Writing for the Web

My name is Maura Friedman and this semester I participated in a Writing for the Web Course. In reflecting on the pieces I'd created for this class, I realized a common thread- that of community- stitched it all together. This portfolio is a combination of that work and an exploration of that theme within the context of Tumblr. For a more in-depth explanation, see my post "Read Me First, If You Will."

[writingforthewebportfolio]

Read Me First, If You Will

My name is Maura Friedman. I'm a third year journalism and political science double major at the University of Georgia and this site is a scholarly work/portfolio/Tumblr-gone-rogue all wrapped into one. It showcases the work I've completed throughout my semester in my Writing for the Web class, most of which was on my Tumblr or integrated into its content, and reflects on my pieces and process through a combination of introspective thought and cited research.

Because the focus of this piece is Tumblr and its community component, I thought it fitting to remediate the text into a Tumblr onto its own. The text is thereby broken into different posts and supporting posts have been reblogged from either my Tumblr or the Tumblrs of others where examples were appropriate. 

To mesh the scholarly work here with the creative norms of Tumblr as a platform, I've adopted an informal tone throughout the posts but included links to my citations to maintain a sense of legitimacy. Like any Tumblr, the beginning is at the end but this site can be navigated at random through individual posts- each were designed to work as stand-alone windows into my research and portfolio in addition to working within the whole (this includes the text available to the reader before posts are opened).  To view the piece in its traditional format, from beginning to end, open my thesis post (the very first post on this Tumblr) and use the right facing arrow on the right side of the page again to scroll through the posts chronologically.  I gained a lot of knowledge throughout my semester in this class and putting together this Tumblr allowed me to synthesize all of it. I hope you, whoever you are, find my research and experiences to be of some use to you. If you do, contribute to the dialogue as is the traditional practice on Tumblr: like, reblog and continue the conversation within your own online communities.  Thank you.  

[writingforthewebportfolio]

Works Cited

"Community Guidelines." Tumblr.com. Tumblr, 22 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2012.  

              <http://www.tumblr.com/policy/en/community>. 

Kaplan, Andreas M., and Michael Haenlein. "The Early Bird Catches the News: Nine

               Things You Should Know about Micro-blogging." Business Horizons54.2

               (2011): 105-13. ScienceDirect.com. Science Direct. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. <The

               early bird catches the news: Nine things you should know about micro-  

               blogging>. 

Marquart, Emily. "3 PM Journal of Digital Research and Publishing." Artichoke

               Webdesign. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. 

Matteson, Adrienne. "Do You Tumble? Tumblr Could Change The Way You Blog." School

               Library Monthly 27.5 (2011): 54. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. 

O'Dell, Jolie. "Tumblr’s Roadmap Heads Straight for the Creative Community."   

            Mashable.com. Mashable, 14 Jan. 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2012.  

           <http://mashable.com/2011/01/15/tumblrs-roadmap-heads-straight-for-the-        

            creative-community/>. 

O'Riley, Tim. "What Is Web 2.0." Oreilly.com. O'Reilly Media, 30 Sept. 2005. Web. 08 May 

               2012. <http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html>.

Suller, John. "The Online Disinhibition Effect." Psychology of Cyberspace. Rider, 4 Aug.

               2012. Web. 08 May 2012.  

               <http://users.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/disinhibit.html>.

"Who's Using Tumblr?" EMarketer.com. EMarketer: Digital Intelligence, 23 Sept. 2011.

               Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008608>.

[writingforthewebportfolio]

The future of Tumblr's Communities

This is something the company itself is quick to recognize. According to an article by O'Dell, " Karp [David Karp, the founder and CEO of Tumblr] said that community — a huge part of Tumblr’s success so far — would play a larger role than product in the near future." Karp has made some moves that, although left some traditional tech reporters scratching their heads, make sense within this strategy including "making community management, especially in creative communities such as fashion and film, a central goal for Tumblr."  "You look in fashion, creative writing, photography, music, so many of these creative circles,” said Karp, “and we have these really substantial communities that now live on Tumblr"...Tumblr has, in the past, put on events like concerts and film festivals around those groups. “They did wonderful things for the communities… resonated through the industries and brought attention to all of the stuff that was happening on Tumblr,” Karp said about the beginnings of identifying and building these communities. He said community continuation is a big goal for Tumblr. 

 “So that’s something that we want to get better at doing this next year… I imagine that by the end of this year, that’ll end up being maybe be half of our team.”

People say the world is getting smaller with the advent of technology, but the web itself is as well. O'Dell contends that "Tumblr is a part of the growing movement to 'curate the web,' to shrink it down." I think this is a natural progression because it coincides with the human desire to find others like us-to belong. And along those lines, my Tumblr for the semester didn't belong anywhere specific, but it got closer to doing so with some specific posts that fit into niche communities. My biggest take-away from this semester is that, with so much to sift through on the web, anything one creates must be edited for clarity and character to attract the right kind of audience and ensure they want to stick around. And I feel prepared to do just that in my future writing for the web. 

[maursupial]

I love cats. And my cat. My cat is the best cat. 

[writingforthewebportfolio]

^ This image is an example of a post that fits into a very specific niche- cat pictures. Within a matter of hours this picture received 11 notes, a high number for my blog. As Kaplan and Haenlein say, users don't access information that is of no use to them, so niche Tumblrs have become the standard. This predictability of content gives the reader confidence they will predictably like that Tumblr's postings. 

[writingforthewebportfolio]

What is the Popular Content at the Tumblr Table?

The idea of playing to and working within communities is an idea that I really have only consciously formed in the recent few weeks, although had given it more credence earlier, my Tumblr may have been more successful (generated more likes and reblogs and gained more followers).

 I did allude to an underlying understanding of this in some works throughout the semester, including the reflection I did of my remediation project. 

Would, as Carr implies, people be more likely to watch my three-minute video than read my 2,000-word article online? I’m still not personally convinced that someone with an interest in the subject has been so affected by internet surfing that he or she wouldn’t finish the text. We may have to give people the benefit of a doubt in terms of the effects of new technology- it is helpful to remember that Plato thought the written word would destroy great thinking. To me, this is the heart of remediation: rather than trying to fight a new medium, use it to your advantage by figuring out what content and context works best within it and looking to see if any of your previous work would be better modified for that new technology.

- Reflection of my remediation project, 2/28/12

The key phrase here, which I didn't encounter as a theme when I wrote it is, "someone with an interest on the subject." The posts of mine that were most popular fit into niches, whether it was cats, Cambodia, or Adam Scott (an actor). Tumblr communities are subdividing and becoming more specific and the successful blogs are those that keep up. It's another theme I loosely grazed in my remediation reflection. 

I want to load the past sound slide I’ve done and all future ones to this channel so that watching one of my videos won’t be a static experience- you’ll immediately be within a library where you can see more of my photography and storytelling. I think this concept, coupled with why we consider remediation in the first place, was my biggest takeaway from the project: the importance of cohesion. Cohesion not only between your projects but between the text and its medium of delivery. The first way you think to do something may not be the right way and considering new limitations or norms of information consumption based on the internet is important when publishing a text

- Reflection of my remediation project, 2/28/12

This ambient awareness is shifting from people to topics- although there are still niche communities around famous people, subject matter for communities is becoming less personal. According to Kaplan and Haenlein, "Users are unlikely to read, let alone re-tweet, boring information. Relevance is therefore necessary to leverage the push–push–pull communication characteristics of this type of medium," which is a large component of this shift. Tumblrs focusing on specific topics, whether it's Mediterranean food or Bohemian images, are popular because there's a predictability of content. The easiest way to ensure none of the information a Tumblr aggregates is boring is to hyper-theme it so that if a user follows that Tumblr, he or she will more than likely always be interested in its posts.  I believe this is a large reason that I sometimes have posts of mine reblogged or liked but don't get new followers nearly as often. Because my Tumblr is personal, there isn't that same predictability of content to ensure general likability based on any selected content of mine.  

[ibambz]

first 20 reblogs mbf lotu-s quick - 5 promoted

and check out ibambz

[maursupial]

^ This is an example of a non-genuine social gesture scheme that Tumblr tries to discourage in its Community Guidelines, thereby proving the merit of the communities on Tumblr. 

[writingforthewebportfolio]

Tumblr as an Intentional Community

This can be attributed to the fucntions and practices of liking and reblogging posts- content is oriented around building and maintaining community. A look at Tumblr's explicit guidelines and cultural norms featured on its "Community Guidelines" page (not to mention the sheer existence of a page with that content) speaks to the intention with which all of this was created. 

What Tumblr "is for" is simple, clean and straightforward- like the site. Tumblr says "Tumblr celebrates creativity. We want you to express yourself freely and use Tumblr to reflect who you are, and what you love, think, witness, and believe." This is conducive with what we see on Tumblr. There aren't lengthy scholarly posts and most individual Tumblrs are dominated by, or at least feature, images. 

There is also a section, which is much larger, to detail what Tumblr is not for. In addition to staying within the bounds of legality for posts, Tumblr's guidelines also coincide with generally accepted internet norms by banning blogs touting "thinspiration" (content that advocates for disordered eating) as well as self-harm. 

What I found even more interesting was Tumblr's guidelines against "Non-Genuine Social Gesture Schemes":

 Don't participate in schemes to gain non-genuine gestures like follows or reblogs. Don't orchestrate or engage in "follow trains," where users are encouraged to follow lists of other users to gain more followers for themselves. Don't scatter deceptive links to your blog or Follow pages. Don't make bulk or indiscriminate use of messaging features like Fan Mail or Asks to bait followers.

This inclusion, in the company's own words, spells out not only the existence of communities in Tumblr, but also their importance. The community aspect of Tumblr is such a valuable component of the platform that they have specific rules attempting to guard against "non-genuine social gestures." 

[maursupial]

Isn't a blank page so intimidating?

Attempting my feature article for my journalism class in the Student Learning Center @UGA. Delightful distractions include: 

A boy whistling “Baby It’s Cold Outside” behind me

A girl giggling every few minutes while reading her novel next to me

The most beautiful French I’ve ever heard, presumably native, being whispered between a guy and a gal right in front of me.

I should probably leave for productivity’s sake, but it’s just too happy here. 

[writingforthewebportfolio]

^ Although this post is old, it provides a great example as to how Tumblr's structure can be used to post informative personal posts that aren't too lengthy to fit into community norms, something that Marquart discusses extensively in her piece. 

[writingforthewebportfolio]

How Structure, Paired with Content Fosters Community

Matteson touches on Tumblr's pieced-together identity that combines the best of traditional blogging and social media when she says "I like to think of Tumblr as the place where Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook meet. A blog on Tumblr is like any other blog in that the site owner uses it to publish thoughts, ideas, interests, and experiences, and readers can then post comments and responses. But Tumblr changes the game by adding popular social networking features to the blogging platform. As on Twitter, Tumblr users can follow other blogs, see who is following them, and “reblog” the entries they like from other blogs. Similar to Facebook, Tumblr users can also “like” other blog posts. This combination of blogging and social networking creates a space that is both creative and collaborative." This space was certainly both creative and collaborative for me. One example came from me exploring the Tumblrs of other photographers and seeing inspiring photo manipulations, something I don't normally do. When I put together a very basic combination of text and photo manipulation, the post received a few likes and reblogs. These reactions helped me to identify something that was of merit to my followers and also contributed to the greater community formation on Tumblr, according to Marquart. 

She synthesizes the experience, saying "reblogging for Tumblr is what re-tweeting is for Twitter – more than an act of simply copying and rebroadcasting. Boyd, Golder and Lotan suggest that the 'practice contributes to a conversational ecology in which conversations are composed of a public interplay of voices that give rise to an emotional sense of shared conversational context.' Reblogging is a way of continuing a thread of discussion throughout a Tumblr community."    

Marquart also elaborates on how the functionality of the Tumblr platform affects content as "the swiftness of Tumblr tends to invoke short, punchy posts, not unlike those found on Twitter profiles." The more my own Tumblr fell in line with this community trend, the more hits individual posts received. Although my original posts were lengthy, I began to be able to synthesize and compartmentalize my posts into shorter bits, often relying on images to help make a statement short but effective. This evolving sensibility to community norms can be seen in my blog revisions, including this one:

 For my site, I’ve been posting more consistently which has helped me to gain more followers. I’ve also been trying to diversify my posts more (rotating between text, lists, links, photos, music, etc.) and I think that a posting schedule will help (just for minimum postings, obviously reblogging one or two things a day doesn’t take as much time). Fridays I’ve started posting old pictures with the title “Flashback Fridays” and I want to start posting a new music video every Tuesday under the title “Tuneful Tuesdays.” And though I’ve been reblogging more in the spirit of how social Tumblr is, I’m still trying to add my own commentary at the end of each blog.

- Blog revision reflection, 3/16/12

[writingforthewebportfolio]

How Tumblr's Layout Fosters Community

Throughout my work-shopping I’ve appreciated the simplicity and accessibility of Wordpress because having a straightforward display outlet meant I could focus more on the content of my analysis and breathe easy about my structure.

- My reflection on the analysis project, 4/17/12

Tumblr's site takes ease-of-use to an entirely new level, offering "unmatched ease of use." The platform itself, according to Marquart, "aims to give users the easiest and fastest way to blog, whether they want to publish text, audio or video material…. beloved for its users “for its clean interface, ease of use and community.”

Many of the aspects Marquart identifies as making Tumblr simple to use are reasons I myself was drawn to the site. The easier a site is to navigate and maintain, the more a user can focus on building content, which encourages further community building and the induction of new users. For instance, "Immediacy is apparent from the first moment of accessing Tumblr’s homepage. sign up process can be completed in 3 quick steps. All it asks of its users-to-be is their email address, username (which can be changed at any time) and password. They are ready to begin updating. Once a user is logged in they have access to the dashboard. The dashboard is where users can view posts from the Tumblr blogs they follow and also where they can update their own blog. The simplicity of the navigation of Tumblr is something the website prides itself on. At the top of the dashboard are icons titled text, photo, link, audio and video. The variety of choices means a user can upload anything he or she would like to share, no matter the medium."

Because we do live in a society where we are constantly exposed to design and web design, the personalization of a page is important for users to feel a sense of ownership over their micro blog as well. Tumblr makes this too extremely easy as "there are many themes (none of which force advertisements onto a bloggers page) to choose from in the theme garden section of the website and most of the themes available are able to be modified – almost to the point of not being able to recognise the original theme. Users are also offered instructions on how to create their own themes using HTML code. Every aspect of a user’s Tumblr page can be personalized to reflect the individual blogger."

Here the idea is simple: the easier something is to use, the more one uses it. The same principle applies online and, although unconsciously, I've realized that's an aspect of Tumblr I really gravitated towards. For example, this semester the maintenance of my blog received much more attention from me than the building of my website in part because of the easy workflow that Tumblr's layout encourages. 

  lskjdfP

[writingforthewebportfolio]

Voyeurism by Unknown Others

[writingforthewebportfolio]

This is a picture of the analytics for views of my blog in the month of April. The high was at the beginning of the month with 164 page views on the day I posted a link to my blog as a status on my Facebook page. This supports Kaplan and Haenlein's theory that the voyeurism that accompanies the virtual exhibitionism of Tumblr is a big drive of users to the site. 

[writingforthewebportfolio]

Virtual Exhibitionism and Voyeurism

This is where the idea of visual exhibitionism comes in because being watched does affect the way we produce content. In the Kaplan and Haenlein piece, they sum it up as such: "Self-presentation and self-disclosure contends that every individual continuously engages in strategic activities to convey an impression to others which is in his or her self-interest." I know for me this meant when I was having a hard time in my personal life, although my blog was personal, I would only reference negative emotions cryptically because I knew my blog was public and I didn't want to portray myself as moping, which is something I wasn't as sensitive to when I first began my blog.

This virtual exhibitionism, however, also encourages the popularity of Tumblr because "micro-blogs are therefore the perfect tool for anonymous voyeurism and keeping updated regarding friends and family without feeling an obligation to react or respond—just like the proverbial ‘fly on the wall.'" This explains why my blog got the most hits the day that I cross-promoted it through a status update on my Facebook. It's human nature to be interested in the lives of others, but it's even more inherent to be interested in the lives of those you know. 

[iheartwishbone]

[maursupial]

I think this could be a cool point of inspiration for the design for our summer music issue at Ampersand. What do y’all think?

[writingforthewebportfolio]

^ This post from my blog exhibits both aspects of push-pull communication because it both pushes the image from another blog onto mine and pulls additional information (the added context that this could be a point to design from for a magazine) by augmenting the caption.  

[writingforthewebportfolio]

Push-Pull Communication

For Tumblr, this practice of following is the same but messages and images are pushed through the network as reblogs and likes and information is pulled from other sources via additional comments below these posts in the captions, which can change the context of the original post entirely. Because tags are broken in the reblog process, additional information is pulled and pushed by the tags the user chooses to include.   

[writersandkitties-blog-blog-blog]

Ernest Hemingway with kitty (you can tell he liked kitties better than other animals).

[writingforthewebportfolio]

^ Pictures like the one above gain more popularity when paired in cohesive Tumblrs such as the origin of this photo, "Writers and Kitties," illustrating Kaplan and Haenlein's idea that in microblogging, the sum is greater than the parts. 

[writingforthewebportfolio]

The Sum is Greater than its Parts

On Tumblr, a recent trend has taken this to the extreme with the growing popularity of highly specific blogs that take pictures which are interesting on their own but find greater context and power in an aggregated collection. A whimsical example of this is the Tumblr Writers and Kitties.