Am I the only one noticing a shift in the wording style of dpreview's
news teasers?
I appreciate the RSS feed to not miss anything, but I do notice since
a while that for one the information content of the teaser is rather
minimal - ok I guess that's intentional to get one click through to
the page. But also the phrases used are (at least to me as a
non-native speaker) sometimes a bit puzzling - I can only guess what
the author had in mind when writing:
- "...polish off the last of the mince pies..."
- "Hardly the end of the world then but as ever Ricoh is right there
with a fix, good on them we say."
- "...can the S8000fd be all things to all people?"
- "Kudos to Ricoh for giving its existing cameras a new lease of
life ..."
No offence please - I appreciate this site and the work you guys put
into it, and I do realize that non-native English speakers are in a
minority here. I'm also more passively reading this site than
actively contributing, and that gives me even less right to criticize
- so it's more intended as a little feedback from "the rest of us".
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Rainer
Rainer, a few additional thoughts on your post:
-I don't see that the language is in an way fancier. Hackneyed
expressions such as "all things to all people," wildly overused words
such as "kudos," and other expressions read too many times by serious
readers are distasteful to these readers, but may appeal to readers
who want the french fries but never eat potatoes otherwise. There is
no denying that commercial magazines feel some need to add more
popular "fluff" to gain readership.
-That may be what is happening on dpReview, but I hope not. DPReview
really is the best of the breed, but it can certainly fall quick
enough if it puts readership acquisition above sound content.
-A tragic illlustration: Scientific American magazine was my
favorite periodical for nearly twenty years. This magazine was
actually considered authoritative by actual scientists. Part of its
content still is. However, its journalistic style has been watered
down radically in the last decade or so. Today, to get the actual
science, the reader often has to wade through the pop-culture, cutesy
language of the popular press. Rhyme and alliteration all all the
rage, and are used to a nauseating extent. Example of silly rhyming,
the heading, "More to Explore." An inquisitive, mature reader does
not need this sort of confection sprinkled onto expository writing.
Now also, there is a pun at the end of most or many articles and news
features.
Maybe it seeks to be "cool." Throughout my high school years, ending
in 1959, the ubiquitous expression involved any use of the word
"cool." My tolerance for that expression was exhausted long before
the pop-culture re-discovered it in recent times. I am anything but
a follower of Rush Limbaugh. I disagree with 98% of what he says.
But, I admire two things he has said, one of which is immaterial to
this discussion. The other is: (something like) "I am not cool in
any way whatsoever. I am as un-cool as any person I know. It is my
intention to remain "un-cool" in every way, as long as I can."
-I have dropped my subscription to Scientific American for the first
time in 15 years. I miss it sorely, and want to re-subscribe. Yet,
the whole magazine, with the exeption of a few "serious" articles,
reads like Time or Newsweek. This is a sad decline for a
long-respected publication. I hope Scientific American will change
its direction.
-Stereo Review, High Fidelity, and Audio magazines followed this same
predictable path to commercialized garbage, and ruin in the end.
Yes, they increased their readership for a while, until they lost
their educated reader base. After that, their decline was
inevitable. It may be worth noting that, correct me if I am wrong,
all three of these audio magazines declined after being taken over by
a larger company.
-I hope DPReview will not take that bad direction.
Chinese Proverb: Unless we change our direction, we will end up where
we are headed.
Best to All,
Lovintheview
