When I was desperately trying to figure out what to work up for the Rip.Mix.Feed. project, it hit me that I was already working on telling a story through various web tools. As some of you know, the hard drive in my laptop failed about halfway through my trip. This has made keeping up with coursework very tough as I’ve been borrowing laptops and wifi extremely piecemeal over this semester. Fortunately I have been able to continue documenting my trip through various apps and wifi over my iPhone.
http://americanfangirlinlondon.tumblr.com
I’ve been reluctant to share my adventure blog, as it is extremely personal, even though it is a public blog. I have used different tools such as Instagram, qik and YouTube to add multimedia pieces to my tumblr blog. I have been able to do this all “on the go” (depending on wifi availability) which I have found fascinating and extremely helpful in documenting the moments in real time. Some of the experiences are not outlined in detail due to privacy issues… both mine and the people I have been lucky enough to commiserate with on this journey.
This blog serves as not only a way for me to keep a record of my adventures but also as a way to reach out to friends and family and let them know what is going on beyond an email or phone call. I can show people what I’m seeing and paint a much more interesting picture of what I’m doing or how I’m feeling at any given moment.
I have not had any issues, but I have a few young followers that have had some anonymous users bullying them by telling them to harm themselves or do other destructive things. Some of the things I’ve seen are sickening, to put it mildly. I think blogging is a great way for students to share moments of their lives, but it is important to note that filters, blocks and security measures are there for a reason and should be considered when setting up blogs for younger users.
