tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post7046047525068180514..comments2024-03-27T19:11:37.620-04:00Comments on You Don't Say: That little band of heroesJohn McIntyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559687583130468871noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-77168558881002365012009-05-05T02:11:00.000-04:002009-05-05T02:11:00.000-04:00I like the idea of green eyeshades and garters. Qu...I like the idea of green eyeshades and garters. Quite apart from the practical purposes they serve, I'm in favor of dress codes. There seem to be so few these days.Patricia the Tersenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-67207064591736925552009-05-04T17:59:00.000-04:002009-05-04T17:59:00.000-04:00John - sorry to see you leave the Sun, but happy t...John - sorry to see you leave the Sun, but happy to see You Don't Say in the webisphere. You've always been a class act.KevinSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-6594906905020294042009-05-04T15:24:00.000-04:002009-05-04T15:24:00.000-04:00John, I'd so hoped to see you at ACES, but am glad...John, I'd so hoped to see you at ACES, but am glad to find you here. You write about language with a grace I can only aspire to emulate.<br /><br />I'll let our readers know where to find you. And if you're ever in New York, the libation's on me.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />WendiWendalyn Nicholshttp://www.copyediting.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-88172158556147753552009-05-02T21:09:00.000-04:002009-05-02T21:09:00.000-04:00The newsroom (or what's left of it) misses you alr...The newsroom (or what's left of it) misses you already. Mostly for the hats, but also the bourbon balls. Oh, and the editing. ;)Justinenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-56919922310633544822009-05-02T07:53:00.000-04:002009-05-02T07:53:00.000-04:00I love the Oxford comma.I love the Oxford comma.jlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-76467958982486412742009-05-02T07:52:00.000-04:002009-05-02T07:52:00.000-04:00I love the Oxford comma.I love the Oxford comma.jdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01918418786936612717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-19807058094268996782009-05-01T19:06:00.000-04:002009-05-01T19:06:00.000-04:00Welcome back! How many punctuation marks have a so...Welcome back! How many punctuation marks have a song named after them? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_i1xk07o4gmdlrvrmunchernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-92080880172258750022009-05-01T19:01:00.000-04:002009-05-01T19:01:00.000-04:00As the spousal unit of a long-time, recently mugge...As the spousal unit of a long-time, recently mugged-and-axed Sun editor, I say: those let go are the lucky ones. The demise of that once-great publication is heartbreaking. Not only are you free of AP style, but you are free of the Tribune tyranny! Best wishes ~ AnnamarieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-35787684527296802262009-05-01T18:57:00.000-04:002009-05-01T18:57:00.000-04:00John, Great to see you in your new home! I read yo...John, Great to see you in your new home! I read your blog every day. I was devastated by this week's demolition of the Sun's extraordinarily talented news staff. I grew up reading that paper, and am deeply saddened by what it has been reduced to. Best of luck to you.George Carternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-17487220519865817872009-05-01T16:36:00.000-04:002009-05-01T16:36:00.000-04:00Free at last! Free at last! I love the Oxford comm...Free at last! Free at last! I love the Oxford comma, and I hate it when adverbs are put unidiomatically before auxiliary verbs instead of between them and the main verbs! Rock on!traceychennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-36281127138112921012009-05-01T16:10:00.000-04:002009-05-01T16:10:00.000-04:00He's back! He's back! He's back! He's back! He's b...He's back! He's back! He's back! He's back! He's back!Dannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-56652866278439434862009-05-01T15:36:00.000-04:002009-05-01T15:36:00.000-04:00I'm so glad to see you in a new home, although I a...I'm so glad to see you in a new home, although I am so sorry that the Sun let you go. That newspaper is sadly only a shadow of what it once was and it's poorer for all the recent cuts. I'm looking forward to reading more of your words of wisdom. I'm also glad to see the Oxford comma getting some love, usually I'm in the minority in using it.- ZannAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-86398905825322382462009-05-01T15:33:00.000-04:002009-05-01T15:33:00.000-04:00I'm very glad you will still be around the blogosp...I'm very glad you will still be around the blogosphere, at least. Yours is certainly my favorite word-related blog.<br /><br />And I cannot imagine the freedom and relief you must feel to finally be able to use the Oxford Comma. I was been bound to AP style for a few months, but even then I itched to get away.Claire Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00356741555403954008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-84824908809473135192009-05-01T14:49:00.000-04:002009-05-01T14:49:00.000-04:00As I work in AP style on the day job and Chicago a...As I work in AP style on the day job and Chicago after hours, I entirely sympathize with your feelings about the Oxford comma. <br /><br />I have only attended one state ACES conference so far, but I did find it enjoyable and informative. The best part of going to an ACES conference is being surrounded by like-minded people. So reassuring to know we are not alone in our grammar geekiness.<br /><br />As for eyeshades, I don’t own a green one, but today I am wearing purple. I own a variety of visors, because fluorescent lights are awful.<br /><br />Great to see the blog continued. It’s long been a favorite. (I particularly enjoyed the “not dead yet” tweet.)Kristen Stieffelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06716097889143393543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-89808435005093191792009-05-01T14:11:00.000-04:002009-05-01T14:11:00.000-04:00Your comment about a second set of eyes brings to ...Your comment about a second set of eyes brings to mind a parallel that I hadn't noticed before. As an engineer, a sizeable portion of my work product consists of drawings for producing components of various sorts. Long ago (disclaimer: long long before my own time), I would have produced some sort of sketch with rough dimensional information (or even a prototype part, probably carved from wood or foam) and handed it to a drafter. The drafter would have produced a drawing, a checker would have reviewed it for conformance to the company's drawing standards, and I would have looked over the final product before "sending it to print" or releasing for production. <br /><br />Now, we do it with a computer. My rough sketch can be copied and pasted into a production title block, and the necessary dimensional information added with a few clicks. So who needs a draftsman? Or a checker? I can still do the final check myself, and I'm perfectly capable of recognizing an error when I see one.<br /><br />There are of course mistakes that don't get caught. Most of the time they simply result in a phone call with a request to clarify a missing detail, and some embarrassment on the part of the engineer. Occasionally a part needs to be modified or remade. Very occasionally, the effects are more widespread. <br /><br />I suspect my rant applies primarily to the small companies I've worked at, and that larger companies do have the resources for more formalized procedures involving multiple sets of eyes. Nevertheless, as you said, the omission comes at the company's cost. Yes, the tools exist to consolidate three jobs into one, but as you remove people from the process, you reduce your chances to catch the errors.<br />-MarkMarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15873651593876251041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-37519238044164352042009-05-01T13:23:00.000-04:002009-05-01T13:23:00.000-04:00Glad you found a new home for your blog John. And ...Glad you found a new home for your blog John. And welcome to Blogger. I have an infrequently updated and rambling Blogger home myself at www.semioteur.com.Chris Emeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07679960798045795072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-62491382416315017702009-05-01T12:52:00.000-04:002009-05-01T12:52:00.000-04:00Professor
Happy to see Wordville has survived the...Professor<br /><br />Happy to see Wordville has survived the plundering of the Sun.LECnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-3592066164405430312009-05-01T10:20:00.000-04:002009-05-01T10:20:00.000-04:00John,
I'm so glad you have resurrected your blog...John, <br /><br />I'm so glad you have resurrected your blog here.<br /><br />Keep the faith, indeed.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406085681747154257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-72580908686182531532009-05-01T10:07:00.000-04:002009-05-01T10:07:00.000-04:00John,
This post, among others I've read over the ...John,<br /><br />This post, among others I've read over the past week, has shed some light on the perspective of a veteran copy editor in the newsroom. Being entrenched in the online space, I often find it difficult to understand what everyone seems to be clinging to in print.<br /><br />"Yeah, more layoffs, but that's because the print industry is dying. They have a Web site that could be very successful... what are they so afraid of?"<br /><br />That was before I learned of the benefits of having _layers_ of editors in a news room rather than just a row. Presumably borrowing from the model of their electronic brethren, it seems newspapers are under the impression they can make do with a single line of defense. Yes, the same tactic used during the revolutionary war... and we all know how that turned out.<br /><br />I think in the long term, things will work out for the better. News rooms will be microscopic compared to their early 90s selves, but I think the industry will realize the only true value they have is their ability to generate original content that has been made unparalleled by a robust team of editors.<br /><br />Eliminate good editing and you fall into the congealed membrane of blogs, news aggregators and amateur news portals.<br /><br />Thanks for your service.<br /><br />Mykel NahorniakMykel Nahorniakhttp://localist.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-43751906463541655902009-05-01T09:55:00.000-04:002009-05-01T09:55:00.000-04:00That's called the Oxford comma? I didn't know that...That's called the Oxford comma? I didn't know that. The GPO Style Manual calls for the same usage.PCB Robnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-10575622593509014832009-05-01T08:56:00.000-04:002009-05-01T08:56:00.000-04:00No writer is above the pencil (a phrase I coined b...No writer is above the pencil (a phrase I coined before computers). I'm always happy to have someone cast a wary eye over my work and have kept on a retainer consisting of nothing more than friendship a copy editor in another state. Fortunately, e-mail has made this relationship work. If I had to rely on the U.S. mail, it would be a different matter.The Spectatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04957037068796320437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-79084151771839103562009-05-01T08:48:00.000-04:002009-05-01T08:48:00.000-04:00Glad you're back.Glad you're back.Mike Catalinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07590530034849738309noreply@blogger.com