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Here's some voices I recognize:
1. The voice of the journalist, interviewer. Reporters of facts. Quoters of others. Only sometimes insert themselves into the story.
2. The voice of the pundit. Facts with spin. Ego present. "I . . I . . They . . They . . "
3. The voice of the CEO or official. "We . . " The spokesperson voice.
4. The voice of the researcher. Not interviews. Just dish out the facts and some analysis.
5. The voice of the colorful or involved individual. The entertainer. The personal storyteller. Research or a story with a personal touch.
6. The voice of the expert. Written with authority, experience, "expertise". Could be friendly. Could be colder, more professional, analytic.
It seems to me that there are myriad "voices" - personas (?) - that might surface within a single website, crafted by a single indivdual.
It also seems to me that a website might benefit from a consistent voice or persona. It might be wise to enter into that website relationship - that expression of one's self - consciously. "What voice will I bring to this web creation?"
Sometimes I think it's possible to fall into a certain persona unconsciously or as a function of where you are on your "life meter" right now: Are you tired? Stressed? Are you happy? Are you excited? Are you deep into some issue? Real persona alters on screen persona.
Do you consciously write "in a voice"?
Do you have a favorite voice? One favored for one type of work and another for a different website?
Do you know if your voice comes across? Have you ever gotten feedback that surprised you?
Do you have more than one voice? How easy is it for you to move about your different web projects and be appropriate to a voice, persona, website personality that you chose for a particular project?
Do you use any tricks of the trade to "get yourself in the (particular) mood"? What are some examples?
I've been a busy beaver lately, clearing up a number of old projects, so I'll have more space and energy to have fun writing. Right about now I'm looking into the props I may keep around me to help engender the alter-ego of Webwork. I just started listening to some CD mixes. Next, the toys. Next, to hang some new art in my office. Clear out the cobwebs, put on the party/legal/other hat and have at it.
Do you know what I mean? Hope so, 'cause if not it may simply be another nutty idea of mine . . which isn't all that bad since I do enjoy a good nutty idea . . as long as it doesn't hurt anyone . . and maybe is a bit silly or funny . . 'cause on the other hand I am a master of seriousness and gravity . . except when . .
Got voice? Are you a master of the varigated on screen persona? How so?
[edited by: Webwork at 11:01 pm (utc) on July 24, 2006]
On my small websites dedicated to specific topics I'm the friendly expert. - "Yes, I know more about this than you do (which is why you're reading my comments, after all), but I won't hold that over your head. If you keep learning, you may even know more than I do someday. :-) "
On my one wannabe ecommerce site (translation: not making much money yet, but I'm workin' on it) I'm generally the CEO, although not cold. The products are personalized, so I try to maintain a small-business close-to-the-customer voice without necessarily advertising that it's not only a small business but a one-person business. There's one part of that site where I offer some tutorials, and there I switch from "we" (me and my printer?) to "I." That part of the site is only vaguely related to the ecommerce and has gotten a lot bigger than I expected it to become, so I'm thinking of spinning it off into its own domain; at the moment, it's set off by having its own subdomain and a completely different page layout. I've been going back and forth in my mind on whether to do the spin-off, and thinking about your questions has made me realize that one reason I'd like to split the site is so that my voice can be non-business-like in the tutorials without reflecting poorly on the business side of the site.
But I just did a quick tour of what I consider my primary website (which is none of the above), and found more voices there than I even remembered using. It's a content site, with the only income being from affiliate links. It's also grown slowly over the last half-dozen years and a lot of regular visitors have been with it since the beginning so there's no hiding the fact that I'm one "me," and I don't think I'd want to. I've always posted in topic-related forums using the same real name I have on the site, and it's an area where I can legitimately hang an "expert" shingle ;-) , so I don't want to hide [note that it has nothing to do with building websites!]. But there are different writing styles, which I've adopted more or less consciously -
--In reviews (books and DVDs), I "tell it like it is" and am the least personal I am anywhere on the site. There are people who actually trust my judgment on whether they should buy the thing or not, and I want them to keep trusting me.
--In a full-page essay, a reader can expect me to be serious. The point of each essay is to say what I think about something, but the opinions are backed up by a lot more research than on my small sites. On this site a fair number of readers are experts, too, and will let me know if they disagree - pulling up their own background knowledge. Because of the nature of the topic, though, serious doesn't mean impersonal - it's often a case of wearing my heart on my sleeve, and I have to be okay with that.
--Shorter news and comment pieces are more light-hearted, in a "geek to geek" manner.
--There's also a part of the site that is pure parody - clearly labeled. Since some of the parodies are based on the styles of particular authors, I've had a number of voices there.
--The only place I've inserted another "person" is on the pages on the site that are heavily affiliate linked. On those I use the voice of a character that anyone interested in the site's topic will know immediately as somewhat comic but a bit of a "bad boy." Since, in the site's particular niche, being overly commercial is a bad thing, I let him do some of the schilling. Then, occasionally "I" (or "book lady" as he calls me) have to step in and correct something he says. I don't know if it sells a lot, but I have fun with it. -- Of course, the pages with the serious reviews, essays, and lighter commentary also have related affiliate links, so I don't depend on that approach to sell things. (On a side note, from actual numbers I can say that the more comical pages bring in more income only during holiday gift-buying time. During the rest of the year, links on the more content-heavy pages do better - visitors read the review or essay or the announcement of a new product and decide to buy from that.)
[edited by: Beagle at 2:34 pm (utc) on July 25, 2006]
found more voices there than I even remembered using
Too funny Beagle . . :) . . and pretty much to the point of my initial post.
It's funny how it works, or should I say works its way out or up to the surface - our voices.
I am looking forward to releasing the comic within and the tutor within in the workings of a few projects on the drawing board. I'd really like to spend a month just enveloped in silliness. A sort of "will to silliness" month. Actually, after a lifetime of seriousness I'd like to spend the rest of my time in a state of permanent comic relief. :)
Anyone have a knack with adjusting their writing voice to an audience . . or do you just keep pounding away at the keyboard?
Anyone ever back away from their keyboard, look at their past work and wonder: "What the heck was I thinking? Where was I in life when I was writing that?"
"Who am I as I write this?" is likely a question that most people don't stop to reflect upon.
There is a considerable volume of work online where the voice that someone attempts to imbue their work with doesn't match my perception of the voice. There's just something that sticks out, a certain insincerity or sense of posturing or strained effort, when there's a mismatch.
Please don't attempt to address me with the voice of authority if all you are going to lay down on the screen if fluff. I'd rather read a piece written from the perspective or voice of a researcher - struggling to grasp an issue - than a pretender holding forth on what I know to be a shallow grasp.
There's something about the tone of an adopted voice that rings hollow when it's unnatural or unearned or an uncomfortable fit.
So many voices that may fit anyone of us at any time.
Anyone else pausing to ponder what this thing is, this "voice" about which I speak?
You know yourself? You a monotonous speaker?
Or are you a one man or one woman human diversity experiment?
What are your voices OR your favorite - for yourself and by yourself - voices, the ones you create for and by yourself?
Got voice? Tell us about yours. Have you added any knew ones in awhile? Might help your writing, ya know?
I know there's a few voices around these parts.
Speak up. :)
Anyone have a knack with adjusting their writing voice to an audience . . or do you just keep pounding away at the keyboard?
My goal is to introduce people new to the topic in such a way as to get them hooked and at the same time to have enough depth in each article to make it interesting to people who are knowledgable in the field.
You have me inspired to go back and read my various types of articles to see see how my voice varies and consider if I want to change it in some cases.
