**Sigh** Oh, Wikipedia.

Wikipedia, the quick sand of the internet.  The online free-for-all encyclopedia that is both feared and addictive.  In it's start it sounded like an incredible database for collecting known information but of course, like with every (thought to be) brilliant idea, comes the molasses. With the ability for anyone to edit the site's information, the educational villain inside of many internet lurkers were spoon fed a source to feed on.

The article Deconstructing Wikipedia (June 2010) by Chris Lydgate focuses on the history and reported flaws within Wikipedia's structure. The foundational idea behind Wikipedia is an incredible one in spreading immediate knowledge to peak web surfers curiosities and interests.  Unfortunately, with the flexibility in moderation and authorship, people who want to get something onto the site CAN find a way.  Sure enough, we see this with the examples provided within the article with both the Dr. Handel and John Seigenthaler cases.  Of course no online source is bullet proof... Unless it's in paper, sources are subject to hacking and even with physical sources, nothing is certain.

The entire article seemed to wrap up with stating that you should always read into sources in articles and not only use Wikipedia as your source for information, which is true, you should do this. Multiple sources should be used for everything. No words are made of pure gold.

The Wikipedia article, What Wikipedia Is Not, seemed to basically state all of their problems and claim no responsibility for what they are providing to the public.  Although statistics for factual information are pretty reassuring, you can never be sure what is and is not true.

Wikipedia is a good start for finding informoation, but...
Always check other sources.
Always check other sources.
Always check other sources.
Always check other sources.

So I know my PWP has got some of you confused.

I have thrown in another type of formatted post which seems to have some of you confused.  I figured I would take a minute to explain what I am doing so here it goes!

My initial idea when I was planning my Personal Web Project was to create and maintain a blog where I could share details of my apartment along with stories of my experiences in the spaces I am sharing. Since I was initially having trouble including the stories into my room posts, I decided to make them separate. I plan on making them easier to navigate through by adding tabs on my navigation bar to divide the two types of posts and also am working on an image to add to my personal story posts so you will easily be able to tell them apart. (I just haven't gotten a chance to finish it yet). You will notice as I go on that the story posts most likely will take place in the room I most recently wrote about so they can follow some sort of direction and sequential order.

I really think this will work out and I hope as I continue, it will prove to make more sense.  I really appreciate feedback so if any of you have anymore questions or can think of something that would help, please let me know.

Thank you,
Hanna

Nebraska Attractions!

Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 2010, some of the most popular places were:

1.  Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors)

2.  Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166)

3.  Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000)

4.  Carhenge (86,598)

5.  Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002)
and

6.  Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446)

1.  The scenic Pine Region of the state, Fort Robinson, is best remembered as the place where Chief Crazy Horse surrendered in 1877, after the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the defeat of Lt. Col. George Custer. Crazy Horse was later stabbed to death by a soldier at the fort.

Today, with some 50 original structures still standing, this important landmark is part of the 22,000-acre Fort Robinson State Park. Frontier artifacts are displayed in the former post headquarters that is now a museum.


2.  In the mid-1800s, when covered wagons rolled west along the Oregon Trail, more than 250,000 people passed Scotts Bluff, near present-day Gering. Looming 800 feet above the North Platte River valley, the bluff strikes a dramatic pose against the flat prairie.

At the museum, visitors can view special exhibits about the Oregon Trail , as well as fascinating artifacts. It is also possible to drive to the top of the bluff! On a clear day, the vistas include views of distant Chimney Rock and the difficult mountain trails beyond.


3.  The Arbor Lodge, located in Nebraska City, is the home of J. Sterling Morton, who founded Arbor Day in 1872. The mansion on the site is surrounded by a 65-acre arboretum with more than 250 species of trees and shrubs, most of which were planted by Morton.


4.  Located near the town of Alliance is Carhenge, an unusual sculpture made out of automobiles. The site is modeled after Englandís great Stonehenge.


5.  The Stuhr Museum illustrates several types of towns that were created on the Nebraska prairie, but its attraction is Railroad Town, re-created on a 60-acre site in accordance with the plans of a rail company. Also on the grounds are dozens of authentic 19th-century buildings that line the village's streets.


6.  William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody was an embodiment of the traditional rags-to-riches success story. In 1867 Cody became a buffalo hunter. A remarkable shot, he quickly earned a reputation as a fine marksman -- and the famous nickname Buffalo Bill.

Tales of his prowess spread, and before long, Cody was persuaded to demonstrate his talents onstage. His theater act made him wealthy, and he began developing a ranch in North Platte, Nebraska. Here, in 1882, Cody organized a rodeo event that evolved into his Wild West Show. Handsome and wearing his buckskin outfits, the sharpshooter was the star of this extravaganza for 30 years as it toured the United States and Europe.

Today, visitors to the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (off Route 30 in North Platte) can marvel at the treasures and memorabilia inside his barn and 19-room home.

How's it going?

So we have been in this class for quite a while, and each week seems to be sliping by out of control and at rapid speed. I know I have been slow at getting posts up and maintaining my active presence online--It surely is a problem.  Putting aside the extreme amount of work on my shoulders, I am hoping to improve and grab reigns of my blogging capabilities and responsibilities...NOW.

I seem to be having problems because I overwhelm myself with the concept of writing for the web. Writing essays, letters, short stories, poems--Nothing scares me half as much as writing and publishing for the web.

I think the concept of this class is great. I think it's extremely useful for the day and age we're living in. My personal experience with this class has to do with my personal problem of transitioning to an online presence for writing.

I'm working on it.

Lets talk about me for a minute...

I remember the first time I ever created an online presence on Myspace, it seemed like a horrifying task. I didn't want to say too much, too little--I needed my profile to be friendly to all who should see it. It was the first time I had ever been put in a position where I actually needed to write a bio or needed to explain who I was. It required a lot of self reflection and it seemed impossible to explain who I was within the limitations of language. 

The idea of putting yourself into words truly is NOT possible so what does it matter how you decide to describe yourself?

I soon came to find as I acquired different profiles and personal websites that I could really manipulate who I portrayed myself to be in any way I wanted. I could be clarissa215, hannabananerrrr, or cookiedougheater (all handles or screennames I have actually had), it really didn't matter.

In more recent years, I have tried to establish a more professional online presence. I have given up on trying to to explain who I am on public profiles and have stuck to things like, "Hello world!" in my about me sections and on professional sites, I attach my resume. For the majority of profiles I have created in the past two years, my handle has remained hannaand or hand, which are just different portions of my full name. Clean, simple and easy to find. I feel good using these in both social and professional occasions.

The image I use on online profiles are always changing. I want them to be current along with a good representation of who I am on a daily basis. Sometimes I go for a more neutral photo and sometimes I just use one of my photography shots. It also heavily depends on who the audience is for the profile I have created. All the images I have included in this post are different images I have used to represent myself.

Materiality In Text

When comparing new media digital text to hand written notes or formally published books, I can only speak for myself in saying that I crave the physical. This could be due to a number of intimate characteristics about myself, but I find the evolution of text to digital format to be damaging to my personal experience with reading.

I'm the reader that you'll see huddled in a quiet corner--no distractions, pen in hand making marginal notes while trying to make sense of what I'm reading. I like having the opportunity to underline, highlight, run my finger along the letters as I read the sentences that they form. Something about physically having an experience with a text allows me to interact with it in a different, more in depth way versus just seeing the text on a screen.

Maybe my love for tangible text comes with my habitual infatuation with collecting things. Sort of marking my experience of the things I read and enjoy with a collection of books on shelves or articles in a box. It could also be my nature of being an obsessive list maker/note taker. There's something completely more intimate with the fluidity of thoughts represented by pen and paper than keys and Microsoft Word.

Maybe I'm just finicky and haven't adjusted to where we're headed but I think I'll always prefer what I was initially introduced to--printed books and hand written script.

Remodeling my PWP...

http://arcanepigeonhole.blogspot.com/
Feedback, ideas, anything?...


Thanks guys!

PWP grows some more...

 
Since my last post, lots of things have happened--brainstorming, hypothesizing, theory making, experimenting, practicing, I've moved, rescued 5 kittens, gained 43 pounds, cured cancer, the list goes on. Okay, not really. So...

...Where am I?

 

I haven't changed my idea any, just fine tuned it. I am still focusing on documenting my experiences with the people I live with and around. I have decided on making posts for specific rooms of the apartment and the building and connecting certain stories and people with those rooms. When I add a new post about a specific room, I plan on attaching a piece of the layout to that post and they will add up over the course of the semester like a puzzle until you have the plan for the whole apartment. I think this will add to the posts and help the audience understand and connect to what I'm sharing. I still have only published my initial post but plan on adding the next in this future series within the coming 24 hours. I'll keep you updated!

My, Oh My... Interrogating Texts

The Internet world of writing these days seems to be flooded with tons, and tons of just fluff. Everything is so easily accessible via the web that research and recreation of other kinds have been limited.  The Internet, a world of possibilities...You could probably find an article or page devoted to pretty much anything.

Who should we be when we encounter texts?

When encountering texts it is always smart to take information received with a grain of salt. There are no fact checkers when it comes to online publishing so you can never be sure who to trust when it comes to articles and information. Most of what I have encountered on the web doesn't even have sources attached to the claims that are being made. So, who should we be when we encounter texts? BE SMART.

What should we bring to the table when we interrogate texts?

When reading off of the web it is important to have an inquisitive mind. You can't believe everything you read and when approaching other people's opinions, you have to ask questions. Take into account who the author is and have that in mind when reading their work.

It's also important to take notes. If you are reading in a thoughtful state and are looking to get something out of what you're presented on the web then you may want to take notes, bookmark pages or send links to share information with others or to view again in the future.

What questions shall we be asking about texts?
Questions that I often ask when I am doing research or just scoping articles on the web often include at least some of the following:

1. Who is the author?
2. What is their audience? Who is the article aimed towards?
3. Is this information factual? Sources?
4. If it is an opinion piece, do they have a credible title or experience to stand behind their opinion?
5. Is the article still relevant? When was it written?

It's always important to ask questions...

The Begining: Hanna's Personal Web Project.

After sincere attempts at several blogs in the past, I am glad I have been spoon fed the motivation to start another one and (hopefully) maintain it according to deadlines and routine. I put in a lot of effort trying to come up with an idea to focus my writing on and after consideration I am choosing to divulge the stories and secrets of my apartment building and its occupants. I have never been a writer, I don't usually write for fun except for the occasional poem here or there and I have also never kept a diary. I think this project will be very beneficial to me in not only helping to improve my writing skills but also to help establish an online presence that isn't strictly visual, straying from my main focus career-wise.

Our wonderful living/ dining room.

I recently relocated back to the city and moved in with two girls, one who is a friend and another who we met off of Craigslist. It has only been six weeks since the start of our lease and already there are way too many stories to tell. As I mentioned in class, we live above a bar in the Wrigleyville/Lakeview area and just to give you an idea of the building layout, there are 3 floors, the bar and then two apartments on each floor above them making a grand total of four apartments with three residents each. We live on the corner of a semi-dangerous intersection (dangerous in that people take the stop signs as a suggestion not a mandatory, law enforced traffic stop) and the train also passes by our street facing windows. There are bars, restaurants, shops and people every which way you look in this neighborhood. I used to find it fun to visit here for a night out and see the people making drunk fools of themselves on the sidewalks but I must say it is definitely way more interesting being a resident, and talking to others who have chose to live or work here. We have relationships with our neighbors, and the workers downstairs, we have had several incidents of random people walking up the back stairs and making there way into our apartment uninvited and with the combination of our semi-reckless lifestyles I think this blog might actually be entertaining for an audience to read.

One of the reasons I have found my blog excursions to be unsuccessful in the past is because I would write about things that were unrelated to me. I would share my media induced opinions that everyone has already heard about music, books, celebrities, etc. and hope someone would actually care about what I was writing. Quite frankly, I realize that it's boring to touch on what has already been brought to the table and I hope that my new venture will actually prove interesting since I'm forgetting the buffer and going to share very intimate details of not only my life, but my neighbors, roommates, bar employees, strangers and their interactions with each other. For the sake of all involved however, I'm going to hold back on revealing actual names and what bar is located underneath my feet. I'm looking forward to compiling my next post and please feel free to share your thoughts or ask me any questions.