On Becoming Tech Savvy: A Heretic in the Ivy Tower

1. Part of the beauty of being anonymous: I can reveal what I really think without worrying too much about repercussions. Having said that, I realize that nothing is truly anonymous on the internet, but I'm still going to chance it and admit a few things that I would never say face-to-face to a colleague:

1. In the 21st century, every young person needs to become tech savvy, which involves knowing more than just using email, blogger, and myspace. You need to learn how to do web pages, write html code (or whatever codes are now standard), upload files and photographs and entire web pages.

2. If you are going into business and/or marketing, you should take all the computer classes you can because your boss will expect you to be tech savvy, and you had better pay attention. If you are going into business for yourself, you will need to know your way around the web if for no other reason to watch over your business interests and protect them from web sharks.

3. Never forget this truism: The world wide web is the playground for con artists, and you must take measures to fend them off by protecting your passwords and never revealing them to strangers and, yes, even to your best friends. This is probably one of the most important lessons in 21st century life.

The internet is full of liars, cheats, and charlatans; in a sense, Ms. Snark & The Professor is part of the big internet scam, for anytime a site is anonymous, you should view what is written on it with a cynical and critical eye. You have no idea who I am: I could be a college student, a 12th grader, or even a mass murderer on death row posing as a college professor. How would you know?

4. Learning how to write well is important, but not nearly as important as knowing how to manage the web for your benefit. There are quite a few young millionaires out there who can barely spell, yet they are millionaires. Often, they were "C" students throughout their college years, so if you fall in this category, don't sweat it. If you can manage your piece of the internet and make enough money doing it, you can always hire in-house or freelance writers to generate internet content or buy content from places like Associated Content or use free content from PRWeb (if you don't mind using press releases).

Just to prove my point, my next post, which will be related to the subject matter of this blog, will be a press release snatched from PRWeb.

5. With very few exceptions, the average writer is going to be part of the new underclass, right down there with adjunct faculty, janitors, and bookstore clerks. (By the way, I have nothing against anyone in these groups.)

6. Right now, one of the the most highly touted courses in college and university writing departments is a sexy-sounding "how-to" offering called "Writing for the Web" or "Web Writing." You certainly can learn a lot of technical skills in such a course, but if you are not learning why one writes for the web, then you need to take a course or attend a bonafide conference that shows you how to turn web writing into a real living.

However, avoid the "free" get-rich-quick seminar schemes because the only ones getting rich quick are the seminar organizers (see number 3), and, besides, nothing is ever really free.

7. There is a lot of money to be made (honestly) on the web; you just have to follow your bliss and find your special niche.

8. Learning how to schmooze properly and smoothly, either in person or online, is probably the most important skill that you can learn in life, one that I wish I had learned as a young person fresh out of college.

9. Courtesy and good manners never go out of style, even when you're feeling snarky and out of sorts with a friend or stranger. Being sweet when you don't feel like it is one of those whites lies that is truly a good thing--easier said than done, I know.

10. Perhaps the most heretical statement an academic can mutter: beyond the freshman composition courses that you are required to take, you would do well to avoid writing courses altogether and take literature, art, philosophy, and music. By becoming well-rounded in the liberal arts, you will become a better writer. Writing means nothing if you have nothing to write about. Besides, if you haven't learned how to hang together a sentence by now, then it's your fault for not paying attention in elementary, middle, and high school. Go to your college Writing Center for tutoring help and/or buy yourself a good grammar book and get cracking on those skills.

It's never too late.

Ms. Snark