Week of Oct. 27, 2013 - N0 Blog this week - and it's NOT because I'm Lollygagging.

No I'm not lollygagging. I'm do a big garage sale. Next week. I'll come back and tell you about lolly gagging, though.

Week of October 20, 2013 – The Jackalope Myth

By Joan Whetzel

Here in Texas, Jackalopes are a part of the State lore, part of the landscape. A few taxidermists have even contributed a small number of “trophies” as if to prove the existence of these mythical creatures. Truth be told, Jackalopes belong to the same level of myths as the Loch Ness Monster, Yeti, and bigfoot. The artistry of the taxidermists notwithstanding, their creations are meant to feed the tourist trade rather than being a representation of reality.

Jackalope Folklore

Where the jackalope stories originated is open to interpretation, though Douglas Herrick is said to be the inventor of the first jackalope stories. Apparently he and his brothers ran a taxidermy business in Wyoming back in the 1930s. They thought it would be funny to attach antelope horns to a stuffed jackrabbit's body to see if they could pass it off for real. The melded the animals’ names together , calling it a jackalope. The myth took off, and the family taxidermy business has sold thousands of the stuffed critters in the decades since.

What lends credence to the myth is that, due to the shope papilloma virus, jackrabbits have in fact been known to grow something that looks like horns. This may, in fact, be the source of the legends, sort of a “truth imitating fiction” kind of thing.

Jackalopes as a Part of Culture

·                     Since the first manipulated stuffed jack elopes first appeared on the market, they have become a decoration in many a saloon and home trophy walls.

·                     In many states – yes, Texas included - the  stuffed trophies have been used to trick unsuspecting tourists out of their hard earned money.

·                     The jackalope by the name of Jack Ching Bada Bing made regular appearances in American TV show “America’s Funniest People in the 90s as well as appearing in the opening sequences of the animated TV series “Gravity Falls.”

·                     Several video games have Jackalopes as part of their cast of characters: Red Dead  Redemption, Redneck Rampage, and Guild Wars 2

·                     The jackalope is the log for the Miike Snow band and for an Australian beer, the Hop Factory beer.

·                     “Jackalope” is the name of a Canadian pop rock group.

·                     There are two ice hockey teams – one  professional one junior A – in Odessa, Texas that go by the name the “Odessa Jackalopes.”

Websites Propounding the "Truth" of the Jackalope

If you’re interested in hearing some of the stories about the jackalope, check out the websites:

The Jackalope

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/tall-tales/jackalope.html         

The Jackalope Conspiracy

http://www.sudftw.com/jackcon.htm

The Jackalope, Douglas, WY
http://www.jackalope.org/?page_id=15

The Jackalopes of Wyoming

http://legendsofamerica.com/wy-jackalope.html

Jackalope, Roadside America

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/creatures/jackalope.html

Week of September 13, 2013 - Keywords, The Key to Increasing Your Audience

By Joan Whetzel

 

Keywords, roughly defined, are main words people use to hunt for specific topics and information on the internet. Using these keywords to help you write your online content can reward you with increased readership – as long as your writing is good.

 

There’s No Replacement for Good Thinking and Writing

The best writing is cultivated by thorough research as well as careful analysis of your subject matter. No amount of keyword use can substitute for doing your homework, organizing your information, and self-editing. The combination of keywords and good research and writing will draw in your audience and keep them coming back for more. The trick with keywords, is in predicting which ones most readers are like to use when hunting for information that you provide in your online content, and not overusing them.

 

Why Predict the Best Keywords?

1.                  You’ll beat out the competition for readership.

2.                  More readers, combined with good research and writing, will set you up as an expert in your field, or at the very least, the go to writer when it comes to informative articles.

3.                  Your existing readers will recommend your writing to others, thereby increasing your readership further,  because the writing is good and because the information was easy to find since you chose the right keywords.

4.                  You’ll build your reputation as a credible source for good information.

 

Keyword Selection Tools

Google has a keyword selection tool that is quite useful for helping writers select keywords for the articles and online content that they’re working on. A lot of writers use these tools, and they’re great for helping to find the best keywords. The problem is that these sites are providing are not only providing the best keywords to you, they’re providing them to everyone else as well. My best suggestion is to use them at first, to get an idea of what keywords readers are using to hunt for your information. But once you start getting the hang of it, start relying on your own best judgment.

 

Other People’s Keywords

In your own searches for information, look closely to see if others leave a list of their own keywords,. The ones they used to do their research and the keywords they used to write their own articles and online content. Also ask people you know to make a list of keywords they’d use to hunt for the topics you’re writing about. Check out social media sites for the keywords they’re users work with. What are the latest buzzwords surrounding your topic? They make for good keywords, at least as long as the buzzwords are hot. Once they cool down, you might need to change them out for newer keywords.

 

Common Sense

Common sense will suggest the keywords that are most relevant to the topic you’re writing on. Once you’re identified your audience, use their everyday vernacular to help you choose keywords. A 6^th grader will choose different keywords to search for information than a 10^th grader, than his or her parents, or even someone in their 80s.

 

Keywords, generally speaking, are best chosen before you begin writing, that way you’ll have a list of topic-related keywords to incorporate into your writing. Once you get the hang of selecting topic-related keywords, you’ll probably find yourself, keeping a running catalog in your head. The trick, then, becomes using the keywords naturally, so they become part of the writing, like they belong there. Make sure to use at least one of the keywords in the title and the summary used to draw audiences to your writing. That way your reader’s will know, up front, that they’re in the right place.

 

By all means use keywords. Just be careful how you choose them, and how you use them.

Week of October 6, 2013 – Ditto

By Joan Whetzel

 

 

Ditto is another one of those words that I love the sound of. It reminds me of the sound of drum cadences – ditto, ditto, ditto,ditto, ditto…. The main character in the movie “Ghost” (Sam  Wheat) used it throughout the film in response to his girlfriend’s declarations of love. Ditto is a great word. It means: the same as stated before, a thing mentioned previously, or a duplicate/copy. It is used to avoid repeating a word of phrase and is represented in writing by the double quote (“) mark.

 

Synonyms include:

·                     Same - identical with what is about to be or has just been mentioned; similar, identical, equal, equivalent, matching alike

·                     Duplicate - a copy exactly like an original; photocopy, carbon copy, replacement, spare, reproduction, facimile

·                     Equal - like in quality, nature, or status; regarding or affecting all objects in the same way; equivalent, identical, like; alike, one and the same

·                     Repeat - to say or state again; to make, do, or perform again; to express or present (oneself) again in the same words, terms, or form; do or say again, replicate, recur, reiterate

·                     Concur - to express agreement; agree, correspond, coincide,

·                     Reproduce - to make a copy of (something); to cause (something) to happen again in the same way;   to present again; make a replica, imitate, repeat, mimic

·                     Copy - something that is or looks exactly or almost exactly like something else; a version of something that is identical or almost identical to the original; an imitation, transcript, or reproduction of an original work; reproduction, replica, photocopy, carbon copy, facimile

·                     Again - for another time; one more time; once more; another time, yet again, over, all over again, for a second time