Comments on: Copyeditors are fun

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 04:41:17 +0000

The thing is, though, that it is extremely likely that the L.A. Times has two audiences–one that reads in print and one that reads online. The demographics of these two audiences are probably very different. The people reading the blogs probably are a lot more “young” and “hip” than the print readers. I don’t know exactly what the L.A. Times reader/user surveys show, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t have different profiles for the content delivery systems.

By: eric

eric — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:52:03 +0000

Wow, lots of discussion about big upping.

My other thought is that “big up” is more often used as a noun, as in “giving big ups to…” Similar to giving a “shout out” or props (or even “mad props”).

By: L S

L S — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 06:54:06 +0000

As a 27-year-old male, I initially had no idea what “big up” meant and I would guess a lot of LA Times readers wouldn’t either. I’d also consider my friends fairly in tune to “modern” slang and not a single one uses the phrase “big up”. And I often listen to rap (where big up is actually used a lot), but the meaning is different from how you use it so it simply adds to the confusion.

Anyway, I’d suggest you consider the audience for your postings – LA Times readers who are unlikely to be young or “hip”. If they don’t understand your posts, your potential positive suggestions will be unheeded.

By: Raphael

Raphael — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:25:23 +0000

Siel, I didn’t mean to imply that you were writing a myspace profile. I fully agree with your position about using a different voice in a blog versus a column. And I totally big up your big up. Sorry if I made any offense.

A blog should be understood by its intended audience–not necessarily everyone, of course, but by the people the author is trying to reach. I think the copy editor is struggling with the fact that the LAT usually writes for an extremely broad audience who won’t be familiar with some of those phrases.

Although clarity is a very important concern for good writing, no less important is that it should be fun to read! Which is exactly why I read your blog.

By: meg

meg — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 14:24:07 +0000

I want to speak up for “big up.” It’s a phrase I would never use, which is precisely why I love reading it in your blog, along with various other colloquialisms, only some of which I’ve encountered before. Voice isn’t wholly comprised of diction, but vocabulary choice is one of the most obvious ways in which a blog differs from an online column. Kudos to the LAT for the “typos and libel” policy, even if it’s observed more in the breach than the practice.