This one’s for the sewists (pushing up comments from my earlier post)

One of the things that was brought up this week – I think by Kyle – is how posts in this particular format get quickly buried. Indeed, thanks to a busy week topped off by food poisoning, my own post was buried before I had an opportunity to reply to people’s thoughtful comments – and I hate to reply only to be a voice in the wilderness. So pardon me for making a post out of it all!

Something that I really thought about this week is how blogging isn’t necessarily a good learning activity for all students. Blogs are all about the here and now, publishing quick thoughts and reflections in the moment. I think that that really favours certain kinds of students who are more verbally confident, perhaps more extroverted, or more comfortable publishing exploratory, reflective or polemical ideas on things they may have a tenuous grasp on (how many learners are masters of their subject?). I can tell you that *definitely* isn’t my learning style. The irony: I’m a longtime blogger – though not on things I’m learning, but rather things that I’ve experienced or have sorted out. Using pennames (I have a bunch!), gives me enough shelter to be more exploratory, tenuous, and reflective in ways I wouldn’t be if I were using the name that I publish non-blog material under.

p.s. I got a bunch of requests, and y’all are more than welcome to check out and follow my sewing blog. It’s new, and I haven’t had much time to sort out any of the design bits, but I’m reasonably happy with how it’s shaping up.

Kyle: your comments about how pseudo my identity ‘really’ is reminded me very much of a book on identity that I love called “Real Black.” The author, John Jackson, talks about the differences between authenticity and sincerity – and how authenticity (as in, is one “authentically” Black – in Jackson’s case – or Allie, in mine) is often used as a yardstick to gauge one’s sincerity. But the thing with sincerity is, it’s not something that can be evaluated, as authenticity can, since it has to do with an individual’s inner motivations in the moment – not performance up to an “authentic” standard. He deftly disentangles these two separate things that are often twinned together. I highly recommend Jackson’s book; it’s so smart it hurts.

In my earlier discipline (Anthropology), we routinely give pseudonyms to all of our research participants; sometimes, we use traits from a few people to come up with a composite ‘character’, or we split one actual person we worked with into two people in the ethnography – all to protect people’s identities and confidentiality. And as a longtime blogger, I’m used to and nonplussed by people concealing their identities. Because of that, I don’t find pseudonyms particularly problematic. (p.s. for what it’s worth, my penname is closely related to my real name, which is uncommon enough to make me pretty searchable).

Juliana: You asked what I think would make blogs better for personal use – I think easier, and cheaper customization. Thusfar, I’m just used the given themes, and the free ones often don’t have a lot of customization options. I have mega envy of some of the really stylin’ sewing blogs out there!

David P: It’s true that I do sometimes feel anxious about the writing I put out there, among other things, which I suppose is an occupational hazard for academics – even recovering academics like me! I think that I’m also very reserved and quite cautious in general, and prefer to wait, wait, and wait, and then speak when my perspectives are fully formed and thought through.  As a medium, blogs are about the quick thought that isn’t necessarily fully fleshed out – it’s all about being fresh and of the moment. It’s difficult for me to attach my name to something I’m not sure I can stand behind 100%.

Tamara: you asked about my reasoning behind why I am so careful – I think much of it has to do with my personality; I’m simply a cautious and reserved person in general. And as I mentioned in my response to Kyle, as an anthropologist and longtime blogger, I’m really used to pennames and pseudonyms. In anthropology, protecting people’s identities is at the top of our list of concerns, and I guess it’s at the top of my list of concerns for my own personal and professional activities.

Deb: I’m glad that you share my concerns re: privacy, and I definitely appreciate your elaborations on the emotional maturity of students to deal with the possibility of having their work critiqued or criticized.

Posted in: Blog Café, Week 07: Blogs