This week's blog post topic

Hi all,

Here is the prompt for this week's blog post. Let me know if you have questions/comments. 

Andrew

For the week of September 13^th, 2012

Theme: Online Identity and Presentation

In this week’s readings, authors discuss the ways in which the concept of identity has been changed by the Internet age. Palfrey and Glasser state that “Digital Natives almost never distinguish between the online and offline version of themselves” (p. 20). Banet-Weiser notes that “girls reference brands not simply as commodities but as the context for everyday living” (p. 285). Finally, writing in 1990, Haraway says that “gender, race, or class consciousness is an achievement forced on us by the terrible historical experience of the contradictory social realities of patriarchy, colonialism, racism, and capitalism” (p. 197).

In this week’s blog post, you should look for the intersection of these three readings. Your post could, for example, explore the ways in which Haraway’s (last century) idea of the cyborg is mediated or shaped by the ability of teenage girls to broadcast themselves on YouTube. Or you could explore the ways in which you think online and offline identities mix, and how this is related to branding. You’re also free to reject my ideas and write something about your own experiences and the thoughts that these readings sparked. In any case, your post will be strengthened by citing the authors when appropriate and drawing connections between your reading of the three required texts for this week.

Here's a link to a YouTube video mentioned in Sarah Banet-Weiser's article. Read the comments (as Banet-Weiser suggests in the article).

Be Who You Wanna Be?

After having read the material for this coming week, I was perusing the internet for interesting links about online identities. So, in the spirit of our fabulous instructors, here is a little video that shows one young woman's university experiment. I hope this isn't some sort of spoiler for class next week...

What is scary to me are some of the responses her identities elicited.This is precisely why my Facebook account is a pseudonym, even though I know I can be found in the virtual world. All I can think of, though, when it comes to any type of fully online relationship, can be summed up in photos:




Now, am I saying this only applies to women? Of course not. To wit...



It is the expectation vs. reality--how we want people to see us vs. how we actually are. Of course these are hyperbole and intended for comedic effect. But the concept remains the same: can we really trust anyone we only know through the medium of cyberspace??

For the Creatives and Critics: The TV Tropes Wiki

Since you, my peers, are the ones served by this 'blog, I think you might find this either useful or interesting enough to bookmark and keep handy.

This link leads to the TV Tropes Wiki. This is a site, built using the Wikipedia model, that catalogs various tropes originally seen in film, television, comics, literature and so on. As the title states, this was originally a TV-focused wiki that expanded its coverage over time. The standards are not Wikipedia's; this is far more casual and subjective in its intention and execution (and yes, there is a trope entry for that.)

Because this is not a wiki that holds to Wikipedia's notability standards, let alone the standards we're accustomed to in academia, I warn you not to see this as an authority so much as a measure or accounting of common practices. The tropes cataloged here include so-called "metatropes" such as Executive Meddling, and some of them are contended as being tropes at all. (As with Wikipedia, users--"Tropers"--can and do get into fights over definitions, which leads to periodic overhauls of the site's content; e.g. "Did Not Do The Research" got merged into Artistic License, and there was a flame war in the Discussion tab.)

If you critique or create narrative fiction, especially genre fiction, having TV Tropes in your Bookmarks is worthwhile. The names coined here have spread throughout the 'Net, sometimes through direct linking to relevant entries--and I have done this over the years more than once--leading to a push towards a standardization of jargon amongst the 'Net-savvy population of genre fiction fans, critics and creators that's now pushing out to assimilate all forms of gaming, so it helps if you're talking about the next James Bond film and someone tosses off "What did you expect? Bond is a Badass in a Nice Suit." you can follow along. TV Tropes is especially useful when used alongside a more formal counterpart; the difference between the two can be quite helpful when stuck with some part of a story.

I hope that this annotated link proves as useful I intended.

It's been a long time coming...

It is one thing to say something in a conversation or in an informal setting; however, using a blog to express my thoughts has a greater element of permanency that I am currently struggling with.  Growing up among a variety of colorful people I have learned that when people are telling a story the fact, the truth can be lost amidst embellishments.  Resulting in the people hearing the story remembering different elements of the conversation without indisputable proof of what was actually said.

 A blog is a record similar to art painting in caves by our ancestors from generations past. Blogging forces me to be an active member in capturing “history” compared to being in the comfortable position as a passive observer of my surrounding. My cheese has been moved so therefore I must move with it.   

As I think about it, maybe I am experiencing fear… fear of people reading my inner thoughts. When we talk in person reading the body language and facial expression clue you to what you just said was inappropriate. In blogosphere, there are no non-verbal clues to indicate if my statements/thoughts are within the range of normalcy for our society.  

PS – I find it funny that “blogosphere” is a word – WOW

More exuberant monkeys or certified social media strategists?

What is the future of social media? As Facebook, Twitter, and Pintrest become more popular, businesses and corporations are searching for ways to ‘friend’ their customers. Even the president is using social media! Looking at job postings and internships, more and more listings for bloggers and social media managers and popping up. However, requirements for these jobs vary, as do the duties. The National Institute for Social Media (NISM), located in Apple Valley, MN, is hoping to change that. Never heard of it? Neither had I, until today when I looked at my LinkedIn newsfeed. The NISM provides education and certification for professionals interested in pursuing a career involving social media. Once certified, professionals will be able to call themselves a Certified Social Media Strategist (CSMS). To be eligible for the exam and certification, however, the NISM requires at least 64 academic credits or two years of work experience related to social media. So far, Merced College in California is the only college in the country to have their social media curriculum approved by the NISM. Certification, especially this early in the program, will give professionals an advantage for career advancement. “Earning a NISM certification verifies that your knowledge and skills are at a level that is necessary to be proficient in a variety of situations, but also provides an impartial, third-party endorsement of your knowledge and experience – with the intent to enhance your career opportunities” (NISM, 2012, para. 1). The NISM boasts of the programs transferability and quality assurance. It would seem that standardization of social media education and certification is one of the NISM’s long term goals. Perhaps this is the future of social media and business. What does that mean for people like Andrew Keen, who claim ‘exuberant monkeys’ are ruining our culture? Is this just a way for us to certify our mediocrity? Either way, social media is here and I don’t think it’s going anywhere. Sure, it will evolve, probably constantly, but there is no going back now.

References

National Institute of Social Media. (2012). Benefits of certification. Retrieved from http://nismonline.org/certification/benefits-of-certification/

Briefly Lost in The Dark Woods

Last Monday, Labor Day, Tom (my husband) and I drove to Fort Snelling State Park and hiked around Pike Island. We got a late start, but the dusky light was perfect for illuminating the dark beauty of that wild place.

Considered sacred by the Mdewakanton Sioux Indians, there is vague reference to the conditions of its sale to the United States in 1805 on markers there. The history of Pike Island, which you can look up for yourself if interested, is not the subject of this post, but I did want to mention that it is situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers and is shaped like a long arrowhead with the two rivers running on either side and joining at the tip.

We started our hike at the base of the arrowhead where a foot bridge links it to the park. We decided to walk up the Mississippi side of the island, not knowing how long it would take to reach the tip. Since we had arrived late, the park building was closed and we didn't have a map with directions and distances.

I hadn't brought a camera with me, but as we walked I was so awed by the beauty of the place I wanted to take pictures. Luckily, I had my cellphone in my pocket with camera. Everywhere I looked seemed like a work of art, and I took many photos as we strolled through what felt like another world.

The thing that struck me the most was how much personality the trees seemed to have. Each one seemed unique - and groups of trees seemed to have formed unique communities with ancient elders, mothers, fathers and many children.

I felt dwarfed my the sheer size of some of the trees there. In the cityscape of my life, even the largest trees I encounter every day didn't match the majesty of these. I lingered often for a better angle. I wanted to know the story of every scar, bend and hollow. One of the trees offered a person-sized cave that I could literally walk into. How many creatures had sought shelter there?

As we continued on our walk, it seemed to be taking a long time to get to the tip of the island. As it turns out, it is about 1.5 miles to the tip from either side, and we had thought that we could make the loop in about 45 minutes.

Perhaps we could have if we had simply walked at a comfortable, steady speed, but we lingered for pictures like awestruck guests in fairyland.

At one point I thought we should turn back so that we wouldn't be caught in the dark. I thought of looking at a map on my cellphone (with gps enabled) and we saw that we were about 4/5 of the way to the tip of the island. We decided to keep going and try to pick up the pace on the way back. 


When we arrived at the tip there were two boats anchored on the beach. People were relaxing on board in the quiet waters. The sun was quickly setting so we didn't linger there. We started back along the Minnesota River side and noticed even more beauty in the dying light. We tried to stay aware of wanting not to get caught in the dark, and we quickened our pace.

Tom was slightly ahead of me, and stopped suddenly. I came up behind him and saw the deer, about 5 of them, standing in and near the path feeding. As I approached I must have startled them because they all looked up at the same time, then bolted to the right - not too far - and stood vigil.

Again, we lingered a bit. I took the picture on the left of one of the deer (the tiny brown shape to the right of the low arched branch and below left of the higher arch). Tom called, come on, let's go.

We tried to hike quickly, but I still had to take a few more pictures before it became too dark. And it DID become too dark before we reached the way out.


Some of the awe and wonder I had felt earlier was replaced now by an uneasiness and, well, fear. I didn't know quite what I was afraid of, or what there was to be afraid of, but the darkness transformed our fairyland into a dark, wild woods with unknown dangers.

We knew intellectually that we were in an urban park with clear paths, that there was really nowhere very far from our car to wander, but the feeling of being vulnerable in the dark persisted. Together, we kept our eyes on the sandy path and eventually came to the foot bridge. Once across, I breathed a sigh of relief - a little ashamed that I had been afraid. But then came another challenge. Which way to the car? Did we remember? No.

OK. We went to the right. Both of us thought that was the right way, but about 100 yards down the path we noticed a kiosk and a fork in the path. Neither of us remembered seeing a kiosk on the way there from the parking lot. We must have gone the wrong way!

We turned back and I felt the fear trickling back - even though I knew there was really nothing to be afraid of. Those looming, dark, undulating shapes were simply trees and brush swaying in the wind. Right? We took the left path and got to the end of it - the river - and no parking lot.

OK. Maybe there had been a kiosk and we didn't remember it (as I started to hyperventilate).

Tom noticed another path leading into the woods. It pointed toward the highway bridge high above the river valley, and we remembered our car was parked under that bridge. We decided to take the path and were soon very relieved when we saw the lights of the parking lot start to glitter through the trees.

On the way home we could laugh about the adventure of the whole experience. I was reminded of the power of nature and my own vulnerability when unprepared. I had been glad to have my cellphone with me so that I could photo-journal what I saw, and despite my nervous fear in the dark, it reassured me that I was still attached to the larger world by at least 2 bars.

The next day I had an appointment in Eagan, so I decided to return to Pike Island in the daytime and walk the path in the light. I found the lurking dangers of the night before to be now stunning beauty. I took some great pictures and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. That trip will have to be the subject of another post.

Happy hiking to you,
Cindy Wold

Facebook is my friend.

I am one of the most anti-social persons I know. I dropped my best friends from high school and rarely see or talk to the people from the neighborhood I grew up with. Though I have five sisters and two brothers, I usually only see them at holidays or special occasion. I dont hang out with people from work and rarely go out with anyone but my husband, who is best friend. I dont even own a cell phone!! Why, you ask? Because I dont want to be bothered with people calling me to talk while Im in the grocery store! In fact, I cringe when my phone rings at home and answering it requires alot of prompting on my part. I dare say I may have died a recluse with only my husband as a friend, if it werent from Facebook.

Facebook has allowed me to be social, without really being social. I have connected with my best friend from high school, other friends from the past, students Ive worked with, family, friends from the present that would have walked out of my life- never to be heard from again, even people I forgot I knew. It allows me to enteract with all of them without really investing much time or energy into the relationship. How perfect for me! I can get a glimpse of whats going on in their life without having to say a word, and if I want to say a word- its usually a short exchange of pleasantry and then on to the next topic. It is accesible, easy, time friendly and perfect for me!

I no longer have to watch the news which generally displays me as a killer, lazy, stupid, uncaring and violent. I can pick my own news sources on FB and get the news I want, rather that the redderick of people that dont like me. I have a place to share my voice and when something is eating at my soul, ( like the Sandusky rapes or Bush's whole presidency) and the mainstream media is sugar coating it or ignoring- I can share my outrage on FB and release this pain from me, which will surely eat me up inside, if I dont. And if anyone dare oppose me, I can chew you up and spit you out, because If I'm passionate about something-look out!

I also have a place to go to find out where the parties are at, where my favorite Dj's will be and  which artist are coming to town, all with the glimsp of the screen and a click of a button.

Yes Facebook is my friend- the best kind of friend. One that makes me laugh, informs me, relates to me and often times "likes" me.