authors: students, researchers, alumni, you?• Long essays, focusing on research, but aimed at a general
audience• We offer writing and editing support• INC themes for a wide audience• Expansion?
networkcultures.org/longform
PlansWe need you to help us:• find talented writers• share the knowledge• expand the work• collaborate!
And then…
networkcultures.org/longform
Plans
tl;dr? l;r!Literally, “Long; read”
Said whenever a nerd makes a post that is so interesting that everyone has to read it.
“omg you genius. i can only say one thing in response - l;r”“l;r… why don’t you give us more examples to elaborate on your analysis, add videos and links, and post it here?”
networkcultures.org/longform
THANK YOU! QUESTIONS? ASK JESS, MATT AND LEONIEKELongreads: in-depth writing for a wider public
Miriam Rasch, June 2015
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