That’s it! (in a eureka sort of way, not in a fed up sort of way) For years, now, I have been saying to all who would listen why artists and craftspeople should blog: so people could know the stories behind what was being crafted. By seeing the process, they as readers become part of the process. And the ultimate way to embed themselves into the story and to continue the story is to buy or try what is being made.
Today, Chris Anderson of Long Tail fame and chief editor of Wired posted on his blog about what might happen if Wired became radically transparent:
“Process as Content“*. Why not share the reporting as it happens, uploading the text of each interview as soon as you can get it processed by your flat-world transcription service in India? (This may sound ridiculous, but it’s exactly what wire services such as the AP have long done–they update their stories with each new fragment of information). After you’ve woven together enough of the threads to have a semi-coherent draft, why not ask your readers to help edit it? (We did it here, and it worked great). And while you’re at it, let them write the headlines and subheads, not just for the site but also the punchier ones for the RSS feed and the one that has to work with the art for the magazine.
The footnote credits Evan Hansen for the phrase “Process as content.” That phrase encapsulates the essence of what I’ve been thinking regarding artist and craftperson blogs. I love it.
Technorati Tags: processascontent, art blogging, craft blogging, process blogging
