Studio Blog

I'm an Internet junkie. I shop online. I write online. I make doctor's appointments, buy movie tickets and connect with friends all online. I read my news online, and I generally won't go to a restaurant if they don't have a web page. I even met my husband online. More than anything though, I use the Internet for information. If I have a question, I'm on the Internet within seconds looking up the answer. As a quick sample (and an intimate view into my life,) in the past week I've typed the following things into a search engine: can dogs eat sunflower seeds, what shrubs survive through winter in Texas, how much to feed a fat cat, do you need a rabies shot if you get scratched by a wild squirrel, baked sweet potato fries recipe and how to prevent hairballs in dogs. I have a hunch that I may be independently fueling large portions of Demand's titling algorithm.

In my constant quest for random tidbits of knowledge, I've come across a lot of information. Some of it is good, but much of it is bad. I may love the Internet, but I hate text speak and the incoherent rambling found on message boards and poorly sourced answer sites. I'm a writer, so I want my information professionally written. I want it to be factual and authoritative. I want reputable sources and reputable authors, and I don't want to go to traditional print media to find them.

Maybe it's this extreme reliance on the Internet for quality information, or maybe it's just my writing background, but I revel in coming across an article from a Demand Studios writer. I love it because I know that what the Studio is doing is integrating all the wonderful qualities of traditional media with the convenience of web content. Articles are written by professionals, facts are cited and checked, and I won't have to wade through horrendous grammar to get the information I need. Moreover, I know the article I'm looking at will be about the title I clicked. I know the information will be concise and well-organized, and I know that the author of the article worked hard to research and create just what I was looking for.

So, while I respect those people in traditional media who are mourning the ailing print industry, I'm celebrating the fact that all that knowledge and skill is on its way over to the online world. Are things perfect just yet? Of course not, but as more and more professionally trained journalists and young graduates make their way over to web content, whether willingly or begrudgingly, the quality of information on the web will improve. Not only will that quality improve, but the quantity of quality articles will increase. While we work on this transition, this melding of the old and the new, I think it's important to remember that despite the kinks and frustrations that need to be worked out, we're all on the cutting edge of something that's going to be really good for both writers and readers around the world, and there’s really something to be proud of there.