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The title is a summarized quote. I wanted to use the entire quote as the title but there is an 80 character limit. Here is the quote: "Many of the people waiti

The title is a summarized quote. I wanted to use the entire quote as the title but there is an 80 character limit. Here is the quote: "Many of the people waiting for the iPad had a vague sense that they were involved in yet another big Apple moment, although they could not precisely say how they would use the tablet computer" So no I didn't really editorialize, because it's the quote that I thought was significant. I guess my objective was to spark a discussion about why people are buying this thing if they don't know how they will use it. Because it's a big apple moment?

tptacek 17y ago
You should write a blog post with your thoughts about the launch in it, and submit that, instead of submitting other stories with a spin on it.
- btipling 17y ago
  Spin implies misrepresentation. As the other comment noted I did not misrepresent anything.
  - _pius 17y ago
    Sure you did. You presented one minor aspect of the article as if it were the theme of the article. It wasn't.
deleted 17y ago
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hallmark 17y ago
To me, "could not say how they would use" is entirely different from "could not precisely say how they would use." Call it editing for length, but it does change the title's meaning significantly. The first implies - potentially - that I may have no use for this thing, but I'm such a fanboy that I'm spending the $500+ anyway. The second version says to me, since the iPad is a cross between an iPod Touch and a netbook/laptop, I may have a bunch of ideas on how I will be using this thing in the future. However, I cannot nail them down precisely because I haven't owned anything like a tablet computer in the past. And we wonder why so many public figures get annoyed when they are misquoted or their quotes are taken out of context.
rauljara 17y ago
When I saw your title, I read, "People waiting in line for the iPad could not say how they would use the tablet computer" is very different from "many people waiting in line". One implies there were many people who did know what they would use the iPad for (in fact, it implies most people knew what they would use the iPad for, as many < most). The other gives no sense whatsoever of how many people don't know, and could just as easily be two guys or 90% of the people there. It is also very easily misread as "The people waiting in line...", implying all, or almost all. The title you chose also implies that that paragraph is the emphasis of the story, which it isn't. The emphasis is on the enthusiasm of the people. I don't think you meant to misrepresent the article, but I do think you inadvertently did. Even minor changes in titles can change their meaning drastically. The simple thing to do is not change them.

tptacek 17y ago

You should write a blog post with your thoughts about the launch in it, and submit that, instead of submitting other stories with a spin on it.

btipling 17y ago
Spin implies misrepresentation. As the other comment noted I did not misrepresent anything.
- _pius 17y ago
  Sure you did. You presented one minor aspect of the article as if it were the theme of the article. It wasn't.

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

hallmark 17y ago

To me, "could not say how they would use" is entirely different from "could not precisely say how they would use." Call it editing for length, but it does change the title's meaning significantly. The first implies - potentially - that I may have no use for this thing, but I'm such a fanboy that I'm spending the $500+ anyway. The second version says to me, since the iPad is a cross between an iPod Touch and a netbook/laptop, I may have a bunch of ideas on how I will be using this thing in the future. However, I cannot nail them down precisely because I haven't owned anything like a tablet computer in the past. And we wonder why so many public figures get annoyed when they are misquoted or their quotes are taken out of context.

rauljara 17y ago

When I saw your title, I read, "People waiting in line for the iPad could not say how they would use the tablet computer" is very different from "many people waiting in line". One implies there were many people who did know what they would use the iPad for (in fact, it implies most people knew what they would use the iPad for, as many < most). The other gives no sense whatsoever of how many people don't know, and could just as easily be two guys or 90% of the people there. It is also very easily misread as "The people waiting in line...", implying all, or almost all. The title you chose also implies that that paragraph is the emphasis of the story, which it isn't. The emphasis is on the enthusiasm of the people. I don't think you meant to misrepresent the article, but I do think you inadvertently did. Even minor changes in titles can change their meaning drastically. The simple thing to do is not change them.