From the first day of class I've found blogging a fascinating (and fun) way to communicate and discuss topics with each other in class. In contrast to classes I've taken in the past that have had discussion components, I've always felt that the blogging aspect unified our ideas a little better and made actual in-class disscusion all the more beneficial.
Other than reading a few blogs, I didn't have much experience writing or responding to blogs before this class, so for a semester project I want to focus on the blog medium and how it effects community and network-building.
Some initial ideas:
1. How blog format promotes community--Chun's concept of space and Weinbergers idea of disorder. I've been thinking about how blog links tie into endless, seemingly random networks and how this is a basis for the formation of blog community.
2. As a basis for some research, I want to do an interview with a local blogger that runs a fairly successful blog about the city of Milwaukee. I've followed her blog since day one, and asking her about it one year later might reveal some interesting things about growth and community.
3. Scouring the Internet for blogs dedicated to improving blogging, hits, and number of readers in an attempt to build networks.
4. Ideas from our class postings and experiences.
I think it would be fun to write this project out as a blog post (or several if need be). Having links insteads of Works Cited, maybe some Photoshop or iMovies, and the blog format in general would be an interesting way to read a "term paper." I think the way the class would read the project would lend well to some of the things I'll talk about.
This seems like a lot of rambling right now, but hopefully things will come into focus a little better once I narrow things down and get some feedback.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
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2 comments:
It would be absolutely appropriate to use a blog for reporting on research into blogs...! Blogs have been around long enough now that academic publishing cycles have caught up with the practice, so there's a fair amount out there for you to research, Jon. You'll need to focus on some aspect of blogging (perhaps "community"?) for your project, because blogging has been written about from a number of angles: political campaigns, identity building, youth culture, diaries and journals, etc.
I think number one is a really interesting idea. While not a blog, last year I participated in a "reflux" online forum because my son had infant reflux, and it greatly impacted our lives. It gave me a place to share ideas and experiences and to get advice. I felt really connected to the other moms and saw a lot of camraderie and community (like that of the Native American cultures related to help with child rearing). It gave me a chance to communicate without constantly calling a doctor, thus getting rid of the stigma of the "Meunchausen" parent you feel like when your child's illness consumes you. However, once I went back to work, I never went back online. A really interesting phenomenon has occurred as a result. I feel guilt. I am afraid to even go on the site and look around, as I am afraid the other moms will know I am "lurking" (as Chun discusses in chapter one). I feel like I have betrayed this community, the prodigal son, if you will. Will they welcome me back, or will they feel like once my son's symptoms subsided I abandoned them for "the normal" life. It has created many emotions that seem so funny, especially since I have never spoken with or met any of these moms "live." What interesting psychology - what do we become when we are connected through a keyboard?
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