This weekend saw me working with Steve Cropper on producing the news segment for the upcoming edition of Life On Line. For those curious about process, here's what happens.
I select four or five news items from my SL on VL site and condense each one into a two or three sentence summary. I also supplement the stories with graphics and videos whenever possible. This provides Steve with material to show along with my voice.
Armed with the text, Steve and I set up a Skype call to record the segment. If all goes well, it's a one-shot take; if not, we try again and again until I get it right!
Steve then takes some film shots of me at the studio and ultimately blends the voice, video, and graphics into a segment.
So there you have it. The media at work. Lucky for me I only have a one- to two-minute slot - Steve has to pull together the rest of the program!
Feb 8, 2009
Feb 4, 2009
Shill or Scribbler: Where Are My Ethics?
It's late on Tuesday and I have just made myself a huge pot of tea. PG Tips, to be precise - a blend of Indian leaves that is popular in the UK but outrageously expensive in the US. I guess that's just the price I have to pay for being an ex-pat who wants to use imports.
The pot is actually a Starbucks mug that I picked up in the city of Taichung in Taiwan. I like it because it can hold a significant amount of liquid and it seems exotic.
And I typically use the big mug when I want to write anything at length because tea seems to help me focus on the job in hand. Whether it does so on a biochemical level I can't be sure, but psychologically at least, it's a mild stimulant.
But I digress. The pot is just a distraction from the real topic, which is whether I see myself as a scribbler or a shill.
I like the word scribbler. My good friend and companion, the Oxford English Dictionary, tells me that a scribbler is "one who scribbles or writes hastily or carelessly; hence a petty author; a writer without worth." Terrible as that may sound, the word is also used as an informal synonym for a journalist. It also suggests a "jobbing writer," the type of penman who writes day in and day out just to make a living.
That's my aim in Second Life. That and achieving Slebrity status along with pots of money. I currently make a second living by writing for hire. This is closer in definition to the word scrivener, succinctly defined as "a professional penman; a scribe, copyist; a clerk, secretary, amanuensis."
As a professional, being paid for your work is perfectly legitimate. And by work, I mean articles. But how do I justify being paid for review pieces? At what point do I become a shill, "an accomplice of a hawker, gambler, or swindler who acts as an enthusiastic customer to entice others"
I'm half way through my tea so I'm ready to list what I will and won't do.
1. As a freelancer, I can write about anything that takes my fancy. I can take as long as I like, use as many words as I like, and praise or offend anyone I want. Once the article is done, I can sell to the highest bidder. This is simple capitalism: I have a product - the article - and there is a buyer who wants is - an editor.
2. As a staffer, I may get assigned a topic for which I then get paid. If my article is too effusive or shows bias, it is the job of the editor to determine whether it is fit to be published or not.
3. As a copy writer, an individual can ask me to write advertising copy for a product. My role is as a marketer, whose task is to promote items for a fee.
What I have to avoid are situations where I get paid for copy but then try to pass it off as objective journalism. The key to making sure this happens is to use transparency.
Let's look at two examples. The first is my recent article on Alphamale for FreeLife Magazine. I wrote the text after spending lots of money on clothes there because I liked them. I wanted to showcase Alphamale products not because Yelmer Pfeffer was paying me to do it but because I genuinely appreciate the couture. I then send off the finished article plus pictures to the editors at FreeLife, who then pay me in Lindens.
In this situation, I don't feel like a shill being paid for the article. The designer wasn't paying me but a third-party organization that produces a lifestyle magazine.
The second is an overview of a Second Life singer that appeared in the SL Enquirer and Metaverse Tribune. I was asked to write this as advertising copy by Tammy Toll, the owner of Toll Entertainment, and she then used it to give to the SL press. I was paid by Tammy openly so had no qualms.
Where I do feel a little uncomfortable is that some folks may read that article and not know it is essentially advertising. It's awkward in that my writing is a product that someone can buy, but it then becomes there product and can do with it as they wish.
It's gray for me at this point. And it's hard to cast more light because I wrote the review honestly and only said what was true for me: I do like the singer and I do think it is worth folks buying her CD. But how I feel is probably not relevent in relation to the the process of writing ad copy for hire.
I try to be truthful, independent, and invite people to check my sources. I am not above advocacy journalism - the Op-Ed or Editorial - and try to acknowledge my biases, knowing full well that I, and everyone else, have them. I try not to write for free because that leads to a devaluing of the art of writing, and leads to the tragedy of folks "playing" at being writers and the publication of terrible articles. In the longer term, this also leads to a shabby, unprofessional, Second Life press that becomes little more than an excuse to sell advertising copy.
I'm constantly looking for balance. So far, I earn enough to pay for my Second Life and even "export" cash into my first. I write pretty much what I want so this makes my virtual experiences pleasant. I also get to talk to lots of interesting residents who all have stories to tell, and my job is simply to help them tell them.
Scribbler or shill? I hope the former, but maybe someone out there disagrees.
The pot is actually a Starbucks mug that I picked up in the city of Taichung in Taiwan. I like it because it can hold a significant amount of liquid and it seems exotic.And I typically use the big mug when I want to write anything at length because tea seems to help me focus on the job in hand. Whether it does so on a biochemical level I can't be sure, but psychologically at least, it's a mild stimulant.
But I digress. The pot is just a distraction from the real topic, which is whether I see myself as a scribbler or a shill.
I like the word scribbler. My good friend and companion, the Oxford English Dictionary, tells me that a scribbler is "one who scribbles or writes hastily or carelessly; hence a petty author; a writer without worth." Terrible as that may sound, the word is also used as an informal synonym for a journalist. It also suggests a "jobbing writer," the type of penman who writes day in and day out just to make a living.
That's my aim in Second Life. That and achieving Slebrity status along with pots of money. I currently make a second living by writing for hire. This is closer in definition to the word scrivener, succinctly defined as "a professional penman; a scribe, copyist; a clerk, secretary, amanuensis."
As a professional, being paid for your work is perfectly legitimate. And by work, I mean articles. But how do I justify being paid for review pieces? At what point do I become a shill, "an accomplice of a hawker, gambler, or swindler who acts as an enthusiastic customer to entice others"
I'm half way through my tea so I'm ready to list what I will and won't do.
1. As a freelancer, I can write about anything that takes my fancy. I can take as long as I like, use as many words as I like, and praise or offend anyone I want. Once the article is done, I can sell to the highest bidder. This is simple capitalism: I have a product - the article - and there is a buyer who wants is - an editor.
2. As a staffer, I may get assigned a topic for which I then get paid. If my article is too effusive or shows bias, it is the job of the editor to determine whether it is fit to be published or not.
3. As a copy writer, an individual can ask me to write advertising copy for a product. My role is as a marketer, whose task is to promote items for a fee.
What I have to avoid are situations where I get paid for copy but then try to pass it off as objective journalism. The key to making sure this happens is to use transparency.
Let's look at two examples. The first is my recent article on Alphamale for FreeLife Magazine. I wrote the text after spending lots of money on clothes there because I liked them. I wanted to showcase Alphamale products not because Yelmer Pfeffer was paying me to do it but because I genuinely appreciate the couture. I then send off the finished article plus pictures to the editors at FreeLife, who then pay me in Lindens.
In this situation, I don't feel like a shill being paid for the article. The designer wasn't paying me but a third-party organization that produces a lifestyle magazine.
The second is an overview of a Second Life singer that appeared in the SL Enquirer and Metaverse Tribune. I was asked to write this as advertising copy by Tammy Toll, the owner of Toll Entertainment, and she then used it to give to the SL press. I was paid by Tammy openly so had no qualms.
Where I do feel a little uncomfortable is that some folks may read that article and not know it is essentially advertising. It's awkward in that my writing is a product that someone can buy, but it then becomes there product and can do with it as they wish.
It's gray for me at this point. And it's hard to cast more light because I wrote the review honestly and only said what was true for me: I do like the singer and I do think it is worth folks buying her CD. But how I feel is probably not relevent in relation to the the process of writing ad copy for hire.
I try to be truthful, independent, and invite people to check my sources. I am not above advocacy journalism - the Op-Ed or Editorial - and try to acknowledge my biases, knowing full well that I, and everyone else, have them. I try not to write for free because that leads to a devaluing of the art of writing, and leads to the tragedy of folks "playing" at being writers and the publication of terrible articles. In the longer term, this also leads to a shabby, unprofessional, Second Life press that becomes little more than an excuse to sell advertising copy.
I'm constantly looking for balance. So far, I earn enough to pay for my Second Life and even "export" cash into my first. I write pretty much what I want so this makes my virtual experiences pleasant. I also get to talk to lots of interesting residents who all have stories to tell, and my job is simply to help them tell them.
Scribbler or shill? I hope the former, but maybe someone out there disagrees.
Feb 3, 2009
Going To Be Making A Movie
I'm in severe danger of over-extending myself as a media mercenary. Not only have I added my role as newsman on Life On Line but I've just signed on with MediaMan Studios and Toll Entertainment as Lead Writer on a new project: making a movie!
In their YouTube promo, Let's Make A Movie, Tammy Toll and MediaMan Compton reveal their plan to create... well, something! So far there is no plot, no actors, and no cash; a good start to any venture, don't you think ;)
Here's the official press release:
"Sigmund Leominster famed SL Media Hound has joined MediaMan Studios as head of Story Development. He with Lanai Jarrico & Vianne Siamendes will develop story content for SL distribution and RL New Media pandering to the arts. MediaMan Studios is currently forming a cast of players for its first major release. Details on attachment. Additional Sigmund Leominster info at his profile
"MediaMan Compton was quoted at today's announcement, 'We are pleased that we have someone on board that can spell.'"
If all goes well, the movie will be an entry in a real life contest and, if things go really well, I may get some money. Whooo!!
In their YouTube promo, Let's Make A Movie, Tammy Toll and MediaMan Compton reveal their plan to create... well, something! So far there is no plot, no actors, and no cash; a good start to any venture, don't you think ;)
Here's the official press release:
"Sigmund Leominster famed SL Media Hound has joined MediaMan Studios as head of Story Development. He with Lanai Jarrico & Vianne Siamendes will develop story content for SL distribution and RL New Media pandering to the arts. MediaMan Studios is currently forming a cast of players for its first major release. Details on attachment. Additional Sigmund Leominster info at his profile
"MediaMan Compton was quoted at today's announcement, 'We are pleased that we have someone on board that can spell.'"
If all goes well, the movie will be an entry in a real life contest and, if things go really well, I may get some money. Whooo!!
Jan 30, 2009
SLebrity Update: I'm a Loser - Not!!!
Leominster PR, a fictitious company that exists more as an aspiration than an application, appears to be treading water with its "SLebrity" campaign. It seems that Google hits for the word have jumped from my baseline measure of 2,730 to a spectacular 2,630!
Eagle-eyed pedants might want to point out that 2630 is 10 less that 2730, and I suppose, after reviewing the data and taking all things into consideration, a case could be made for saying that the number has gone down.
But mathematics has little to do with marketing, and the campaign for SLebrity ubiquity is not necessarily about the number.
A recent post on SL Revolution by paraliptic SLebrity Prad Prathivi, not only whined against the existence of the word but went on to use it FIVE times. Hurrah for pride!! The word then made its way into a number of comments - and shamelessly I contributed - which should add significantly to the Google's count.
The post is so recent that the minor hiccup in the current 2630 figure should be corrected fairly shortly. Hence my unflagging faith in the increased use of SLebrity during 2009.
Eagle-eyed pedants might want to point out that 2630 is 10 less that 2730, and I suppose, after reviewing the data and taking all things into consideration, a case could be made for saying that the number has gone down.
But mathematics has little to do with marketing, and the campaign for SLebrity ubiquity is not necessarily about the number.
A recent post on SL Revolution by paraliptic SLebrity Prad Prathivi, not only whined against the existence of the word but went on to use it FIVE times. Hurrah for pride!! The word then made its way into a number of comments - and shamelessly I contributed - which should add significantly to the Google's count.
The post is so recent that the minor hiccup in the current 2630 figure should be corrected fairly shortly. Hence my unflagging faith in the increased use of SLebrity during 2009.
Jan 29, 2009
Life On Line Goes Live: Virtual TV for the Virtual World
Social networks, games, shopping, dating, music, news and much more. Life On Line, a TV show about internet living.
Life-On-Line ...... Spread the word!
LOL is the brainchild of journalist Steve Cropper. According to Steve, Life On Line "seeks to go deeper into how people use their online time for news and entertainment, creativity, love, friendship, business, shopping, work or any other reason. We also scan the internet for emerging new talent - musicians, movie makers, writers, bloggers - anyone who is contributing to the richness of digital life."
And starting today, you can watch Life On Line from this site, simply by clicking the video box to the left of this article.
Here's the team that brings you Life On Line:
Host - Steve Cropper
Music - Space Junky
News - Sigmund Leominster
Social Networks - Andrew Peters
'Shrink' - Dr Roman Candle
Voice - Kayden O'Connell
The news slot is a summary of more detailed items that can be found at my SL on VL site. Here you can read the news in detail, find links to source material, and check out other virtual world news.
Jan 28, 2009
Jan 26, 2009
On The Road In Real Life
I know it's heresy, but for the next few days I'll be logging on to real life for extended periods of time. Of course, I am a little worried that this may lead to something called Real Life Addiction, or RLA as it is known amongst Second Life therapists.
This is a syndrome that is becoming increasingly widespread in Second Life despite the fact the many people want to deny its existence. Seemingly happy avatars are spending more and more time in Real Life, seduced by its false realism and ease of access. Sufferers are choosing to forgo normal things like teleporting to mermaid-infested seas or adding new slaves to their harem, and turning to things like shopping for groceries, eating food, and even having sex using their genitals. Apparently, there is an enormous amount of sex going on in Real Life, some of it too disgusting to contemplate!
You can help.
Talk to your friends and see if they exhibit any of the following behaviors:
1. Do they fail to log in between their local hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm? This may be because they have something called "a job," which keeps them away from normal Second Life activity.
2. Do they log off at around their local time of 11:00 pm? This is indicative of their doing something called "sleeping." This is a dangerous condition where they lie down for hours and fall into unconsciousness. They are very vulnerable in this state and could easily be injured.
3. Do the say things like, "I need to log off for an hour but I'll be back." This could be an excuse to "eat," a behavior that involves putting things in their mouths and swallowing. (Note: this is a by-product of the "shopping for groceries: behavior.)
4. Do they say things like "My girlfriend/boyfriend is here" and then poof away. If you cannot see them on your Friends list, it's possible they are having a relationship in Real Life! This is very worrisome because it can lead to sex - and this can become very addictive, leading, in extreme cases, to individuals abandoning Second Life altogether and becoming lost forever.
If you suspect your friend of any of these, please make sure you help them through their crisis. Take them shopping. Go to a club. Offer sex. Buy them a primmy baby. Send them to this blog. Do whatever you have to do in order to bring them back to their senses and focus on unreality.
There's no doubt that a little Real Life can be harmless. After all, it's just a game. The trick is to balance Real Life with Second Life rather than chose one over the other. But just be aware that Real Life is out there; that is can be very seductive; and that you are not alone.
I need to log off for a few hours but I will be back.
This is a syndrome that is becoming increasingly widespread in Second Life despite the fact the many people want to deny its existence. Seemingly happy avatars are spending more and more time in Real Life, seduced by its false realism and ease of access. Sufferers are choosing to forgo normal things like teleporting to mermaid-infested seas or adding new slaves to their harem, and turning to things like shopping for groceries, eating food, and even having sex using their genitals. Apparently, there is an enormous amount of sex going on in Real Life, some of it too disgusting to contemplate!
You can help.
Talk to your friends and see if they exhibit any of the following behaviors:
1. Do they fail to log in between their local hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm? This may be because they have something called "a job," which keeps them away from normal Second Life activity.
2. Do they log off at around their local time of 11:00 pm? This is indicative of their doing something called "sleeping." This is a dangerous condition where they lie down for hours and fall into unconsciousness. They are very vulnerable in this state and could easily be injured.
3. Do the say things like, "I need to log off for an hour but I'll be back." This could be an excuse to "eat," a behavior that involves putting things in their mouths and swallowing. (Note: this is a by-product of the "shopping for groceries: behavior.)
4. Do they say things like "My girlfriend/boyfriend is here" and then poof away. If you cannot see them on your Friends list, it's possible they are having a relationship in Real Life! This is very worrisome because it can lead to sex - and this can become very addictive, leading, in extreme cases, to individuals abandoning Second Life altogether and becoming lost forever.
If you suspect your friend of any of these, please make sure you help them through their crisis. Take them shopping. Go to a club. Offer sex. Buy them a primmy baby. Send them to this blog. Do whatever you have to do in order to bring them back to their senses and focus on unreality.
There's no doubt that a little Real Life can be harmless. After all, it's just a game. The trick is to balance Real Life with Second Life rather than chose one over the other. But just be aware that Real Life is out there; that is can be very seductive; and that you are not alone.
I need to log off for a few hours but I will be back.
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