02/16/05: An open letter to people who write open letters
Remember that letter to Bill Gates about interoperability? There were some genuinely good points made in it, but here's a guy who has a major beef with open letters, and I can see where he's coming from.
The "open letter" format was an attention-grabber the first few times it was used. The first few online petitions were novelties, too. But now both of these devices have played out their usefulness. They have become as trite as football announcers using the phrase, "shy of a first down," which was an elegant turn of phrase the first few times it was used but is now used -- overused -- during every televised game.
Take a look at the rest here. The guy is hard to argue with.
I can't say I won't continue to find good points in open letters, but yes, I would much rather read those points in a well-written commentary piece.
02/16/05: An open letter to people who write open letters
Remember that letter to Bill Gates about interoperability? There were some genuinely good points made in it, but here's a guy who has a major beef with open letters, and I can see where he's coming from.
Take a look at the rest here. The guy is hard to argue with.
I can't say I won't continue to find good points in open letters, but yes, I would much rather read those points in a well-written commentary piece.