Skills: conversational writing technique Concepts: the growing role of conversational writing, JCR Licklider, the formal nature of conversational writing, synchronous versus asynchronous applications This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. Conversational writing

Where does this topic fit? Internet concepts –Applications –Technology –Implications Internet skills –Application development –Content creation (text) –User skills

Conversation examples An conversation with an individual An conversation with a group of people on a list server A conversation with a group of people on a threaded discussion forum A comment on a blog post An online chat

Professional conversation is moving away from talk to chat instant messaging wiki and blog comments Fried’s program Basecamp etc. Conversational writing at work Writing ability is the most important thing Jason Fried looks for in hiring employees.

J. C. R. Licklider Licklider and Taylor, The Computer as a Communication Device, 1968.The Computer as a Communication Device

An effective conversation Would you like to have lunch today? > Would you like to have lunch today? Yes, what time and where? > Yes, what time and where? How about noon at Felippe’s? Noon is great --- where is Felippe’s? Felippe’s is near Union station --- here is a link: … Great -- I will meet you there at noon. OK

It’s effective because The conversation was focused and stayed on topic. They quoted each other in replies to stay focused and to let the other person know they were being heard. No statements or queries were ignored. The conversation came to a shared agreement. Both parties felt the conversation was ended -- there were no loose ends.

An ineffective conversation

Same timeDifferent time Same place Shared screen in classroom Different placeOnline chat session , blog comments, threaded discussion Conversation classification

Conversational writing tips Think about the purpose of the conversation. Quote previous statements when appropriate. Reply to all questions or requests for information – no loose ends. Respond (positively or negatively) to all requests for a commitment, and honor commitments or deadlines you agree to. Read carefully before replying. If time allows, set your reply aside before re-reading and sending it. Better yet, have someone else read it.

Summary Same timeDifferent time Same place Shared screen in classroom Different placeOnline chat session , blog comments, threaded discussion

1.We are covering three types of writing that are common on the Internet. Conversational writing is one – what are the other two? 2.Which Internet conversation applications are synchronous? 3.Which Internet conversation applications have you used? Did you use them in school, at work or in your personal life? 4.Have you had an Internet conversation with a stranger? 5.Are you reluctant to post a comment on a blog or ask a question on an list? If so, what do you think stops you? 6.When you reply to an or other message, do you include snippets from the original to establish the context. 7.Google J. C. R. Licklider and describe his role in funding the research leading to the personal computer and Internet. Self-study questions

Resources Talk by Jason Fried: Licklider and Taylor, The Computer as a Communication Device, reprinted from Science and Technology, April 1968: and J. C. R. Licklider, Man-Computer Symbiosis January 1992 IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, Volume 14 Issue Winograd, Terry, A Language/Action Perspective on the Design of Cooperative Work, Human-Computer Interaction 3:1 ( ), An ineffective conversation:

Formal analysis of conversations Request for action: a request or offer which is subsequently confirmed or dropped Request for clarification: obtaining more information about something said earlier or in a prior conversation Creating possibilities: creating ideas and selecting one or more for future discussion Orientation: exchanging information about themselves or a situation Optional

Formal analysis Would you like to have lunch today? > Would you like to have lunch today? Yes, what time and where? > Yes, what time and where? How about noon at Felippe’s? Noon is great --- where is Felippe’s? > Noon is great --- where is Felippe’s? Near Union station --- here is a link: … Great -- I will meet you there at noon. OK (confirmation and clarification request) (commitment request) (offer a possibility or confirmation) (confirmation) (confirmation and clarification request) (clarification) (confirmation) Optional