Online Writing Community

The Wired Writer

First Findings of The trAce Survey into Writers and the Internet, 2000

 A Word document version for printing (0.5 Mb) is available via email on request.

The literary community is reputedly reluctant to adopt new technologies.

Is that true?

- Acknowledgements
- The average Wired Writer
- What defines a writer?
- Is writing your main source of income?
- What do you use to write your notes and drafts?
- How often do you access the Internet?
- Most UK writers live in the suburbs
- A third of respondents were aged 51-65
- Writers use the Internet mostly for research
- Publishing online / earning money from the Internet
- Table of collated responses
- What excites you about the Internet?
- What worries you about the Internet?
- Data source
- Methodology

From 10-12 July 2000,The Nottingham Trent University will host Incubation, a major international conference on Writing and the Internet. Incubation is organised by The trAce Online Writing Community, the web-based writers’ network which was established in 1995 and received major lottery funding from The Arts Council (UK) in 1997 to develop its work with writers online. Now trAce celebrates five years on the web with a line-up of major international stars in this new and exciting literary genre.

In a pioneering survey, trAce is investigating the attitudes of writers around the world to the challenge of the World-Wide Web. In this first of a series of snapshot results we report on the average ‘wired’ writer in Britain today. We asked what worries them and what excites them about the web, and how they use it day-to-day.

What we found might come as a surprise...

(For the purposes of this survey, the sample is self-selecting i.e. those who participated consider themselves to be writers, whether published or not, although one third of the sample state writing as their main source of income. Our rough definition of being 'wired' is accessing the Internet every day. See Methodology.)

Responses from 1,012 writers living in the UK showed that the ‘average’ wired writer is a woman aged between 51 and 65 who lives in the suburbs and logs on every day.

What defines a writer?

For the purposes of this survey it was decided to make the sample self-selecting i.e. those who completed it consider themselves to be writers, whether published or not. The survey was distributed in three ways.

It should be noted that the income of a writer derives not just from original writing but also from other writing-related activities e.g. teaching, editing, workshopping, public readings etc. A third of the sample state that writing is their main source of income.

55% of UK writers access the Internet every day.

Of the 1,012 UK writers who completed the survey, 55% access the Internet every day. This figure does of course mirror the interests of the respondents although a fair number took completed the form in order to express their disinterest in the Internet. The figures show that once writers have regular access, they are likely to use the net very frequently.

Most UK writers live in the suburbs.

Almost a third of writers responding to this survey were aged 51-65.

31% of the respondents are between the ages of 51-65. (30% of the total women and 32% of the men). We also see an interesting variation when looking at the age groups either side of that. 27% of the women but only 20% of the men are aged 41-50, yet in the 65+ bracket this difference is reversed, with 15% women and 28% men.

73% of writers use the Internet for research.

When it comes to what writers do on the web there is little gender difference - with the exception of meeting people online.

Definitions

Q18. Has your writing been published online anywhere besides your own site? (e.g. at online magazines/newspapers; curated sites; project sites etc)

Collated responses from writers living in the UK: March-May 2000

Number of respondents: 1,012

Comments from respondees

WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE INTERNET? Aged 18-31
A cross-section of responses from UK writers who stated that they access the Internet every day		A cross-section of responses from UK writers who stated that they never access the Internet
Male	Female	Male	Female
Almost everything, but particularly the way it disregards borders between countries & nationhood. That it could free me to work the way I want to, from *where* I want to, *when* I want to. The potential - the extension of community Convergence of words motion sound - blurred distinction between media Apparent ease of access to publishing/broadcasting work to a wide audience Its power to save time. The chance to talk to people all around the world, having access to information at the click of a button, finding out about other people. The opportunities for personal creativity; those web designers who obviously understand what the web is good for and what is better left to other media; the chance to see what people across the globe are doing, thinking, seeing and hoping for. World-wide audience and broadcasters, as diverse and eccentric as people themselves All the great people you get to meet. The Internet itself excites me. Being on-line is sometimes like being tickled, even if it is also sometimes like being rubbed up the wrong way.	The freedom of it The potential for sharing knowledge on it How infinitely huge it is. Security - financial and copyright. Fabulous journalistic resource, great for shopping ( which I hate) earns me a crust Uniting people by their interests So much information from around the world available anywhere, anytime I like to email friends all over the world Music on the net Infinite possibilities Access to information Connection with others New opportunities Potential to be a great resource if the 80% rubbish is weeded out	0	0

 

WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE INTERNET? Aged 31-40
A cross-section of responses from UK writers who stated that they access the Internet every day		A cross-section of responses from UK writers who stated that they never access the Internet
Male	Female	Male	Female
Email Availability of reference material People power and shared knowledge Liberty of information Everyone has access to everything Ability to find information easily. Quick contact to people all over the world. I regularly can get information/opinions and talk to others in a very accessible way. Fantastic information and research source. Everything Nothing Promoting my book on a global basis Flexibility Empowering for creators. Sourcing information - the search facilities that can only be done by computer. Communication - Instant vast volumes of text and pictures etc. Always easy access to information and exchange of ideas with people anywhere in the world. Possibilities for communication to wide audience. Possibilities for multimedia publishing, research. Opportunity explosion in requirement for written material Copyright disappearing Speed of change New possibilities	Democratising of information. Access to global businesses and information sources endless source of discovery. Global possibilities The many possibilities for communicating with like minded people The huge number of the potential audiences for your work The ability to work with people at a distance & the convenience of working/researching/shopping when it suits me Availability, instantly of information that would otherwise take much more time to find, freeing up time for other forms of research for those who still know how to do it Exposure to huge audience Accessibility of information for research. The possibilities of finding so much round the world, Meeting like minded people & organising good things together. Excellent research Communicating instantly over long distances. Potential for e-books. It allows anyone (with access) to publish their writing. Book & newspaper publishers no longer control what the public read Free access to information for all.	Nothing The idea of immediate communication for human rights groups and dissemination of information.	Good opportunities & workshop writing That people can play music to people on other continents

 

WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE INTERNET? Aged 41-50
A cross-section of responses from UK writers who stated that they access the Internet every day		A cross-section of responses from UK writers who stated that they never access the Internet
Male	Female	Male	Female
Its ubiquity Global Community Freedom of speech/ information (responsible) People communicating Business opportunities Everything Rapid communication, wider audience, free advertising, potentially cheaper prices for goods but not services! Speed of access to material otherwise difficult to find Research possibilities for serious, academic links. Anonymity Its growth Ability to communicate and access information worldwide. Wonderful source of information even if it needs to be checked very carefully. Everything That it can inform all literary media. Instant worldwide connection with so many people and so much information. Capacity for being up to the minute (even if it actually isn't always!). Instant broadcasting to the world. Opportunities Ability to research worldwide contacts quickly. E-mail. Connects humans. Chance to sell my work and cut out the middleman. Communication without barriers. Learning and teaching potential	Numerous opportunities up to date information Speed (not having to drive to a library Being able to research a single topic/word Everything Its the way forward The fact that almost anything can be found on it. Its vastness The amount of information available at the touch of a button. Accessibility, immediacy. Wealth of information and contacts. Ease of keeping in touch. Ease of communication (global) Reference source The idea that information is out there in HUGE quantity. My working life as a journalist has been transformed. The major possibilities for research and information The scope of what's possible the ability to link to any one or any site worldwide in seconds. Enormous possibilities for learning, exchanging knowledge, contacting like minded people, dissemination, books and information. That it will transform every aspect of our lives - think of the OPPORTUNITIES!!! Ability to access information & e-mail - it has changed my life	Work. Money Access for writers, diversity, opportunity to showcase work universally, researching new readers. World wide coverage As an international catalogue for selling.	World-wide communication All the information available Unlimited access to others expertise The ease of accessing knowledge & communicating Nothing Nothing. I would rather write than try and get my head round it but as Mae West once put it he who hesitates is last. Research facilities. Research possibilities. The immediacy of research Un-got, un-judge, un-know (to mis-quote Ramsene) Nothing. But one cannot ignore it.

 

 

WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE INTERNET? Aged 51-65
A cross-section of responses from UK writers who stated that they access the Internet every day		A cross-section of responses from UK writers who stated that they never access the Internet
Male	Female	Male	Female
Access to information. Access to a wider audience. The facility it has for contacting anyone in the world instantly (almost). The research possibilities. Ease of communication The whole creative area that is being opened up. Superb research facilities. Opportunity to bring work to other markets and get paid. Freedom from censorship and governmental control. Scale of personal person contact world-wide (+ yonder!) Ease of communication. Easy research. Very little. E-mail useful sometimes. Makes research easier to those who write at home. Potential The access it provides to information that would otherwise be inaccessible. No bad editors Nothing Vast amount of information readily method of communication. Easy access to current affairs material Truth can often drive out falsehood The vast amount of information available. Its research provisions. Access to huge quantities of knowledge.	Communication E-commerce Virtually everything. International communication Reduction of rural isolation Information access for research purposes, communicating with the young. Facility for personal communication. Ease of access to research information. Everything else. The possibilities seem endless and endlessly exciting. Potential for education. Immediacy of information. Range of information available. Opportunities for new technology to restructure learning and feeding to inspire the more reluctant. Relative cheapness of materials. Openness Non-government groups have access & can give alternative viewpoints. That's exciting when you're in education. Information, ease of access to ideas, communication. "Excites" is hardly the word, but it can provide useful short cuts to information. Instant education Changing our thinking and the way we work. Contact with people all over the world. Accessibility to so much information access to books and products previously out of reach especially books. Its immense possibilities, especially for writers.	Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing excites me. It would be useful and interesting. Proximity of academic sites. Nothing, it does not excite me. Nothing It clearly has potential to extend on reading and writing and possibly even writing skills. Nothing It doesn't Not a lot to date, I don't have the time Nothing	communicating with friends Marvellous research tool for when I get older and older. It might introduce some kind of democracy to the world maybe! Speed Connectedness Wealth of information Communication for those who work from home Efficiency Connects radicals and protestors and circumvents government censorship. accessing the world sharing poetry Access to information. Possibilities of communicating with others and as an information source Access to seemingly unlimited information Nothing The unknown.. Change How wide the world will be for my grandchildren Reference - encyclopaedias & dictionaries Shopping Travel information Information and reference world-wide Ability to do research Communicating around the word from the comfort of one home

 

 

WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE INTERNET? Aged over 65
A cross-section of responses from UK writers who stated that they access the Internet every day		A cross-section of responses from UK writers who stated that they never access the Internet
Male	Female	Male	Female
Opportunities for research and contacts. Technology in itself doesn't excite me. I just expect and hope it will get better and better and more sophisticated all the time. I'm getting old; I want it all now. Instant access to information. It is a useful way of obtaining information and communicating. the future Access to all needs Publishing opportunities Unlimited worldwide communication, interaction, knowledge. Very useful for research. Vast potential generally Ability to instantly communicate anywhere in the world. Nothing about it excites me. As a quickly accessible source of information on such mundane matters as airline and train times, radio and TV programmes etc it provides an invaluable source. The increasing ability to obtain information, the ability to communicate cheaply worldwide. The potential for quicker dissemination/interchange of ideas and their expression. Ease of access Challenge Having the world at my fingertips.	speed of response Accessibility of information for serious research. The possibilities of research. The possibility of better/more in depth information that at present. The instant access to information, which is very time saving. On Line shopping, travel info, word wide contact via email and access to writers pages. E-mail, swift informal communication. Global sphere. Speed and ease of e-mail. Quick information source. Its scope, easy access, availability of information, speed and not needing to rely on Royal Mail. The opportunities for research and for getting in touch with people I could not otherwise reach e.g. in another country. The swiftness of email enquiries, even overseas receiving instant replies speed of response Availability Its size possibilities Up to date research data even before publication in learned journals Data that can be accessed from computers - e.g. birth/death/marriage certificates The wide access of knowledge Unlimited possibilities.	Possibility of greater publicity for my work Not Excited. Nothing That I don't have one! Its power to thwart repressive regimes. Nothing. Much originally. Little today Nothing. The possibility of accessing quickly the information I do want It shrinks the world Wonderful spread of information even though some of it is defective Nothing! Nothing Exciting future source for information & contacts for grandchildren Its future as a global library accessible to all. The immense scope of what is available	Its possibilities for research and for provoking sales of ones book. At its best it no doubt provides some new means of communication and learning. Not much - it might excite my curiosity. The scope. Nothing at all... Nothing - but I have no knowledge of it. Instant access to information. Nothing I am told it is a very expensive tool Nothing Excites is much too strong! It has uses especially for re-writes. Opportunity for finding quickly many subjects also for contacting people. If I had access I should like to see the worlds art collection Information on any subject readily available I am interested in how things work, including machinery. I daresay there are advantages & disadvantages in the use of the Internet but there come from the humans who use it, not the machinery, as there are not dangerous roads only dangerous drivers The possibilities for research

© 2000 trAce Online Writing Community
Last amended 19-Jun-2001