Of Ponies and National Novel Writing Month

Of Ponies and National Novel Writing Month

When considering a possible information community on which to concentrate throughout this semester, the first one that occurred to me was Equestria Daily—with its creative MLP fan base, consisting mostly of older fans. And this would indeed have been a good choice, especially with regard to the vast wealth of resource generated by the site administrators and participants.

However, at the back of my mind there has also been another possibility: National Novel Writing Month, sponsored by the Office of Lights and Letters. This website, named for its most famous contest held during November, encourages people from many different backgrounds to sign up for “30 days and nights of literary abandon,” while fundraising for various literacy programs or good causes.

With these points in mind, and given how close literature and creative writing is to my heart, I would like to devote my research for LIBR 200 to the information community fostered by this on-line site for writers instead. There are also several resources I would enjoy using—some of which come from the list of articles/books suggested in the readings for the third module—and I’d enjoy connecting with other writers who participate in NaNoWriMo to discuss the good things that happen on the site.

And as for the different ways in which National Novel Writing Month fulfills the blog requirements for the characteristics of an information community:

1. Exploits the information sharing qualities of technology

National Novel Writing Month makes good use of technology when carrying out these various programs and fundraisers. Its annual contest in November requires all participants to sign up and enter their intended project on their site, which also has multiple forums where writers/marathoners can discuss their writings or give each other advice. NaNoWriMo also includes a “shopping page,” where any purchases or tax-deductible donations made go towards various literacy fundraisers.

2. Collaboration among diverse groups

A major aspect of National Novel Writing Month is to bring together people from a variety of backgrounds to enjoy some creative writing in a friendly and productive environment. Although adults compose the bulk of the visitors and participants, children and teenagers can also find a lot of help in their creative endeavors. They also have a separate section of the website dedicated to writing marathons aimed at younger age ranges. They even help coordinate with libraries or similar locations to help give participants quiet writing environments, among other services. 

 

3. Formation around user needs

Various forums teeming with discussions among administrators and fellow writers make users feel like they’re joining miniature writing circles. During November, the site contacts and has well-known authors deliver brief written pep talks to participants. In addition, the Office of Lights and Letters work in coordination with different self-publishing sites and writing programs to help their visitors revise or strengthen their work.  

 

4. Helps to overcome trust barriers

While each participant on the site must create a profile, the most information they need to provide is their name (or a pen name). During November, the tentative title for their latest writing project, and its word count, come into play. But for the most part, writers volunteer any other personal information—and since the site is geared towards encouraging the creative efforts of all users, everyone can interact without needing to get too personal (in terms of privacy or security).  

 

5. Fosters social connectedness

National Novel Writing Month is an on-line site that encourages writers to come together, discuss their works, and reach a set word count (during November or their Camp NaNoWriMo sessions) without any real pressure. Enough said.

 

 

Equestria Daily as an Information Community

According to Fisher & Durrance’s Information Communities, the need for people to connect with one another around certain focal points or subjects is an important one and draws those in need to particular resources (often on regular and continuous basis).

With this said, I have decided to make Equestria Daily my information community of choice. This website and on-line community relates to everything involving My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, the fourth incarnation of the Hasbro franchise aimed at young girls. The first three generations of it had the gender stereotypes and similar issues that tended to characterize shows for this age group and audience. But one driving force behind MLP: FIM was to dispose of such stereotypes while developing a strong show with good storytelling and complex characters.

Those facts, coupled with its appearance during all the recent advances and emphases on technology, have caused an explosion of fan-related communities and creations—which allow people of a wide age range to interact and connect.

Equestria Daily is one of the largest of these information communities, and I will go through each of Fisher & Durrance’s characteristics of information communities to show why:

 

1. Exploits the information sharing qualities of technology

Equestria Daily functions as a website and virtual environment for any visitors. The homepage has a stream of postings, each labeled according to the topic they cover. However, the site also makes good use of other social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook to allow community members different ways to access or contribute information.

2. Collaboration among diverse groups

On Equestria Daily, children and adults participate in the community by contributing fan creations, arranging meet-ups at conventions related to MLP, and comment on each other’s work in constructive and genial manner. These submissions clearly come from people who handle similar content in new ways (such as relationships between different characters, possible story lines, and story concepts based on an MLP framework) but also hail from a variety of lifestyles and locations.  

 

3. Formation around user needs

The homepage for Equestria Daily contained all the postings that have ever been placed there. However, there are also nicely labeled sections so visitors can see materials related to specific interests, such as fan art, comics (fan and official), music, etc. All the pages contain a side bar containing the hottest or biggest topics currently available on the site, and even a countdown clock to events like the release of comic issues or site events.

 

4. Helps to overcome trust barriers

I am more of a lurker at this point on the Equestria Daily site, checking it on occasion to see what new things are afoot (or “ahoof”, as the information community there might say). But the great thing about Equestria Daily is the level of privacy afforded to visitors and even contributors. Those who comment on any postings can do so anonymously, only volunteering more personal information when they choose. Even most contributors to the site remain largely unknown, except for the works they produce, or their actions within the fan community as a whole.

 

5. Fosters social connectedness

One wonderful thing about Equestria Daily is the friendly community atmosphere it fosters. The MLP fans who contribute and comment on different resources available are a kind and understanding group. This is because the show they follow emphases this same compassion and diversity, which is why many of them came to the series in the first place. Also, due to how pertinent the strong storytelling, characters, and animation are for fans, Equestria Daily tends to focus on encouraging these creative aspects of the fan base. So various artists can discuss their works and get stronger, mingle with other fans, and form friendships.

 

There are other reasons, but those are things I will explore in my research paper later on. :D  

LIBR 200 Introduction

Hello!

I'm Joyce Jacobo, and it is pleasure to participate in LIBR 200 at San Jose State University. Last fall, getting adjusted to the D2L website and first creating this blog for LIBR 203 was quite an experience. And then I wound up taking some time off due to financial and situational issues, only to discover D2L was no longer in use when returning to the program.

Whew! But it goes to show how swiftly technology can move, and how important it is for us as up-and-coming information professionals to keep on top of all these advancements.

Coming from the remote countryside, where it takes a lot of effort to connect with people in even the local comunity (there is a lot of space between homes here), among the many things I'd like to accomplish is to be able to interact with a variety of individuals throughout the world. It would also be nice to see how library science can help me to move beyond my present boundaries and into the world, virtually and physical.

Storytelling means a great deal to me. I am a creative writer, interested in rare books, preservation techniques, and how technology can help future generations to foster a love for literature and learning. In this way, I'm thinking of becoming a special collections, children's, or academic librarian. Either that, or an archivist--because I have had experience volunteering in the archives at the Escondido Public Library's Pioneer Room and seen what a great genealogical resource they were to the community.

With that said, there are several possible information communities I might explore, from the services provided by the Temecula Museum to that strange yet creative community known as the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fandom. The latter might sound funny, but they have built an interesting community of artists and talented storytellers. And what they have is a friendly and encouraging environment that ranges from on-line activities to off-line events (even fundraisers towards good causes like the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Forestry Department). So that is pretty cool.

This just a brief introduction, though.

Nice to meet everyone!

List to Writing From a Hill

I thought I might as well include another blog page on which I'm working right now, concentrated around sharing the history of the Aguanga area (among various other things):
http://writingfromahill.blogspot.com/

Personal Skills Assignment

The on-line educational environment offered through a program like SLIS has immeasurable potential to build strong bonds with people involved in Library Science throughout the world. Due to my living situation (being in an isolated area without many physical resources nearby), it also opens doors to opportunities, career pursuits, and social contacts that might otherwise have been lost to me.

 

This is a personal reason why the ability to thrive as an on-line student, and to work well in an on-line team is so crucial.

 

But I feel Unit 5 outlined the skills every on-line student should pay attention to or take into consideration when choosing to continue her or his education virtually. Good Internet skills, and the knowledge to understand or navigate web pages is a must. You need a reliable connection, and the proper applications or programs installed to access course materials.

 

Yet those are simply the technical aspects.

 

I’ve been reminded again and again, from family members to the LIBR 203 course content, how important it is to structure your chosen work setting or schedule. For instance, the thought of attending classes in pajamas, or from the comfort of home, is a definite perk. Still, you have to set up a space where you can work without getting disturbed (which can be hard to do if you tend to have a noisy household), and regular periods or times to do academic work.

 

Mixed in with everything else is the drive or commitment to succeed. For an on-line class, in particular, you must continuously persevere against distractions and take the initiative to solve problems related to your learning as they arise, whether it involves contacting an instructor about something you don’t understand in the material, etc. So individual accountability is a major part of being successful as a student in this arena.

 

Of course, individual accountability and structure have prominent roles in teamwork as well. Both Dr. Haycock and Enid Irwin made it clear that striking a balance between each individual and their expectations, versus the group as a whole and its work goals, is a delicate but vital matter. Dr. Haycock, for example, mentioned in his presentation how if individuals do not care about the group’s goals so much as getting a good grade on an assignment that this can be detrimental to what being in a group is supposed to teach. Enid Irwin touches on this fact too, and adds how the ability to work well on a team, and to take full advantage of the strengths each person possesses, continues to be important during a career in Library Science (or similar fields).

 

If each student in a group understands what needs to get done, how to accomplish it (and the commitment to do it), and what contribution she/he can make, things will move along smoothly.

 

This is what I carried away from this section, and I scored well on the assessments. Yay!

 

 

 

 

Blackboard Collaborate Session

I got my first introduction to Blackboard Collaborate this past weekend. A link provided in the content for Unit 4 in LIBR 203 led to a list of every session over the next several days, and luckily enough, there was one slot still open on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. So I submitted an RSVP for that time and received an email with a username, password, etc. to enter that meeting.

 

Whoever had written the message included in the invitation recommended entering Blackboard Collaborate 10 to 15 minutes before the session started, which was sound advice. If you’re new to an application, especially for something like web conferencing, it is worthwhile to explore that virtual environment beforehand. And the screen that popped up was definitely interesting.

 

Included on the far left were three boxes, each with the specific purpose of helping the participants communicate with each other:

 

1.      A spot for video/web cameras, so you could see the speaker during the conversation. There were also volume controls for the microphone and headsets along the bottom of this area. In the top right-hand corner, you could click on the icons to set up the sound options on your computer for the meeting.

2.      The middle box contains the list of participants, along with options set beside each name to interact with or see what the person was doing at that moment. Next to your own name, you had buttons to do such things as: Raise your hand, take a vote, or insert an emotion symbol.

3.      The last box had the chat option, where you could type questions or comments everyone in attendance could see (unless you had another tab open in the same area for a private chat).

 

The largest and main area contained a Powerpoint slide, and the moderators hosting the session would gradually flip through the rest during the presentation. A list of buttons sat along the edge here, similar to the art tools in Microsoft Word or Paint, that allowed you to make marks or insert clip art onto the main area—however, it turned out anything you did on the slide everyone else could see as well.

 

Anyway, when I entered Collaborate around 9:45 a.m., the moderators were already helping other early arrivals with their microphones (a requirement for the meeting). But it was not too difficult to do this, and once the session did get started everyone needed to use this equipment to introduce her or himself out loud.

 

I will not go into much detail regarding everything we talked about during the session, though it seems Blackboard Collaborate is truly an on-line classroom. Professors can hold lectures there, where all the students can listen, ask questions, or participate in various ways. It also lets students meet up for group meetings, or enter this space on an individual basis to work on projects.

 

D2L has been easy to navigate, and so has Blackboard Collaborate. If the technology is this easy to access and understand throughout my education at SLIS, the coming semesters are going to be awesome.

Beginning LIBR 203

Hello, out there. After a year spent waiting to begin the graduate program at San Jose State University, I can finally chase my dreams of going into Library Science alongside so many wonderful people. Hopefully, this blog will also allow me the opportunity to chronicle my experiences doing the on-line courses at this school. ^_^