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Hahaahaaa ...Azur
I went on my long thing....best as it can be described with you!!!. Forgive me. I left you as May. I haven't gotten used to Azur yet. (The icky divorce thing is warping my fragile, little mind!) Good news, however, I wrote about 4 1,000-word articles tonight. How cool. I'm almost me again.
I sitll want to hear about the seminar. I missed something on that. I also want to hear more about the teaching. You were driving an unreal distance for a job interview, then, I thought, trying to decide if you should move closer if you got it. So, you got it, I'm taking it.
(I sounded sane that last month I was writing with you, but I assure you, I wasn't.) Please forgive me for not putting it together. Since I've been back, I've had a few people tell me to connect with you. That should have been my clue, right?
posted by
terpgirl30
on October 1, 2006 at 11:55 PM
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Tanga, Azur
Tanga, You can call yourself a columnist. That's perfectly legitimate.
Azur, It makes me seriously nuts. The first week I was here, I saw one of the many regular waves that went around about "Are you a professional writer? How do you know?" Countless people in the mutual admiration society answered. No surprise. The main cry was: I am a PROFESSIONAL writer because I say I am...and I want to be one. Ugh. Well, after that wave went through about the professional thing, I started announcing that I was a professional pilot. People were irritated.
What's the fastest way to mark someone who isn't in the field? It's the person who insists on sticking the word Professional in front of the name. It's the person who prints up business cards to that effect. Twenty -thirty years in, and I would be embarrassed to hand out a card like that.
The second clue would be the person who lists Blogit as a professional credit. (Who is here to reject it? Everything gets in. Mind you, I've read good, interesting stuff, but those people aren't the ones who generally start the war over whether or not they are professionals.)
I came here to keep it apart from my paid writing. I needed to test out some things. I am proud of one or two things I've put up (and they'll sell elsewhere), but I would never tell people in my writing groups to check out my blog for any other reason than sport. There are funny, goofy things that they would be interested in as human beings, but nothing would make it into my clip file. Heck, the newspaper I worked for for a decade doesn't get in when it really gets hairy.
It reminds me of the big dog/little dog thing. A German shepherd doesn't need to yap and carry on like one of those tiny, lap dogs. When he gets sick of you, he just bites you. He doesn't run around barking to prove that he can.
Beyond all that, journalist is a pretty specific category. Writers are not journalists. I haven't been able to say it in a way that the society here accepts. I'm sure it's that they don't want to. Early on in my writing group, the question came up. One of the women in this group does the major historical fiction books and gets a huge advance. Others do books and write for major magazines. All said the same thing: they'd rather be called a journalist than a writer. It is expected that a journalist can write. Conversely, the writer cannot turn around and be a journalist.
I'd sure like to hear more about your conference. I'll check out some of the older blogs, but if it's not in there, can you fill me in? People here have told me several times that I should connect with you as we have the same background. My writing group recently disbanded as many retired, so I'm really looking to find a strong professional group I can connect with to bounce ideas when the time comes. I'd love to do the same for others reaching out to national markets.
I went from national magazines to the magazines then launching newspapers and acting as editor for years. The papers went out of business, and now I'd really like my old way of life back. Unfortunately, the health insurance thing dictates that I get a day job. It's a weird thought. One of my friends has me looking at inflghts for bread and butter stuff. I'm also looking to put together a directory of magazines/newspapers that take shorts.
posted by
terpgirl30
on October 1, 2006 at 11:47 PM
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A journalist - reporter, that is - differs from a blogger.
The difference is that journalists are (usually) employed by a publisher (network), have editors and write what is assigned to them. They report, check sources, interview people for quotes, document their facts and sometimes see their stuff edited beyond recognition by the time the ink hits the paper. But bloggers directly post their observations or opinions with no editor/gatekeeper between them and the online or printed page. Seems to me we bloggers are more like columnists than investigative journalists or reporters.
posted by
Pat_B
on September 28, 2006 at 7:48 AM
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Azur, I know that I am not in that 38%.
posted by
TAPS.
on September 26, 2006 at 4:42 PM
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News should always be printed so you can tuck it in your back pocket,
clip it on the noticeboard or put it in a box. You can't do that with intangible words that fleet across the screen. In the blink of an eye lid it is gone, no accountability, the funny thing with internews, it spreads quickly like wildfire but goes out just as quickly like wildfire, meanwhile, who knows what has been destroyed in its path? Where is the accountability? An email address? A website? Sure... Yeah right.
Good luck with your jobs prospect!
posted by
marieclaire66
on September 26, 2006 at 2:30 AM
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Best of luck for your interview.
In my opinion, blogging is not journalism. I guess bloggers could be considered citizen journalists but there is a huge difference between writing for a blog and writing an article. For myself, I spend a lot more time going over the article I send in for the media than I do for my blog.
posted by
fionajean
on September 26, 2006 at 1:55 AM
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Azur
My niece is going to the University of Oklahoma and majoring in Journalism. She wants to live in New York City and be a journalist when she graduates.
posted by
avant-garde
on September 25, 2006 at 3:34 PM
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Good luck...
posted by
_Symphony_
on September 25, 2006 at 7:23 AM
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I'm wondering what the other 62% say...
Good luck with those intangibles. 
posted by
_dave_says_ack_
on September 25, 2006 at 2:22 AM
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Blogs do give a lot more people a voice.
posted by
Whacky
on September 25, 2006 at 12:21 AM
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Good luck!
I do not consider myself a journalist because of blogging. I do write a monthly advice column for emerging poultry farmers in a monthly Zambian farmers magazine, but I still do not categorize this as journalism, or should I?
posted by
Tanga
on September 24, 2006 at 11:12 AM
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Whoops....typo... that was 'may'
posted by
Shams-i-Heartsong
on September 24, 2006 at 3:04 AM
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I also wish you the best in your effort toward employment
My the perfect doors open.
posted by
Shams-i-Heartsong
on September 24, 2006 at 3:03 AM
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azur - best of luck, sending positive thoughts.
posted by
fourcats
on September 23, 2006 at 11:27 PM
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Azur
I don't believe that blogs will ever replace newspapers. There is something I love about the solidity of a newspaper, and sometimes keep a story around for days just so I can understand the journalist fully.
It would kill me not to have a newspaper to cover my face with on the couch when I get dozy of an afternoon luv.
Good luck with your job prospects and if you would like me to write a letter for you attesting to your skills that I have experienced,, I will be most happy to do that.
You know luv, it may not be a bad idea to have a letter from an old duffer in a foreign land. I do write good letters I think
send me one if you like.
posted by
WileyJohn
on September 23, 2006 at 9:15 PM
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