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It's not nec. the length but the way it is written that I find difficult to get through.  Something this long needs good composition & formatting.  Or to be broken down in parts.  I'm thinking that if I, who will normally read anything on such topics, can't bring myself to diving this diary, well...  You know, writing isn't simply a matter of providing information.  In the end, you have to make people want to read what you write.  You have to tell them right up front why they should care.  You are competing with an almost infinite number of stories on-line!  

Also, I don't know if I am alone in this, but I have difficulty reading very long texts on the computer.  It is unpleasant.  I have to print something like this out if I actually intend to read it.

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.

by poemless on Wed Jun 17th, 2009 at 02:56:50 PM EST
You know, I think reading long texts on a screen is a skill. You need to practice - we had to learn to read paper as well.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed Jun 17th, 2009 at 03:04:28 PM EST
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Maybe.  But staring at the screen too long makes me ill.  Plus I'm relegated to a desk-top.  Plus you can't jot notes in the margins.

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
by poemless on Wed Jun 17th, 2009 at 03:28:08 PM EST
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I am finding that reading free texts on my monitor screen has its advantages. With a 17"+ screen and zoom control legibility is no problem.  I don't particularly have a problem with eye fatigue, and being able to hyper link to a footnote has its advantages.  I can keep the on-line texts I frequent most in a bookmark folder and easily insert excerpts into compositions, vs. having to type and proof read.  Many older texts are available free online.  I have yet to find an adequate substitute for my old habit of inserting bits of paper at the top of pages of interest, so going back in a long text is a pain, but I am much more favorable to text on video than I would have thought a few years ago.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed Jun 17th, 2009 at 03:31:18 PM EST
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Zoom control is important. I normally make the text really big so I can sit well back from the screen and read.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed Jun 17th, 2009 at 03:33:28 PM EST
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I think the part of the problem with diaries like this is psychological - the format of the site encourages substantial, but not too long, diares. I started reading it with no idea how long it would be, found it very interesting, but didn't have time to study it carefully once I realized that it looked as though it would never end. A warning that it is long might help (but I might just skip the warning...). Another possibility might be to split the diaries inyo several of moderate length, and post them with a short interval between them. That might even encourage people to discuss the content of the diary, rather than its form.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed Jun 17th, 2009 at 04:08:03 PM EST
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