[56 1/2 Main Street: 18] From June 20th - Twitter Narrative Intro

2 Main Street: 18 From June 20th - Twitter Narrative Intro

A Twitter narrative. I did not look forward to doing this project. I have not seen much use for Twitter, and it has seemed, IMHO, that it has been just another ‘must do’ on my already too long list of Weblogs and Wikis assignments. I just haven’t seen much value in Twitter. I hoped that taking on this narrative assignment would teach me something about Twitter. I started this project by doing some much needed reading.

I started with Roy Peter Clark’s, Ways to make room for good writing on social networks. “Brief is good. Concise is better.” Got it. Short form writing takes more effort than long form writing. It did take more effort. Was it going to teach me something so I would have a better appreciation for Twitter? Why did Twitter seem so impossible to use?

I found another gem, a blog post by Ismael Pena-Lopez entitled, Analyzing digital literacy with a single simple tweet. Pena-Lopez breaks down the concept of digital literacy into five different types of literacy. Although I didn’t feel exactly encouraged by what he writes of Technological Literacy, I no longer felt quite so frustrated or, well, so stupid.

“Technological literacy: Easy at it may seem at first sight, many people just do not get how twitter works. It is as simple to operate (“just a 140 car. message”) as complex to understand how it works as a whole. Add to this that you have to be following either @brlamb or any of the hashtags to be able to notice the new tweet. And that you can follow them in several different ways, including different technologies, platforms and devices. Definitely, not that easy.”

Did you get that? Twitter is appears to be simple to operate. It is complex to understand, and the user has to be following, either the person of interest or the correct hashtag to be able to simply notice a new tweet. In addition, there are several ways to follow another member which use different technologies, platforms and devices. All this for 140-characters.

I did some reading about narratives. A personal narrative was not happening. I know it sounds like a poor attitude or even whining when I say that I do not have anything I want to say. If/when I do, I will say/write it. I was ready to bail on this whole narrative thing. I remembered a couple of things I really wanted to get out of this course along with a couple of things I wanted to do by the end of the summer.

By the time I finished this course, I wanted a couple of things for my efforts. (Obviously, this isn’t counting the knowledge I would gain). I wanted to learn how to do an animation. As I learned about the artifacts created in social networks and/or by online communities, I knew I wanted some sort of artifact that would be different from those we’ve discussed these last months. I didn’t want my artifact to disappear when I shut off my computer.

I will likely never spend any extended period of time in my hometown once this summer ends. That’s good, and that’s not-so-good. There isn’t much here. Not even a decent internet connection. This is, however, the most beautiful countryside there is. I understand what is meant when someone describes a certain place as being “part of them,” or even, “in their blood.” I wanted to take something of this place with me.

I decided this narrative would describe the walking stick I would make from what is here. I wanted an artifact that represents what I love most about this place. I want to take a bit of it with me when I go. I spent my boyhood roaming these woods, and this area is like no other. It is rugged and rocky, and what is not covered by the lakes is all hills and outcroppings of grey-blue iron, striped jasper, granite boulders, and the occasional bits of quartz and fools’ gold. The wildlife is just that - wild. Deer, bear, moose, the occasional mountain lion, timber wolves, hawks, bald eagles, badgers, lynx, bobcats, fishers, mink, and so many other critters share these woods and very often, these towns, with us. Or, perhaps it is that we share their turf.

Clearly, my narrative would be considered dry and boring to many people. I began my tweets when I began hunting for a sapling. (I wasn’t putting a mature tree at risk by lopping off a branch. I selected an oak from an area that was to be cleared). It continued on through each step in the process until I finally put the first coats of varnish on the thing.

I created a Flickr account and I posted pics of each step in the process of making my walking stick. I found that tree, I cut it, I dried it, I peeled it, etc. I also took a trip to a cave I found to find stones for it. Blah, blah, blah. Perhaps. It is, however, meaningful to me.

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