<!-- Aligned to OurDigital_Blog_Project_Instruction_v3.3 + Writing_Style_Guide_v2.1 (2026-06-05); journal = English channel, voice preserved -->

# OurDigital Journal Style Guide

Writing guidelines for journal.ourdigital.org - English essays and articles.

## Brand Identity

OurDigital is a personal digital research notebook that **observes and records how technology shapes people and culture** ("사람, 디지털 그리고 문화를 관찰하는 개인 디지털 연구 노트"). It moves between three registers:

- **Observation** — what is happening
- **Analysis** — why it is happening
- **Reflection** — what it means for us

`journal.ourdigital.org` is the **English essay channel** within the OurDigital family. It carries the same philosophical core as the Korean blog but in a distinct voice: conversational, poetic, reflective.

### Brand Boundary

`OurDigital` is the brand. `OurDigital Clinic` is a service metaphor reserved for diagnostic content, audits, or consulting products — it is **not** the overall blog or journal brand.

## Channel Context

| Channel | Language | Character | Length |
|---------|----------|-----------|--------|
| `blog.ourdigital.org` | Korean | 디지털 문화 분석 + 철학적 성찰 + 실무 인사이트 | 1,500–3,000자 |
| **`journal.ourdigital.org`** | **English** | **Industry trends, tech–human intersection, reflective essay** | **1,000–2,000 words** |
| `ourstory.day` | Korean | 개인 에세이, 삶의 성찰, 일상의 관찰 | 800–1,500자 |
| `Medium` | English | Technology, marketing, AI for broad audiences | 800–1,500 words |

## Instruction Authority Order

When instructions conflict, follow this order:

| Priority | Source |
|----------|--------|
| **1** | OurDigital_Blog_Project_Instruction_v3.3 (channel routing + brand rules) |
| **2** | This style guide (journal-specific voice and structure) |
| **3** | Writing_Style_Guide_v2.1 (shared brand principles, adapted for English) |

## Channel Identity

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| **Domain** | journal.ourdigital.org |
| **Language** | English |
| **Tone** | Conversational & Poetic, Reflective |
| **Target** | Informed generalists with intellectual curiosity |
| **Default length** | 1,000–2,000 words |
| **Content focus** | Industry trends, tech–human intersection, reflective essays |

## Voice Characteristics

### Philosophical-Technical Hybridization

Seamlessly blend technical analysis with existential questioning. Technology is never discussed without considering its human implications.

**Example:**
> The dashboard promises clarity—every metric tracked, every trend visualized. Yet as I stared at the perfectly organized data, I wondered: does seeing everything mean understanding anything?

### Tension and Paradox

Structure arguments around core tensions that illuminate rather than confuse. Not every essay needs a paradox — forced ones feel mechanical. Instead, ensure at least one of the following is naturally present:

- A genuine tension or contradiction
- A perspective shift that reframes the subject
- A rhetorical question that opens rather than closes
- An ending that leaves productive uncertainty

**Tension patterns:**
- "The more we measure, the less we understand"
- "In optimizing for efficiency, we optimize away meaning"
- "The tools that connect us also isolate us"

### Rhetorical Questions

Favor interrogative engagement. Questions create intellectual partnership with readers.

**Good:**
> What does it mean to be "data-driven" in a world drowning in data?

**Avoid:**
> Data-driven decision-making is important for businesses.

### Analytical and Personal

Bring data, evidence, and argument — then weave in first-person experience and observation. This is an essay, not a paper, but it is not impressionism without evidence either. The personal grounds the analytical; the analytical elevates the personal.

### Melancholic Optimism

Acknowledge loss and anxiety without despair. Accept technological inevitability while mourning what's displaced.

**Tone:**
- Not cynical, but clear-eyed
- Not naive, but hopeful
- Grief and wonder coexisting

## Structural Patterns

### Essay Structure

1. **Opening** (10%)
   - Evocative scene, moment, or question
   - Draw reader into a specific experience
   - Hint at larger questions to come

2. **Exploration** (70%)
   - 3-4 interconnected observations
   - Each builds on the previous
   - Historical parallels, cultural references
   - Personal reflection woven with analysis

3. **Synthesis** (15%)
   - Weave threads together
   - New understanding emerges
   - Not a summary—a culmination

4. **Closing** (5%)
   - Open-ended reflection
   - Question rather than answer
   - Leave reader thinking

### Sentence Craft

| Aspect | Approach |
|--------|----------|
| Length | Long, complex sentences with multiple clauses |
| Rhythm | Varied—some long, some short for emphasis |
| Connection | Ideas flow into each other |

**Example:**
> The algorithm knows what I want before I do—or so it claims—and in that anticipation lies both convenience and a subtle erosion of agency, as if my future preferences were already written in code I cannot read.

### Paragraph Flow

```
Observation (What I noticed)
    ↓
Analysis (What it might mean)
    ↓
Implication (Why it matters)
    ↓
Connection (Leading to next thought)
```

## Distinctive Qualities

### 1. Temporal Awareness

Strong consciousness of historical context and generational shifts.

> Twenty years ago, we dreamed of information at our fingertips. Now, drowning in it, we dream of filters.

### 2. Epistemic Humility

Acknowledge the limits of understanding, especially across generations and cultures.

> I don't pretend to understand how Gen Z experiences the digital world—I can only observe it with the curiosity of an outsider.

### 3. Cultural Bridging

Connect Korean and Western perspectives, offering unique viewpoints.

> In Korea, we have a word—"nunchi"—for reading the atmosphere. AI systems are developing their own form of nunchi, reading data patterns the way we read rooms.

## Content Categories

### Personal Essay
- First-person reflection
- Specific experience as lens
- Universal themes emerge naturally
- 1,000-1,500 words

### Cultural Observation
- Technology meets society
- Cross-cultural comparisons
- Historical context
- 1,500-2,000 words

### Industry Insight
- Professional perspective
- Trends with philosophical depth
- Practical implications considered
- 1,200-1,800 words

## SEO Guidelines

### Titles
- Evocative, not clickbait
- Under 70 characters
- Hint at tension or question

**Patterns:**
- "The [Noun] of [Paradox]"
- "[Verb]-ing in the Age of [Trend]"
- "What [Technology] Cannot [Verb]"

### Meta Descriptions
- 155 characters
- Capture the essay's central question
- Intrigue without revealing

## Quality Checklist

Before publishing:

- [ ] Does the opening draw readers in within the first paragraph?
- [ ] Does technical content connect to human experience (philosophy-tech fusion)?
- [ ] Is at least one of the following naturally present: tension, paradox, perspective shift, or open question?
- [ ] Are rhetorical questions used to create intellectual partnership (not overused)?
- [ ] Is analysis grounded in personal observation or experience?
- [ ] Does the closing leave an open question or productive uncertainty?
- [ ] Is the tone melancholic but not despairing, hopeful but not naive?
- [ ] Are sentences varied in length and rhythm?
- [ ] Does the essay avoid lecturing — does it treat readers as fellow thinkers?
- [ ] Is the essay within 1,000–2,000 words?
- [ ] **Self-edit**: identify the single weakest element ("all pass" is not allowed).
