Steno Star

Is pen stenography still used today?

2011-01-24T07:24:00.000-08:00

Is shorthand alive and well in the 21st century? That is today's question.

Oh, the fond memories of the days before dictation machines and emails...

Systems like the beloved Gregg, Pitman and others have been largely replaced by modern technology, but that doesn't mean this skill has gone completely obsolete.

Back in the day, pen stenography was the state-of-the-art standard for businesses and organizations across the globe. Andrew Owen from gregg.angelfishy.net writes:

Only twenty years ago, shorthand classes were seen in nearly every high school in the country. Now, the overwhelming majority of high school students today has never seen nor heard of Gregg Shorthand.

Sad, but true. But not to worry!

I decided to investigate the web to see if I could find any evidence of modern-day perpetuation of the use particularly of my favorite system, Gregg.

First off, I found a couple sites about court reporting, which mainly use mechanical steographs or computers these days. However, a couple people mentioned the use of pen stenography, like this forum here.

I think that shorthand is being discussed in the court reporting world as an alternative or back-up system...at least it's something, though.

But just the other day, I was happy to stumble upon this article called Gregg Shorthand: Not a Dead Skill at hubpages.com here.

This article featured some of the recent interest to help transcribe old documents and use shorthand almost as an archaelogical tool! Kind of interesting. Be sure to check it out.

I've also come across a few sites and forums where people were looking for freelance stenographers for small reporting jobs in reporting or note-taking. Something to think about for anyone out there looking for a side project doing a hobby they love!

Another thing to think about is shorthand's practicality for personal use...in notes for students, or in composing for authors.

This was one of my goals when I first decided to learn Gregg. I think if you can learn shorthand with enough speed and accuracy in transcribing, it could be very useful for everyday purposes.

This article at buzzle.com talks about the key to speed with Gregg and mentions some ideas relating to this system of writing.

All in all, though, I like to think of shorthand appreciated in spirit, especially by the lovely community of people who were behind its popularity at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Even if it's not the first choice anymore for everyday needs, it's still a cool skill to take on. You never know when you might need to use it!

Your question of the day:

What do you use shorthand for? / What do you make of its future?

Be sure to post your answer in the comments (link below)!

Also, be on the lookout for more posts coming soon, as well as a program I'm hoping to get going soon on How to Learn Shorthand in 21 Days.

Brian

My YouTube shorthand practice videos

2010-12-31T06:44:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

Today I wanted to do a quick video roundup of some old YouTube videos I had posted when I was first learning Handywrite and Gregg Anniversary.

I had no idea what to expect as these were my first videos I ever put on YouTube, but it turned out that since I posted them about two years ago, I've had 35,000+ collective views on them!

Interesting, isn't it? All the videos and blog material I work so hard for people to see end up getting no traffic, yet my webcam-quality steno vids get tons of views.

Because of the turnout I might be making more soon, but for now, here are the videos from my YouTube channel, which is actually a personal account I made when YouTube was first getting started (for commenting, etc.): ocergnairb (my name spelled backwards).

My most recent, Gregg Anniversary at 70 wpm:

My top speed when I was learning Handywrite:

Handywrite at 80 wpm:

And finally, my first video, Handywrite at 40 wpm:

I hope you guys enjoy them and be sure to let me know what you think!

I've gotten a couple comments up on the YouTube pages for them and would love to continue the discussion there, too.

In coming posts I'll be doing other video and link roundups, as well as other fun stuff relating to the wonderful topic of shorthand!

Enjoy the new year,
Brian

Welcome to Steno Star

2010-08-29T08:25:00.001-07:00

Hi! Welcome to my little blog called Steno Star.

This blog is dedicated to the art of pen stenography, or shorthand.

Hugely popular in the early twentieth century, this method of abbreviated writing has now fallen out of use in favor of computers and audio recordings.

My name is Brian, I'm 14 years old from Pennsylvania, and a couple years ago I discovered shorthand online and found it to be fascinating.

I first started out learning a system called Handywrite, and gained speeds of up to almost 80 wpm from self-study. I later moved on to the more well-known Gregg system (Anniversary) and was able to obtain more speed.

I haven't yet used this skill for school or "practically" per se, but I've enjoyed learning how to write in a different way and see English words from a new perspective.

I think it's a shame that nowadays most people have never heard of it, or no longer care about it.

So, in a humble effort to revitalize (or at least preserve and appreciate) the culture around pen stenography, I made this website, where I'll be writing about its history, usage, and various types, as well as linking to some cool resources, books, and videos.

I hope you enjoy this blog and please feel free to leave a comment or email me here anytime.

Brian