Students are writing in the online space more now than ever before, even compared to just five years ago when I was a professional writing student — when Facebook was just starting and Twitter had yet to be launched.

The Chronicle of Higher Education just published a great article about the impact of online media on student writing, which includes a look at a study done in a first-year writing course at Michigan State University. For the study, students tracked all forms of writing over a two-week period, including time, genre, audience, location, and purpose of their writing. Much of the writing tracked by students was not class related, yet it was regarded as more meaningful. What does this mean for writing curriculum?

Professor Jeffrey T. Grabill, lead author of the study and co-director of MSU’s Writing in Digital Environments Research Center is one of the academia who shares their insights on the effect of online media on writing curriculum:

Mr. Grabill, from Michigan State, says college writing instruction should have two goals: to help students become better academic writers, and to help them become better writers in the outside world. The second, broader goal is often lost, he says, either because it is seen as not the college’s responsibility, or because it seems unnecessary.

“The unstated assumption there is that if you can write a good essay for your literature professor, you can write anything,” Mr. Grabill says. “That’s utter nonsense.”

The writing done outside of class is, in some ways, the opposite of a traditional academic paper, he says. Much out-of-class writing, he says, is for a broad audience instead of a single professor, tries to solve real-world problems rather than accomplish academic goals, and resembles a conversation more than an argument.

Rather than being seen as an impoverished, secondary form, online writing should be seen as “the new normal,” he says, and treated in the curriculum as such: “The writing that students do in their lives is a tremendous resource.”

The effects of online media on students’ writing are debated by scholars throughout the article. But whether writing in the online space increases attention to tone or encourages bad writing habits, I think it’s important for educators to acknowledge how the writing environment is changing. It’s no longer just about research papers. Professional writers need to be able to produce diverse styles for diverse audiences, from memorandums to press releases to web copy, and addressing that diversity in the curriculum is essential.

Check out the full article from The Chronicle to learn more about the MSU study, as well as the “Stanford Study of Writing,” a five-year study of the writing lives of students at Stanford, and let me know what you think about the new normal.

On June 9, Facebook announced that they were launching vanity URLs for all profiles. Facebook will allow users to register custom usernames for the first time starting at 12:01am EDT Saturday, June 13 — less than three hours from now.

This announcement has caused a social media frenzy because it’s a great chance to expand on your personal brand. However, URLs will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis so you will need to act quickly — which is just the kind of publicity and site hits that Facebook is hoping for. If you’re still in the dark about the rules of the new vanity URLs, check out PC World’s 10 Important Points and then join me in the countdown.

I’m pretty fascinated by letterpress. I pore over photo-filled blogs of beautiful designs, and Heart Fish is one of my favorites. I ordered a custom print of the word “BLISS” and was so happy to see that Hijiri posted photos of her process.

Bliss is, of course, a very fun and happy word, but it’s also the last name of my better half (and some day – but not any time soon – my last name). So, it has special meaning, and I can’t wait to frame and display this print.

You can see  all of the photos at Heart Fish.

As a side note, I’ve recently come into about 100 pounds of small, movable metal type (a 5 gallon bucket full). I’m not sure what to do with it yet. Any crafty-types out there with project ideas?

beyondwords would like to welcome today’s guest blog author, Kristen Byers. Kristen is the New Media Development Specialist for the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and she holds a B.A. in Professional Writing from Michigan State University. She recently attended the 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference and we invited her to share what she took away about nonprofits, social media, and professional writing.

A few weeks ago, I attended the 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference hosted by the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN). You may have seen our event hashtag (#09ntc) trending on Twitter. Approximately 1,400 non-profit techies came together for three days in San Francisco, California.

A big focus of the conference was definitely social media. Nonprofits are exploring new ways of spreading their mission and deploying their message, which often involve YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites. Nonprofits are not only using social media to reach their audiences, they are also using social media for fundraising and recruitment purposes. However, nonprofits are quickly learning that in order to maximize the benefits of social networking, the communication needs to go both ways; conversations are much more effective than one-way communication blasts.

Highlights of the conference included the plenary speakers who kicked off the conference each morning.

Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody, spoke about digital networking and grassroots activism. Some memorable snippets:

• “The loss of control you fear is already in the past.”
• “Once one person solves the problem once, the problem stays solved for everybody.”
• “Don’t hire consultants. Hire your own 23-year-olds.”
• “Nothing says dictatorship like arresting people for eating ice cream. The problem wasn’t the ice cream: it was the group.”

Eben Moglen, law professor at Columbia University, spoke about the ownership of software and knowledge:

• “Knowledge has to be shared to be valuable.”
• “In the digital world, we have escaped the constraints of scarcity but still bias against sharing.”

However, the best part of the conference was Holly Ross (Executive Director of NTEN) and her remake of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” music video. Holly’s video was a thank you to the NTEN community for donating scholarship money to help others attend 09NTC.

My favorite breakout session was entitled “Effective Online Communications.” This session, as well as many others, emphasized the need to plan and strategize before launching any new communications efforts (and to reevaluate old efforts once in a while to make sure they are still serving your original purpose!).

You can find my notes from 09NTC on my work blog. In addition, many of the breakout session materials are also available online.

I was shopping recently and noticed that the logos on the packages of Mountain Dew and Pepsi looked a little familiar – kind of like it did when I was a kid.

Today I decided to do some digging and found out that not only is the branding a “throwback” to the days gone by, but Pepsi has swapped the high fructose corn syrup for real sugar.

Pepsi has also launched a multimedia web site for the Throwback brand, including videos, blogs, a Twitter feed and widgets and wallpapers for fans to download. They’ve also partnered with Nascar driver Jeff Gordon, whose racing car features the classic Pepsi logo.

You can find more information on the branding and taste at these links.

Official Facts about Pepsi Throwback & Mountain Dew Throwback

Remember How Pepsi Tasted in the 60s? It’s Back

Pepsi Throwback’s real sugar taste thrills panel

Lawrence Lessig, who garnered a lot of attention earlier this year with an appearance on The Colbert Report about copyright and remixing, was recently issued a Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice by Warner Music for a YouTube presentation, according to Ars Technica.

The growing volume of infringing content on YouTube has made it a major target for DMCA takedown notices. Unfortunately, the content producers that are flooding the site with takedowns are rarely taking adequate steps to ensure the validity of their claims and are indiscriminately targeting videos that fall within the boundaries of fair use.

Professor Lessig has spent most of his career focusing on the law and technology as it relates to copyright, and has already protested the takedown notice, citing fair use for the audio clips used in the presentation.

Lessig is strongly committed to educating the public, lawmakers, and the content industry about the importance of protecting fair use from DMCA abuses, so it seems likely that he will take advantage of Warner’s mistake to raise awareness of the issue. The fact that the notice was issued at all serves as yet another reminder of how easily the barrage of poorly considered DMCA takedowns can hit innocent bystanders.

This is yet another example of why professional writers need to be aware of and consider fair use, copyright, and other issues of authorship when writing for the web or when gathering clips for remix writing.

Professional writing professor Martine Rife recently testified before the Library of Congress US Copyright Office to argue in favor of expanding the DMCA to include professional writing students and their teachers, as well as any and all non-commercial use.

To learn more about the hearings and the DMCA, check out Martine’s blog, Radical Transparency, for a list of resources and links. You can also follow the process as Lessig fights the takedown notice on his blog or Twitter.

The Monterey Institute of International Studies is undergoing a website redesign and looking for 2-3 web content developers to work with the web team and help create content during the summer (late-May to mid-August). While no specific coding knowledge is required, you will have the chance to observe a fairly large-scale redesign.

The team of content developers will be responsible for writing some of the main landing pages for miis.edu. This will include highly visible pages such as Admissions, Academics, and other areas of the site that are most likely to be seen by prospective students and donors.

Job Duties:
- Consult with staff and faculty members regarding the web content that needs to be created
- Produce writing that is creative, clear, and concise

Qualifications:
- Demonstrate a strong command of the English language, particularly with regard to grammar and style
- Possess the ability to proof, research, and challenge assumptions

Bonus Points:
- Previous experience with technical writing, blogging, or writing for the web
- Knowledge of Chicago and AP styles

Time Commitment: 20-40 hrs/wk
Compensation: $12-17/hr DOE

The ideal candidates will be able to work onsite in Monterey, CA in order to learn firsthand about the Institute.

Send resumes to Kristen Byers at kristen.byers@miis.edu. Writing samples and portfolios are also encouraged. Materials will be accepted until May 17. Please don’t hesitate to contact Kristen if you have any questions!

Michigan State University Federal Credit Union is hiring MSU students to participate in a  social media internship. Students must apply by creating a short YouTube video explaining why they should be hired for the job.

The selected students will also receive some nice perks of the job, including:

- a new Macbook
- a digital video recorder
- a digital camera
- a bi-weekly paycheck…that’s right, it’s a paid internship!

Applications are due July 24, 2009. See the MSUFCU student site for more information.

I’m always thrilled when I hear about new ways to use existing tools, even if “new” really just means new to me. So it was great to see Smashing Magazine’s latest article about the capability of WordPress for portfolios. We use WordPress for beyondwords, and I also use it for my personal blog. But the “Ultimate Guide To Using WordPress For A Portfolio” shows how you can take advantage of the tool for more than blogging.

Let’s face it: designing your online portfolio can be a scary process, especially if you don’t have strong web design skills. Smashing Magazine helps the process along by sharing WordPress themes for those who don’t want to fully customize their site and giving tips on how to set up your main page and project pages.

They also showcase designers who are already using WordPress for their portfolios. I’ve been brainstorming for the last few months about how I want to update my portfolio, and this is just the kind of inspiration I needed to dig in.

Check out the full article for more resources and eye candy, and our previous portfolio tips and resources. If you’re a professional writer using WordPress for your portfolio, let us know about your experience!

On May 6-7, 2009, Martine Courant Rife, a professional writing professor at both Lansing Community College and Michigan State University, will be traveling to Washington, DC to testify at the Library of Congress US Copyright Office before the Librarian of Congress and the US Registrar of Copyrights about exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA; Section 1201[a][1] title 17, United States Code).

Every three years the US Copyright office has rulemaking proceedings in order to gather evidence about creating exemptions to the DMCA. The DMCA makes it illegal to hack into a DVD even if the purpose of that hacking is to gather clips to be used as “fair use” such as in remix writing. Specifically, the law states: “No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title.”

These rulemaking proceedings have taken place three previous times. In 2006, some film professors requested an exemption and were granted that. The exemption reads as follows:

“Audiovisual works included in the educational library of a college or university’s film or media studies department, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of making compilations of portions of those works for educational use in the classroom by media studies or film professors.”

The rulemaking process includes submitting comments and responses to comments as well as requests to testify. In general, the educational community is asking for the film studies professor exemption to be expanded. In contrast, groups/companies like Time Warner and the Motion Picture Association of America do not favor such expansion. The hearings will decide this issue, and also decide whether the original film studies exemption will continue into the future.

Martine is arguing both in favor of expanding the exemption to include professional writing students and their teachers, as well as any/all non-commercial use. She’s also arguing in favor of including all DVDs, even those not owned by an institution’s library. Her request to testify can be read here (PDF).

For more information about the DMCA and the rulemaking procedures, click here. The schedule for the hearings is also available for viewing.

Martine’s research is at the intersection of intellectual property and professional writing. She has been teaching at Lansing Community College for nine years, and she recently received her PhD in Rhetoric & Writing from Michigan State University. She serves as an Affiliate Researcher for the WIDE Research Center at MSU, and is also a licensed attorney. She can be reached at martinerife@gmail.com.