Barry Starr asks on KQED's Quest blog: Why are scientists so scarce in the comments section of most science blogs? Citing the feverish reaction to a recent Quest post on a California vaccination law, Starr posits that scientists stand clear instead of wading into the debate because they are too busy and fearful of becoming targets: "A scientist needs to step up and let people know what the data shows. Unfortunately, this isn't happening right now as much as it should."
Science writing news
Brisk debate last week, prompted by these SciLogs posts from Akshat Rathi and Jalees Rehman and this reply from SciCurious. Writes the latter: "It's true that science writing isn't the most lucrative way to pay the bills. But getting a PhD to go INTO science writing is hardly better ... You'd be better off building your portfolio as a full time science writer, supplementing with other types of writing or other work."
Do you use litotes in your writing? Or synecdoche? Those are just two of the rhetorical devices Roy Peter Clark discusses in this Poynter post: "Let’s take the word zeugma, for example, a move in which a single verb in a sentence creates two different senses by its attachment to two different objects ... 'Gingrich dragged out his seven point plan and his blondest wife.' Or, 'The County Commission voted to restore fluoride to the water and sanity to the public debate.'"
You wouldn't throw a housewarming party before moving your furniture in, and you shouldn't open your blog to the public before taking these steps from The Book Designer site. Example: "You want to have a collection of at least 6 to 10 articles already on your blog. These should all address fundamental ideas, definitions, or principles of whatever your blog topic is. Presented properly, these are what we call foundation content, evergreen content, or pillar content."
A perfectly legal way for freelance writers to trim taxes is to employ their children. Their salaries stay in the family, but are shifted into their lower tax bracket. The jobs also put some “jingle in their jeans,” familiarize them with freelancing, and instill a bit of the old work ethic.
Nieman fellow David Skok teams with Harvard's influential business guru Clayton M. Christensen for an analysis of what ails the news industry and how it might be fixed, in Nieman Reports. "Four years after the 2008 financial crisis, traditional news organizations continue to see their newsrooms shrink or close. Those that survive remain mired in the innovator's dilemma: A false choice between today's revenues and tomorrow's digital promise."
The Book Designer site has 17 suggestions for authors who publish their own books, even if they are working with a professional book designer. The list includes links to other resources, such as a guide to making PDFs for LightningSource, the leading print-on-demand publisher, and advice like this: "People have expectations about what books should look like, and going against those expectations can cost you in legibility, readability and, eventually, in readership."
No longer is video limited to well-equipped pros with years of experience, Sean Patrick Farrell writes on Nieman Storyboard: "Now we have cheap and good cameras that most of us carry in our pockets, plus numerous ways to disseminate the content." Farrell provides tips ("Hold the camera in landscape, or horizontal mode whenever recording video.") and Casey Frechette at Poynter offers a quick tour of video editing software and a guide to its use.
Being on Facebook or Twitter is a good start, Denise Graveline writes, but if you're not careful, you might watch your words float away on the wind: "That's because you haven't taken the time to learn the art of timing your posts to social media sites. ... Often, the underlying reason is that no one behind your feed has researched timing — that is, the times of day and days of the week that yield the best levels of engagement for your business, brand or organization."