copywriting, city arts

The article "How to Make Money Writing for the Web" by Matthew Stibbe provided basic advice on how to write well, from what types of things to read to what sorts of things to research to the differences between print and online writing. His writing style was straightforward and casual, making it quite easy to read. His tips are practical and it seems like he thoroughly covered all the possible questions one might have about web copywriting. Some stood out to me: 
   - "The short cut to really good writing [is]... good interviews with smart people translated into readable prose."
  - "The secret of making reasonable money at writing is to find a niche and become an expert."
  - Writing for the web is free of jargon and long words.
  - "Spend more time marketing yourself to the right people to get work at the right prices."
Stibbe probably knows what he's talking about.

Emily White's article "The Dumbing Down" from Eastside City Arts Magazine reveal how the art critics from Seattle Times are slowly losing their jobs from the 112-year-old newspaper. Not being an art critic myself but having read art reviews, I think those who have "a gift for putting visual experience into language" are few and far between. It only makes sense that as budgets get cut, the arts the first to go. It is really quite unfortunate for a paper like Seattle Times to see their arts critics disappear; the city of Seattle is a cultural, musical, and artistic hub on the west coast. For job vacancies left by critics like Sheila Farr, who has had a longstanding history residing in and reviewing the works in one particular city, it doesn't seem likely that the Times can and will replace them. "Critics come to know the town just as reporters get to know their beats: they find their sources, their deep throats. As Tori Ellison phrased it, they learn how to 'unearth' truths about the scene -- digging into the underground instead of running over its surfaces." This statement in White's article makes it all the more tragic knowing that the arts in Seattle may not receive the reviews, and thus the attention, they deserve.