Verified

Have you ever read a poem or a song and wondered what the artist thought about a certain line or lyric? Verified artists are, essentially, personal annotations for artists and authors. They let the author of a text make their own comments about their writing- they can relate the anecdotes that led to the creation of a song, comment about the instrumental arrangements, decipher their own particularly cryptic lyrics, or elaborate on their arguments.

For musicians, this function can serve both as a connection to their fan base, and garner additional publicity for their music. Most of the time listeners want to know the stories and thoughts behind the music, and the speculation of Genius contributors can only illuminate so much. Verified annotations are a far more direct way of discussing the creation of a text- instead of listening to a 20 minute interview to discover something about a line in a song, these annotations provide a much more direct and specific way of hearing the artist’s opinion about lyrics. This practice can be expanded to fiction and poetry- the annotations let the author reveal the more personal side of the writing- discussing the personal experiences that led to a character or event, or lending credence to a given theory of analysis.

For nonfiction writers, verified annotations let writers reach a new level of complexity with their arguments. Not only can an author add additional citations to an article, they can put relevant parts of those sources directly beside the place they use it in their writing. Instead of having to find the footnote that leads to an entire article, the annotations can be used to present the exact lines they were referring to. In addition, annotations can provide an area for editorial comments in articles that are otherwise objective- the author can still convey their opinions without including them in an otherwise factual article. Moreover, they give the author freedom to include the nuance and additional information that inevitably gets cut when writing a research paper.

On Genius, not every writer is verified, but there are a number of very recognizable artists who have been verified. The largest and most recent, within Rap Genius at least, is Eminem. His annotations discuss his own writing process, and also give a unique insight into the actual interactions of the people in the rap industry. Most of the time annotations from Verifieds are invaluable even on texts they didn’t author because they normally provide the perspective of someone within the music industry. Genius contributors are quite good at references and analysis, but have far less expertise at what it’s like to actually be in a recording studio making music. This makes the annotations of a producer like Rick Rubin especially insightful because they deal with the actual musicality of a song- most annotations deal only with the lyrics.

As always, view the annotated version of this text here. Also, I invite you to sign up for the beta version of /theinternet below, so that you can add annotations to this page, or anything on the internet. Also, download the Genius chrome extension to see annotations more easily on any page you visit.

This Time It's Personal

On Genius there are two types of annotations- Genius annotations and Personal annotations. Genius annotations are the most common, and are they type that I’ve spent most of my time discussing. Personal annotations are a more recent development, and differ only in the authorship of the annotation. For example, a Genius annotation can show the identities of contributors, but is just listed as the Genius annotation. A personal annotation clearly identifies the author, so its written more as an editorial than a news article.

This allows writers to do things that are normally frowned upon in genius annotations. For example, the writer can reference a personal experience, or make a dissenting analysis. This is a good way of encouraging debate- where in a Genius annotation your comments need to be factual and objective, personal annotations can argue for a specific position or opinion. This is especially helpful for articles in News Genius, because it allows contributors to make their own comments and debates on the policies and politics of the texts. These annotations also have great potential for Lit Genius texts, because they allow for competing readings of a text to be presented without using a Genius annotations that is three or four paragraphs long.

Personal annotations also let people make comments about songs that wouldn’t fit in a Genius annotation. For example, a personal annotation could discuss the way that a certain song reminds someone of another lyric or artist- because comments of that sort are so subjective, they wouldn’t fit in a Genius annotation, but the connections and resulting analysis are still beneficial to the reader.

Now, however, with the advent of /theinternet, personal annotations have a new importance. Right now, all offsite annotations are personal annotations- there is not yet a structure for offsite Genius annotations. This works towards the aim of /theinternet, however- annotating websites is meant to stimulate discussion, not just be a glorified system of footnotes. Anyone can look up more facts and add them to a speech or article- Genius’s strength is that we allow people to discuss and debate a text essentially as a part of the text itself. The immediacy of an annotation allows for a higher and more specific level of debate, something that many would argue is desperately needed in the general whirlwind of internet dialogue.

As always, view the annotated version of this text here. Also, I invite you to sign up for the beta version of /theinternet below, so that you can add annotations to this page, or anything on the internet. Also, download the Genius chrome extension to see annotations more easily on any page you visit.

Genius.com/beta

Interesting and Awesome Genius Stuff #1

In past weeks I have discussed what Genius is, how it works, and what I think about it. I’ve talked about the structure of the website, and its potential for education. Now, however, I want to move on- to what is actually happening on the website. This part of the blog will probably be half music blog, and half Genius spotlight. This week I’d like start with a few specific examples of the way that Genius can be used for education.

Properties and Reactions of Haloalkanes

One of the biggest parts of being a student is studying- assimilating material and preparing for tests. Study guides are one of the most helpful forms of studying. They’re more concise than a textbook or notes, and provide a convenient form of review for students. While study guides don’t fall within Genius’ main focuses, the annotation format provides another dimension of explanation. The addition of diagrams, additional explanations, and sources makes the explanations clearer, and a reader can pursue a second opinion or additional explanation immediately, instead of doing other research to find another source.

Practice Test 1, Section 6 (Writing)

Another of the main types of studying is test prep. Because high school students are essentially required to take exams like the SAT, there is a huge market for study materials. An annotated version of SAT test questions provides an easy way for a student to solve questions, and then check the answers and explanations in realtime, without having to flip pages or wade through distracting test prep sites. While this version is thus far unfinished, parts of its construction are designed to encourage good test taking habits. For example, the normal SAT instructions have been omitted. Because the instructions never change, it is better to memorize the types of questions and know the rules, so that you don’t waste time reading them during the test.

As always, view the annotated version of this post here.