Over the past ten years as I have shifted most of my reading from print to online, the Internet has changed how I read.
In 2000:
- books: about 30 a year, fiction and non-fiction
- news: mostly The Economist, sometimes the New York Times, some news from cable television and the Internet
- online share of reading: 20%
In 2010:
- books: about six a year, mainly fiction. I still read non-fiction books, but rarely all the way through.
- news: online
- online share of reading: 70%
News: I know way more about particular stories because the Internet allows you to go deeper – on the story itself, on the background, on opinion and thought about it and so on. But it also means I have less general knowledge of what is going on because I have lost my news-reading habit – something a daily or weekly subscription makes easy.
Fiction books: no noticeable change.
Non-fiction books: now mainly approached as printed websites. That means I read chapters here and there out of order. I use the index to find the good parts. I rarely read them straight through from cover to cover any more.
I now have little patience when non-fiction authors:
- Give chapters cutesy names – they give me little idea of what a chapter is about or the general flow of the book.
- Do not lay out their main points in the first chapter or at least the first 50 pages.
- Act like I have all afternoon to hear what they have to say. Particularly if they write like word-happy professors or novelists. Get to the point, man!
That impatience is partly taught by reading newspapers but it mainly comes from the Internet. I know because I have read newspapers all my life, but this impatience is new, new since most of my reading has shifted online
But the Internet has drawbacks of its own:
- Eyestrain – on the Internet it is hard for me to read more than 1000 to 1500 words at one go. I start to get uncomfortable. I think it comes from reading on a lighted screen – because if I print it out and read it offline I have no trouble at all.
- Distractions – email, news alerts, links, ads, etc, make it hard to keep your mind on one page. Few people online read more than a page or two before jumping to something else. It is worse than reading a book with the television on.
- It is hard to underline, make notes in the margins, etc.
- It is hard to bookmark your spot and pick up where you left off a day, a week or a year later.
- The Internet is a mile wide and an inch deep – on some subjects the Internet is very good, better than anything in print, but on other subjects there is little beyond the five or so paragraphs that keep coming up in searches.
So it is still way easier to get lost in a book – and you still need books to understand most things beyond a general level.
See also:
It is hard to underline, make notes in the margins, etc.
You can get software to download sections or pages :
http://www.macropool.com/en/
With this program you can also highlight and edit the particular article. You can read PDFs, import Word and RTFs. You can also edit the particular article. It is also act a an outliner so you can put each article or title into a folder for future reference.
With Webresearch, you can grab web pages or a section of the web page you want for future reference. Once you save a section or page you can edit and print it . You can transfer you selection(s) to Word. Once doing this, you can then convert them to a different format such as PDF, RTF, jpeg etc. It may depend on what programs you have on your computer. You can print them also. You can also make comments when editing the article, unfortunately you can’t print them. I have downloaded books into this program(Project Gutenberg has free books that the copyright has expired on). You can print the selection to a format such as PDF or Word and highlight or make comments if you choose another folder on you hard drive to store them. Ebook devices are next!
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abagond–
think about getting a kindle, nook or other e-reader device. i love my kindle & find that i read more than i had before getting it. the kindle lets you make notes, bookmark, highlight, etc. it also has a very basic internet function.
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There’s something about having an actual physical book that e-readers or netbooks cannot replicate, like the smell of pages and (if you get cheaper books) the feel of newsprint on your fingers. I will say that technology has some advantages, but I find myself reading more books these days than before, if only to be the stubborn old person.
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i HATE reading long drawn out non-fiction things online. LIke when I have an assignment, I can’t stand when my professors require long-azz PDF readings, i always just skim them…like i’m really gonna read all that. I just hate reading stuff (long stuff) online. I agree I can’t focus either, I can’t relax when reading because i cant really fold the back cover of a lap top back and highlight/read. I have to be stationary and reading in a chair or against a couch or something and that i hate. I just prefer reading non-fiction and academic stuff in books definitely. the interent is good for quickies, but other than that…
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there’s nothing like a good old fashioned book, you are right Ryan. a good old fashioned book and good old fashioned cranberry juice.
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@ryan & peanut–
LOL! i get the satisfaction that comes with holding a book in your hands. when i got my first kindle i was like a religious fanatic bringing the good news to all i met. and most people responded to me like you.
@peanut–
for some reason i get so restless whenever i try reading serious or technical stuff on my laptop too. most of the time i have to print articles from the internet in order to read them in a relaxed way.
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I recently purchased the Kindle DX! Yowza! What I love about these ereaders is the fact that you can carry dozens of books around with you, literally! The only drawback is the DRM-Sony, and the Kindle restrictive formats. The only other drawback is these suckers are updated frequently, I hear a colour version of Kindle is nearer! I own a Sony 700 and the Kindle! Right now there is a price war on, the Kindle for example has come down 100 dollars. There is a proliferation of these devices about to explode on the market. As for paper books, think of it this way, you are saving million of trees! With that being said I still love paper books especially the first edition hardcover, a good investment down the road.
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I have also found this to be true. I’m finding that I even end up dropping a lot of fiction books halfway through because I get bored with the plot dragging (though maybe this just says something about the types of books I select to read).
I follow something like 40 blogs through google reader. I usually do several hours of internet reading a day through that alone.
I think non-fiction books got used to having to compete with the fiction market. Therefore you would get a lot of non-fiction writers using storytelling prose that tends to drag things out in order be more entertaining for the reader.
Also books tend to be made to fit a certain length requirement whether the subject really needs it or not. I’ve read several non-fiction books that are 200 pages or so that I felt could be just as effectively covered in 50.
Now however, blogs are impeding on that market also. This is because they’re offered in smaller segments and tend to cut to the chase more quickly. so non-scholarly works have to find a happy medium now to sell well and actually engage people. I feel like Malcom Gladwell’s books are a good example of this happy medium.
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I’ve been working in a university library for almost 10 years and, little by little, you see tech replacing what were once paper-only or physical formats. Granted, we still have tons of paper-only or physical formats, but a lot of it is also available in a digital format. It is wise to have physical versions of your media since we can’t always rely on tech. I’m also in the market for an e-reader or borderline tablet.
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“I recently purchased the Kindle DX! Yowza!”
@hernieth–
hey, how’s that DX? i was a little concerned that the size & weight of the DX might be an issue when i read in bed. both of my kindles are the 6″ model.
my dad is a big fan of religious & self-help books these days & sent the word that he wants a nook for x-mas this year. he also included a short-list of books he wants downloaded as part of his gift (the bible–both king james & contemp english versions, the koran & a book by renita weems which i can’t remember the name of right now).
good point about hardcopy versions of books. i have a hardcopy of ‘Beloved” signed by Toni Morrison when i went to a reading.
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The Kindle Dx is great. I also have a Sony 700. I prefer the Kindle. The only thing I prefer in the Sony is the back light installed. I have had to purchase a portable light when reading in darker areas for the Kindle. The PDFs are also transferable to this device. However, I cannot speak to the viability for PDFs containing graphs, charts or diagrams as I have not used this device for perusing them. If you are reading just text there is no problem, at least I haven’t encountered any.. Apparently, according to the site, you can have any document you wish to read into Kindle format but for a fee. I think they charge by the mb. The site explains this. I also purchased a cover for the Kindle so it reads like a book and is not to heavy. It beats reading an actual hardcover in this regards. Cover:
There’s thousands of skins, covers and other accessories out there! Most of all, I like the large screen!
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I get most of my news online but as far as leisurely reading goes, traditional books all day everyday. I love the feeling of an actual book in my hands. Many professors are opting for online textbooks, a waste of money and a pain in the @ss if you ask me. The online books have subscription periods, so once the 180 or 35 days are over that’s it! No more book! Like you stated, its also hard to make notes and highlight. My American Lit professor uses an e-anthology and I hate it. Sure the e-text has highlighter tools and a note taking system but when my computer is being slow its a pain. Also, Im a faster writer-by-hand than typer. In addition to that, they make it hard for students to print the text. We can only print one page at a time…
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Y,
I hope you don’t have to pay the same price of the subscription as the book.
I had started to take an online course, but changed to a regular class as soon as I could. I didn’t like the idea of paying more for the textbook and the course, then have to teach myself.
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Hathor,
For the e-anthology, the price is the same for the print version. Which is a rip off because 1. they make it difficult for you to print out the reading selections and 2. the access code expires at the end of the semester. So, come December I will no long have access to the anthology.
For my chemistry the e-book is 1/2 the price of the paper copy, but it only last a semester. I need that book for two semesters so I just bought the hard copy.
In my experience e-textbooks are not worth it. They end up being just as much as hard copies. Also, Im one of those people who likes to keep textbooks so I can “build my library”. Its just a better deal to buy the books in my opinion.
As far as internet courses go, I dont think I could do it. Internet is too distracting. Based on what my friends have done/told me its tempting to put the assignments off until the last minute. Probably depends on the person, but I dont think it would be a good idea for me. Its odd that you had to pay ore for an online course, I always thought they were cheaper than conventional courses
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@Y and Hathor
I’ve been in and out of online courses since 2005 (both realtime and independent). I used to buy textbooks for most, if not all my courses, but realized that:
A. I work in a library, so I know about inter-library loans and some places have the textbooks you need or numerous amounts of supplemental materials that can replace the textbooks.
B. My library is an academic one, so many of these texts or additional materials are available for online viewing, usually for free.
and C. The cost of textbooks turned me off…:/
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How ironic… I like your blog, but have refrained from commenting on any posts because I am too impatient to read your page on Commenting. I finally did just now.
I just wanted to mention that the following was pretty much my thought as I was leafing through a book in Barnes & Noble yesterday:
“Give chapters cutesy names – they give me little idea of what a chapter is about or the general flow of the book.”
I wonder now how my reading habits have changed.
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Rajjilicious:
Good point. That Commenting page is one of the longer pages on this blog – it grows over time as I add to my comment policy. Still, it could be made shorter, simpler and clearer than it is.
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i haven’t read through the commenting policy…i skimmed it i think though.
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so do u read every comment that comes on your blog abagond, i always wondered or do u have some kind of system that allows you to go to certain comments when words stick out or something?
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Peanut:
Comments used to be the best part of blogging for me, but now I get too many to read them all. Though with Thad gone I can now read a greater share of them. I generally skim and read the ones I find most interesting – and make sure I keep out trolls to the degree my comment policy allows.
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I feel you, man. However, I think this is a good thing. Good writers are succinct. I hope the Internet’s cultural influence forces people to write better and get to the point. Shorter texts are also more accessible to a wider audience.
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The internet has affected my reading of offline material similiar to how I felt about watching TV after I purchased my first VCR way back when.
The power of fast-fowarding meant that I didn’t have to watch commercials or any portion of a show that I deemed boring and the power of hypertext transfer protocol meant I could move from info to info with greater ease.
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Not only that, with an ereader device, you can carry around dozens of books without getting back strain!:
http://ebook-reader-review.toptenreviews.com/
I was at one time a dyed in the wool paper book fanatic. I put off trying out these devices. With improved technology and by extension the improvements that comes with it, I finally tried one. I like to read several books/articles at the same time. Once I got used to the text, I started to wonder why I was so resistant at first. Anywho, to each his own.
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To be honest, I am old fashioned when it comes to this. Nothing like a “real” book. <- see
I like Internet, a lot (maybe way too much, sometimes…) but I am just not used to this sort of Internet reading. I do read news and my husband and I worked for an online news portal a few years ago (it was fun!) So I appreciate blogging and online news, but books- real books- are great.
On the other hand, I have no problems with reading online/on computer. You could say I prefer computer books when it comes to working on a paper. It's easier for me to find references I want to quote.
As for fiction… No way. It's simply not the same. Maybe because I like to read in bed, and I don't have a laptop.
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Good point: I do way more reading online now that I have a laptop with Wi-Fi.
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CDF,
I have found that to be able to access textbooks in the library it has to be a large university. The in library lending at least in my city is not quick enough or the loan is long enough to use with text books. Its OK for research material. Another problem I have found is that courses that require problem solving as home work, such as a science, math, or statistics the some problems change with editions and some times the edition the professor is using isn’t the one available through the libraries.
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Herneith,
I would have a problem carrying around hundreds of dollars worth of ebooks that I could never actually own. I had a problem paying that much for hardback and some soft cover text books.
I only would pay for magazine or newspaper subscriptions on an electronic book. Something that I would recycle anyway with the hard copy.
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I thought it was just me noticing this about myself. I think that’s why I’m having to rely on readers to read my print now. Darn internet!
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ABAGOND…here is A must read “AFRIKAN PEOPLE AND EUROPEAN HOLIDAYS: A MENTAL GENOCIDE, Book One
Author: Ishakamusa Barshango
non-fiction
Enjoy
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