22 Feb 10

Breaking down faulty arguments in writing

Socrates, developer of the Socratic method for argumentation, helped transform Western philosophy. Unfortunately, he's made a mark in the wrong places as well. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Logic is the foundation of any good argument. In fact, a lazy or otherwise sloppily put together argument, especially in writing, is grounds for round criticism. So it goes without saying that if you aspire to be a good writer, you ground yourself with strong logic.

How you do that, is what’s peculiar.

Socrates developed a style of deductive argumentation — called the Socratic method — more than 1,600 years ago. His methods are studied in colleges and across America. But more so, the principles of his argument — using leading questions as premises in order to sneakily convince one’s oppenent of your righteousness and therefore logical consequence — have seeped into the daily Americana experience. You can find his touch on TV, in movies, and even in journalism.

The latter of which, it seems, is where the trendiness has caught my attention. Newspaper columnists and journo-bloggers have employed these methods in an awkard attempt to translate what is a perfected form of person-to-person communication (or fighting depending on how loud you’re talking) in a medium that is not dependent on conversation.

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16 Feb 10

Finally learning when not to hit the publish button

It occurred to me without realizing the gravity of the moment. I was writing here, in this very space, and self editing a post before the eventual push to live. But before I knew it, I was stopped cold in my tracks.

Thought: I don’t think you need to know that!

In the six years I’ve been writing on this site and addisports.com, I’ve held back plenty as far as opinions I would reveal, people that piss me off, and so forth. It’s my duty to hold my tongue at times because I am often a speaker for a larger group of people (SacBJA, The Union, etc.) and that can require me to be more … corporate. It can also require me to forego my opinion for a greater good, whether that means I act as the “company man” or some other soulless twit. I have no problem with that. If shutting up means I have better career opportunities than when I blabber my mouth, I’ll continue to be quiet.

But generally speaking, there’s a gray area that I consider my playground. The tech stuff that interests me (like my over indulgence in Google products), personal writing battles, the journalism industry and sports. These are easy targets. And then there’s my personal life. The changes, the moves, the flights, the parties and the extracurricular activities that can be pretty funny and presumably interesting in each slice.

So when I get the idea to write, especially in this space, I’m all for it because it’s probably safe from the scrutiny of company business. However, there is a line in the sand that I never realized was there before.

(Stay focused because I’m about to write in hypotheticals now. And I know we all love fantasy!)

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1 Comment Posted in Ethics, Personal by Zuri
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1 Feb 10

A west coast diversion in the making

Zuri's view of the Painted Ladies

Just shored up the cash for my first flight back to California since leaving last October. I’m pumped for a couple of reasons.

  1. I never had a real opportunity to say goodbye to my folks in San Francisco. They got out of dealing with me the easy way — without seeing me. So I gotta get back and get under their skin a little.
  2. I get another opportunity to take all the pictures of the wonderful skyline (as displayed above) that I love.
  3. I might even sneak in a couple of pictures of my nephew Chase, who is walking now.

I’ve got other things that I want to get out of the way, too. This trip is a long time coming (three months). I don’t think I’ve taken this long to see SF since college. So I’ll enjoy this visit a lot more because I’m not sure when my next voyage to the west coast will be. (NBA Finals???)

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25 Jan 10

Any excuse to write is a good excuse

I like to make excuses to come here. I really do. I know it’s my own Web site and I put up a sparse amount of content, battle with spam, and play ring-around-the-rosie with levels of seriousness. But in the end, it’s home.

And not just the home of my online identity. This site is home to an outlet for me as a writer and journalist. It’s not a secret that I come here and brainstorm what the industry needs, hypothesize how I can work harder and dare to dream of a book I’ve been meaning to write for three years.

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3 Comments Posted in Personal by Zuri
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18 Jan 10

MLK Day reminds me of the hero we all aspire to be

Martin Luther King Jr.

If there was anybody I ever believed was a hero, it was Martin Luther King Jr.

When I was in the fourth grade, we put together a Black History Month program in which there were reenactments of historical events. At the time, I was asked to portray Martin Luther King Jr. and perform the first leg of the “I Have a Dream” speech.

From what I remember, it was the tough performance. I know I whined and pouted about having to memorize so much. As some of my long-time friends remind me to this day, I was a irritable little punk back then. There was never a fault too slight that wasn’t worth complaining about.

But now I look back at that moment, and my performance — which wasn’t bad but wasn’t great (give me a break, I was 9) — and I swell with pride over going through the process.

It’s not everyday you get to play your hero.

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0 Comments Posted in Personal by Zuri
12 Jan 10

How should readers think about online advertising? Just tip the writer

Are you a troll? If so, I hate you. Seriously.

As someone who has worked in customer service before, I understand simply that the help doesn’t want to be subjected to my crappy mood. If I’m ready to breathe fire and spit tongue lashes on the account of my personal issues, I shouldn’t take my foul outlook on the world to the restaurant or the coffee shop or the dentist’s office.

That’s unacceptable.

You know I’m right because if you’re like 80 percent of the world’s population (or at least America’s) you’ve worked in some form of customer service before. It’s also the majority of jobs available.

(Don’t worry about the numbers. Just focus on the point.)

But there’s an added tangent to the customer-server relationship: The tip.

See, the basis of a customer’s relationship does not live or die by the customer’s behavior, but that of the server. Excellent service and a warm attitude is rewarded handsomely, while poor service and a shitty attitude gets no dinero.

Are you following along? … Cool.

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7 Jan 10

Work hard? Sho nuff!

Ant pushes rock, showing determination.

Go hard or go home.

I get the opportunity to watch some of the most heralded athletes and sports writers in the country at work. It’s a blessing to witness the work ethic and to identify with the drive of both the journalist and the athlete.

It makes me think about how these ultra successful individuals got to where they are, and how their continued success at the peak of their respective professions is incumbent upon a tireless work day.

Ever the efficient busy-bees, it’s always a wonder to watch.

Most folks (OK, kids) are inspired by the power of the printing press on the tour at a newspaper. Much later, they become inspired by the power of the internet and self-publishing, as I am. It’s safe to say, I’m still amazed with both. Particularly how they work and how I can learn more about them. But more than anything, I’m still learning to understand (yes, that’s correct) what it takes to make newspapers and Web sites tick with sought after content. Part of it is knowledge based. And while talent is almost always a necessity, what stands out for the obscenely successful is an unmatched work ethic. Everything and everyone else comes second to the task at hand. The focus of these individuals is extremely refined. Distractions are only other work related tasks.

Here I am, thinking I know a thing or two about working hard, and I haven’t even fully grasped the concept.

How could that be?

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1 Comment Posted in Personal by Zuri
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3 Jan 10

Redesign this!

Do you like my new digs? I’m actually still getting used to it. One of the biggest changes for me was the new favicon. Don’t it look purty?

If you’ve been following for the last four years or so, I’ve been going with the blue Z.

Twenty-10 had to be different. The change had to be seismic, in tune with my goals and updated for the new challenges ahead between the three Web sites I am charged with maintaining.

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1 Comment Posted in Business, Personal by Zuri
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2 Jan 10

Keeping it simple in 2010

First of all, I’ve been warned: It’s “twenty ten.” Not “two thousand ten.”

Be cool, and just accept this.

Second, I did have a couple of New Year’s resolutions I’d like to share:

  1. Blog the effin’ crap outta Addisports.com — I’ve amped up the potential of the site with a redesign, utilizing Arras Theme, and I’m hoping that with a new look the site will have a totally different feel for the new year. This continues what I started a long time ago with last year’s resolutions and prior goals.

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2 Comments Posted in Personal by Zuri
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27 Dec 09

Personal identity crisis: What should my Twitter name be?

I have, and always will have, @addisports as a Twitter name. But I also have @zuriberry — just in case.

I’m considering breaking the emergency glass right now.

It was a calculated move to make sure I could use either, if I chose to do so any day. That day is coming closer because there is a weird inner sense that I’m not doing my personal branding justice by splitting my name recognition between Addisports and this beautiful Swahili thing I got going on. ;)

It really wasn’t well thought out (or overly thought, depending on the time of day) when I started tweeting. I just kind of rolled with what started a long time ago.

So here are the options now:

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4 Comments Posted in Personal, Web 2.0 by Zuri
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