Project Time

I haven't written a blog post in a while, mainly because I've been trying to finish all my other work so that I can completely concentrate on this blogging project.
After reading a few articles today to the general act of blogging, a few key points have been sticking in my mind.

1) Blogging maintains an interesting place in between the personal and public spheres.  This is because the minute you start typing and publishing posts, your words can become public.  This means that they are no longer in your control and other people can use and interpret your words as they like.

2) I have also been thinking about how blogging has emerged as a new research tool for conducting fieldwork.  This blog is a massive part of our project, as it allows us to be reflexive and experience the process of blogging.  New media, especially blogging may have large consequences for the discipline of anthropology.  More and more anthropologists have actually started blogging and discussing their research interests with a wider audience.  Therefore, blogging can be viewed as encouraging new forms of dissemination, as there are more opportunities to exchange knowledge and build networks.

3) I recently set up a personal Twitter account in order to compare blogging and micro-blogging.  Twitter is definitely more interactive, as I was immediately receiving followers and it was much easier to search people that I wanted to follow.  However, tweets seem so impersonal because they are so short.  Twitter is much more about broadcasting your immediate actions, whereas blogging allows you to really think about what you are writing and express yourself.  In this sense, I much prefer blogging, because Twitter seems a little shallow and to-the-point.

Jenny

Home at last

Just arrived home as I stayed in Bristol for an extra few days to attend the 'Insight Into Media Course'.  The course has been extremely helpful concerning career opportunities in journalism, advertising and PR.  I was also happy to see that one of the speakers was a professional blogger called Zoe Griffin.  She has created an extremely successful career out of keeping a celebrity blog and website, which can be found at http://www.zoegriffin.co.uk/
The importance of blogging concerning a career in the media was emphasised by several of the speakers, including a representative for the Cardiff school of journalism who said that it was mandatory for all his students to keep a blog.  This demonstrates the fact that keeping a blog is essential for your career, but it also gives you the freedom to express opinions and feelings without the pressure and control of an editor.

Blogs enable you to hone your writing skills and practice the discipline of writing everyday.  A blog will also act as part of your portfolio to present to future employers.  In a question and answer session, I asked whether or not the future of professional journalism is under threat because of the democratisation of media and increasing number of blogs.  Michael Nutley, the Editor in Chief of the 'New Media Age' commented that the industry was changing and that journalists had to be flexible and learn to accommodate all the new forms of technology and social networking.  Blogs are now found alongside the formal features and new articles on websites such as the guardian.co.uk

Jenny

A response to Jenny

I disagree that twitter is completely self serving, less so than blogs anyway. Most people spend as much time following other people's tweets, as they do tweeting themselves. The joy in Twitter lies in having regular updates of other people's activities. Obviously tweeting yourself is a big part of it, but I think it is more two sided. Blogging is different- the majority of bloggers we have spoken to seem to devote the majority of their time to their own blog, and only spend a small portion of it following other blogs. I think this is because a blog is much more personal and so when a person creates one they want to put a lot of time and energy into it as it is an extension of themselves. Whether the blog is just photographs, or recordings of their husband sleeping... a blog reveals something about a person and the way they think. A person's twitter posts are definitely less personable than their blog posts.
Izzy

Narcissistic exercise?

I just watched the video of Mena Trott talking about blogs again and it struck me just how egotistical and narcissistic blogs really are.  They are entirely about the bloggers feelings, experiences and emotions...even when I'm writing this I am thinking, why should other people care about what I am writing?
I imagine that some degree of introspection or narcissism is useful and healthy to some extent as it helps you through complex decisions, but is blogging about your everyday mundane life really necessary???

I remember thinking this when Twitter was first introduced, as the site struck me as extremely self-serving, especially concerning celebrities.  I suppose people are essentially nosy and there will always be something wanting to probe into someone's else's personal life, so in that respect, your blog is never entirely yours in the first place, it is public property.

Jenny

Strange

It's very strange and eerie being in Bristol at the moment.  The term has ended and most people have left, so walking around uni is a bit like a deserted ghost-town.  I'm writing this sitting in a pretty empty ASS library...the only people left are probably very keen third years.  The only reason I'm still here is because I'm doing an 'insight into media' course in Bristol next week, very nervous about all the expected networking.  Had a spa day yesterday and sleepover with some of the few remaining girls here.  Raiding the remaining contents of their fridge proved to be particularly fruitful as we completely stuffed ourselves with pancakes.
Realisation has dawned about the ridiculous work-load for this Easter.  Need to do more research on the phenomenon of blogging, I think I will read this article today:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2002/jan/31/internetnews.onlinesupplement

We all seem to have forgotten to blog about our visit to the Bristol Twestival, which took place at Metropolis on Cheltenham Road on the 24th of March.  It was a really fun night and of particular interest to our project because it was organised by people who had met through Twitter and other online social networking sites.  The event raised money for the Rainbow Centre for Children and featured performances from the Dub Mafia, Temple Circus and beatboxers.  We spoke to several of the guests about their involvement in Twitter and they all said that they were regular users and had forged many new relationships because of the site.  The Bristol Twestival is a unique opportunity for relationships to transcend the divide between virtual online friendships and meeting people in real life.  We all gained many valuable insights from this experience,

Jenny

Mr Nice

We also watched Mr Nice last night with Rhys Ifans and Chloe Sevigny (absolutely gorgeous and amazing clothes). It's the life story of Howard Marks, an elite British drug smuggler and I would highly recommend it. I quite fancy a bit of Rhys Ifans, great accent and great sense of humour. Perfect man. Especially love him in Notting Hill.

Izzy

We had a delicious pea and pancetta carbonara last night. I could honestly eat pasta every day for the rest of my life. WHY is it so good? I'm cooking Cherry's (my dad's girlfriend) sausage sauce pasta tonight which is definitely my desert island meal. It is just sooo meaty and delicious and ridiculously fattening. The last time I made it I put 18 sausages in it. 
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/farfalle-with-carbonara-spring-peas

I need to write 13 500 words over easter holidays and the panic is starting to set in. I am a massive procrastinator/dawdler and the last 2500 essay I wrote took me 2 weeks. Plenty of snacking and cups of tea will be my motivator. My mum's cooking is the one silver lining in an easter 'holidays' that looks to be fairly depressing.

Izzy