Fiction tips

Today we will have a few minutes to go over your ideas. We will also be going through some of the items from the list below that may help you with your various fiction projects. 

Remember, while the projects are flexible, they must be works of online fiction, that is to say that a short story online doesn't work, it must be something that incorporates not only internet technologies, but culture and represents the type of fiction afforded by it. 

If you are unsure as to whether or not your project qualifies, please contact me ASAP.

Today, hopefully, we will have enough time for you to go through the first three steps of the snowflake method. For Weds a rough draft of your fiction should be online. We will go over them together in class. 

• The Snowflake method (Go through steps 1-3 in a new post)
  
• Creating believable characters
• Short story structure and tips
• Thirty tools for writers (very useful to go through once you have your initial idea)
  
• More useful fiction writing tools, scan for topics applicable to your projects
  

The older cousin of online fiction

This may be helpful reading for some of you working on your online fiction pieces.

From Kotaku, a gamer blog:

• A History of Interactive Fiction

and the original

• Let's Tell a Story Together

Online Fiction

Today we will discuss online fiction and the directions it can take.

The two types of online fiction we will be looking at are blogging fiction and the alternate reality game (ARG). Defining either is difficult, as they, like most web trends, constantly evolve. However, for this class we will take the fictional blog as one that takes on the appearance of a blog, but is not based in reality. It may however have a strong sense of verisimilitude. The ARG also looks real, but is actually a game that takes you down a path with a constructed narrative that you have to play to find.

Both types of fiction utilize a chronotope that says bloggers are real folks operating under real circumstances. As a result, even when we know they are a hoax, they can still be compelling. Much of the writing is actually pointing, they rely on an external reality that readers already understand for their internal validity.

For Wednesday create a post with links and brief description to two pieces of online fiction. Also, we will be brainstorming/working on your fiction topics, so create a second post with some ideas for your fiction project.


Wikipedia on Alternate Reality Games

ARG Network

I love bees

Wikipedia article on Blog Fiction

How to write a blog-buster

Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog

Panel on ARG




Emokidohio

Monday workshop!

Alright, today is the workshop day for your new Wikipedia article. Remember, there are tech issues involved that will prevent you from being successful at this if you don't start yesterday!

Make sure you are registered and at least start your article by the end of the day. I know you all are well beyond this... but just in case :-)

Before turning you loose (I will be there to help in any way) we will also discuss:

• Good Wikipedia articles
• Featured Wikipedia articles
• anything else you want to ask or share re: this project

New Wikipedia topics

Today we will be working in groups, and I want you to spend time making suggestions for each other. This is your chance to brainstorm your new topic with your peers, and myself, as I will wander amongst the groups.

In order to do this you'll need to have a decent idea about what you want in your topic. Before we get into groups please put up a post with a brief description of your topic.

In groups we will make comments on your blog posts on three specific ares:

1. Which of the ten wiki-mandments should be most closely followed for your topic.
2. What expectations do we have for "research" on this topic. What kinds of evidence does this topic demand? An article on Nintendo will require different kinds of evidence than an article on the French Revolution, or HDTV.
3. What specific information would you expect from this article? For example, if there was an article on the natural history museum at the U, I would expect a timeline, list of exhibits, research interests, etc.
4. (optional) any helpful tips for the author?

So your response in the comments should be a list, 1.,2.,3. addressing the items above.

Happy Monday!

Alrighty, today we will be making sure everyone is on track for their Wiki-work and answering any questions regarding what's due.

Also, time permitting we will talk about professional on-line work and even a few insider secrets.

Possible topics:

• About.com
  
• SEO
• Engadget vs. Gizmodo
  
• Syndication/RSS
  
• Monetization: Advertising, Sprinks/adsense, Affiliates
• Penny-Arcade, Google, DealSea

as well as any questions you may have

Wikipedia cheat sheet

For those of you who are looking for a quick guide to formatting:

• Wikipedia formatting guide
• Wikipedia cheat sheet (more condensed version of the above)
  

More helpful guidelines

Here are some more helpful links to guide you in your Wikipedia editing.

• Wikipedia policies and guidelines
• Wikipedia basic rules to follow
• Wikpedia guidelines, useful things to consider
• Wikipedia featured articles: see what a good Wikipedia article looks like

Last-leg schedule

Just as a heads up, here is how I see the rest of our schedule working out.

• Week 12 March 24, 26 - Minor wiki edit due
• Week 13 March 31, April 2 - Major wiki edit due (major points!), new wiki topic idea due
• Week 14 April 7, 9 - New wiki post due (first draft on the 9th, final draft on the 14th)
  
• Week 15 April 14, 16 - Writing fiction
• Week 16 April 21, 23 - First draft of fiction due
• Week 17 April 28, 30 Finals Week - Final version of fiction due

10 Wiki-mandments

Here are your Wiki-mandements for this section:

1. Correct grammar and spelling, correct problems you see
2. References, where did you get this information from?
1. cite sources within text, i.e. foot/endnotes
2. Sources that are personal opinions/blogs are not 'reliable' sources - information not opinions should be cited, use quality sources
3. Links to other pages of relevance/references/wikipedia articles
   
4. Keep the post and pictures on topic, be careful about copyrights
   
5. Read what other people have posted, do not contradict rather correct, read the history, don't repeat mistakes
6. Keep a neutral point of view
7. Avoid using "jargony" words, or define if necessary
8. NO ORIGINAL RESEARCH!!!
9. Wikipedia is not a place for personal gain, not a soapbox/advertising forum
10. Wikipedia is not a social network, not for personal information
11. Wikipedia is not a dictionary, definitions can happen in the context of an article, but should not be articles

optional commandments:

1. Thou shalt have no other wikis before the Wikipedia
2. Thou shalt not covet other's great articles
   

On your mark(s), get set...

Today we will discuss your commandments in groups, pick our favorites, and see if we can come up with a class list of Wiki-mandments (ugh, so cheesy, I know).Then we are off to the races.

For Wednesday create a post with the entry you are editing (notice the present tense) and try your hand at it. We will share experiences, articles, and tips on how to edit the Wikipedia on Wednesday. So, please not only have your article picked, but start editing it.

As a requirement, see if you can bring "research" to the Wikipedia article, as opposed to just editing the current text. What can you contribute at this point?

In your post briefly blog about the experience, along with the link to both the article, and a history page of your edits. We will use this as a jumping off point for our conversation.

Wednesday will be all about works in progress, so be sure to get a jump on that editing!

Wiki Rules

Today we will be discussing a recent wiki-controversy, as outlined in the previous post, and taking a look at the articles you found and want to talk about.

We also will be moving forward on our own writing from research. In order to do this, we need to set forth some ground rules. The Wikipedia has its own set of guidelines, but many of the most important seem to be unspoken.

For the Monday after break, I want you to create a list of 10 Wikipedia commandments. After reading their guidelines, and a few Wikipedia entries (any topic will due, so long as it has seen several authors hands) you should start to notice what some of them are. Many of them become explicit when you read the discussion sections of an article, and some are more "organic."

Please, as much as possible, find example for your commandments. Perhaps this is best done through links. I also want you to feel free to write commandments that you think ought to be followed, even if you don't see them currently enacted in the community. Thus, a couple of your commandments might be suggestions for improvement, rather than current standards.

Finally, be prepared to talk about how these rules provide "good research." What in the world is good research anyway?

So, for the monday after break (aka Sunday 10pm) have two posts. First, the article you wish to edit, and some thoughts on those edits, second a list of 10 wiki-mandments.

Chris Benoit - Wrestling With the Wikipedia

The video above, and articles below are not only fascinating, but also point to one of the missing pieces of the Wikipedia vs. Encyclopedia vs. Knowledge debates... the real time (or future-time) synopsis of events that otherwise would not be written about (or at least not in this format).

• Chris Benoit Wikipeida Article
• The Wikipedia Controversy

Does this at all challenge what we have spoken about in regards to the Wikipedia? Does this make it more or less a reliable source of knowledge?On a related note, the public mourning and memorializing of the Benoits is something that could only happen in a Web 2.0 world.

• Nancy Benoit Tribute
• Chris Benoit Tribute

Catsup

Today we will cover the content that we missed from the previous class session:

• Research+Community
• Truth in Numbers

Class Canceled 3/5

There will be no class today. I just received a call that there has been a death in my family and I am going to try to fly to California.

I will do what I can to be back for Monday the 10th, but it will depend on funeral arrangements.

In the meantime please finish up your snapshot essays and the evaluation of your peers snapshot essays. Remember to read the three below you, if you wish you can do the five below you, more input is always better.

You can explore the topics listed in the post for today. I will let you know about Monday as soon as I do, but for now, let's plan on having class.

Thank you for your understanding,
Roger

Truth in Numbers: The Wikipedia Story" - Trailer

Wikipedia = Research+Community?

We've picked apart knowledge and research quite a bit. We've discovered that it is contextual, that it is constructed, and that it attempts to be persuasive. We've also hinted that it is communal. That is what we are going to explore next.

Today I want you to take a few minutes to find a Wikipedia article that you a) find interesting and b) know quite a bit about.

We will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of said articles together in class.

For Monday you will need to post a link to that article (or a new one of your choosing) along with a plan to update it. We will go over them together in class... I think you can see where this is headed.

Also you must read (whole page + interesting links): About the Wikipedia

• London Bombing Time Lapse (1:42)
• London Bombing Article Today
• Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica
• Nature on the Wikipedia: Accurate?
• Debates on the Wikipedia
• Hacking the Wikipedia
• Got any others we should look at? Post 'em in the comments

The Research Process / Collecting Sources

Our next project is a research essay. Research is an inherently political activity... wait what exactly do I mean by that?

Let's take a look at some traditional notions of what a research paper should be:

Writing the research paper

• OWL
• Bedford

Now, what is research online? And I'm still confused by what I mean about research being an inherently political act.

The heart of a research paper (we'll get to topics vs. thesis later, I promise) is the research itself. So, what is research and how does it differ from this thing I hear about called sources?

Speaking of sources, let's talk about them for a bit.

Sources:

• Traditional sources
• Online sources
• Non-traditional sources
• Science and the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test

For Thursday I want you to post a "card" from four sources:

• One from a "traditional" sources
• One from an academic journal
• One from an online source
• One from a non-traditional source
  

In this digital era, how shall we do citations? There are some traditions which have developed methods to cite web pages and the like... but that is adaptation, not invention. What is important to you in a citation?

Super Wednesday!!!

Online Snapshot Essay

• Due: March 3 (ok, really the 2nd by 10pm)
  
• 25% of grade 250 pts
• Comment on 3 peer posts (the three below you) by March 5
  
• Email me, and only me, a letter grade and brief rationale for the three peers below you on the list. I will consider your opinions while I grade.

Reqs:

• style elements from the 3 class projects (recall, observation, conversation)
• Links
• Tags
• Go into depth regarding details – be specific, avoid “shortcuts”/judgment statements
• Keep paragraphs smaller, condensed
• Reader friendly formatting (readable colors, fonts, image sizes)
• Open to fact or fiction
• Interesting writing style
  
• Post should be able to stand alone, include necessary background information
• Embedded Multimedia – videos, music, images, etc.
  

Reviewing writing from conversation

Alright, the entire class period today will be dedicated to review of and making suggestions for your writing from conversation pieces.

So, in groups of 4 please:
1. Read your piece aloud to the group, group members should also read along
2. Group members should make 2 concrete suggestions for improvement in the comment field. If you want to gush or groan about the piece, go ahead, but be sure to include 2 specific observations with suggestions for change. The quality of your suggestions is considered in the class work/participation grade, so make them useful.
3. Spend a total (including reading) of 8-10 minutes per person.

Remember to revise for next Wednesday! Remember next Wednesday is Super Wednesday, please make sure to attend!

Inspecting writing from conversation

Today, we are going to try to look at as many of your writing from conversation posts as a whole class. We'll attempt to unpack what conversation is in a digital age, and how we go about capturing, commenting, explaining it. Are those even relevant goals in a literate society?

We will discuss writing from conversation today, then comment on each other's on weds, so we are less rushed.

You will have until next Monday to revise your conversation posts, write a new post revising your conversation based on class comments.

Additionally, before class on next Wednesday, write a post about another blog. This time speak to not only why you liked it, but who you think it's potential audience is, and how you came to that conclusion.

Also, next Wednesday is super Wednesday! Please make sure to be here as we will be discussing/negotiating the snapshot essay!!! (cue dramatic music)
...

Warning, Ze didn't always use language appropriate for dinner with the family, I realize I don't actually know your family and I apologize for assuming what type of language they use.

Ze Frank (giant baby, earth sandwich/walnuts for gold) hosted a one year conversation with anyone who would listen. He posted a vlog everyday, commenting on news and whatever struck his fancy. Eventually a community was built around his videos and people would comment. He would comment on those comments, rewarding the good ones and poking fun at the bad.

Sportsracers, as his audience/conversation partners were called even played games with Ze and each other, attempting to put two slices of bread on opposite sides of the planet in an attempt to make an "Earth Sandwich" for example. It's a great place to peek if you want to see a digital conversation in action.

Conversation on conversation

The next chapter in our quest towards the snapshot essay is writing from conversation. Today we'll discuss traditional conversation writing and how current technology might expand on our understanding of what it means to write about conversations.

Here is an example of a student practicing writing from observation. What do you see as its strengths and weaknesses?

The above example is a fairly traditional approach to writing from conversation. But what about mediated conversations? How do we think about, or write about conversations on YouTube, Blogs, email, IM, or the myriad of other ways people converse in the digital age?

Thus far print authors have either summarized the dialog, or reverted to a traditional quotation style of writing. Can we do better?

Here is a tip sheet on the use of quotation marks, they do get tricky.

By Sunday 10pm, write/record a conversation in your blog using the tools the technology makes available to you. This means you can use images, video, text, other? in posting your conversation. IM conversations, phone conversations, interpersonal, Second Life, video... the source of the conversation matters not.

What I/we will be looking for is clear communication of the conversation in a manner that is not only engaging, but one that allows us to understand more than the gist, but also the nuances of the conversation you are posting.

Looking back at your observations

As a writer, how did you find this experience? After the other students in your group are reading yours, comment on your own writing. You can speak to improvements you'd like to make, but also think about the experience itself, what was it like leaving yourself out of your writing? Did you? What contexts fit this sub-genre?

p.s. How is your tagging coming along?

p.p.s. In the interest of fairness, since I've shown you a site some use to cheat, perhaps I should show you one instructors use to catch cheaters.

Revising writing from observation

Well, it's great to be back in class, isn't it?

Today we'll review and revise our observation writing. We'll split into groups, again, and comment on each others posts.

Please focus you comments on specific areas for improvement. You should be able to come up with a minimum of two concrete items they can alter to improve their posts.

If you need help deciding what to critique, please use any of the items on this list.

Class Canceled Jan 30, 2k8

Hey all,

No class today, Jan 30. They've closed Parley's summit for now, and when they open it they said it will be restricted to 4WD for a time, alas the little ford escort does not qualify.

See you Monday, remember to do those observations,

Roger

Video Blogs, Vblogs, Vlogs

Today we're going to take a break from our regularly scheduled program to look at vlogs.

• Rocketboom (unboomed)
• ZeFrank
• Ask a Ninja
• MelissaJenna

Do you have a vlog you'd like to share? Post it in the comments.

Also, remember that your first stab at writing from observation is due on Sunday, 10pm.

Induction? My dear Watson...

Please be prepared to share your revised recall essays, we will go over them briefly in class.

We will be continuing our work on the snapshot essay by exploring a different skill in the genre, writing from observation. We will also tackle inductive analysis and fictionalization as sense making.

• Tips for writing from observation (please read). I'm curious if anyone notices the source of this tip sheet. How do you feel about it? How do you feel about it being assigned to you?
  
• Just for kicks: Angela Booth's Writing Blog, could be called notes from the copywriter's underground, a great snapshot for those of you interested in freelance or copywriting.

For Monday conduct your own observation and record it in a blog post along with your analysis. Possible scenarios? We'll brainstorm these together in class.

Revisiting our writing from recall posts

So you've blogged from recall, how was it?

Today you'll be sharing your writings with peers in groups of seven-ish. They will go over their thoughts with you using the Bedford Guide Checklist to help get things started. Additionally, I'd like to add two questions to the checklist. You will be using the comments field in this activity.

1. Did using a blog to write from recall alter your writing experience?
2. Did it, or should it, alter your content?

Finally, I'd like you to create a new post, for Monday (aka Sunday 10pm), where you return to the work you wrote and revise it using your peers input. Do this in a new post.

It is important, at this stage, not to edit your posts when you revise, but rather to create new ones. This will allow you to see your evolution and identify patterns in your strengths and weaknesses. Feel free to copy and paste, however.

Homework 3

Homework 3 (Sunday 10pm):
Complete a post writing from recall. You should re-visit a memory you are willing to share in class. Make it one discrete event or story. We will be reading some of these on Monday.

Accounts, Writing From Recall

We'll start off by making sure everyone has an ArtsTech account. Also, we will double check the class links. See me after class if yours isn't up or is wrong.

We will spend the majority of class talking about writing from recall, before turning you loose to take a shot at it.

Request Account With the College of Fine Arts

This is something I should have done with you on the first day. The college of Fine Arts offers all students in an Artstech class access to space on the server as well as access to an impressive digital asset library. Don't let me forget to sign you up for this.

• Sign-up form
• How to access with AFP
• How to access with FTP

Week 2: Total Recall

Let's talk about about tags, categories, labels and the like.

• The importance to Web 2.0
• Compare to hyper links
• Compare to... what is the real world equivalent?

Let's take a peek at some of your blogs, and take a moment to introduce ourselves.

Time permitting: Writing from Recall

Our first writing project will be writing from recall. Writing from recall is taking memories, recalling them, infusing them with your present knowledge and creating a coherent, often first-person story that allows readers not only to understand the events, but your experience and memory of the events. It may involve varying degrees of reflexivity and disclosure.

Austin Steward, 1857, traditional writing from recall.

Justin Hall as an example of writing from recall on the web.

If you need some help writing from recall you may want to check out the Bedford Guide. Bookmark it, as it is a useful guide to college writing in general.

Welcome to the blogosphere: Homework 1&2

By Friday:

• Have your blog set up, feel free to tinker
  
• Send me an email including a) your real name as you prefer it, b) the URL of your blog, c) the name or handle you want me to use to link to your blog

By Monday:

• First Post
• Very briefly answer, "what is a blog?" (click here for a hint)
• A link to a blog you like and a few lines about it
• A link to your favorite Web 2.0 app and a few lines about why it's important
• Second Post
• Self Introduction, what do you want us to know/who do you want to be?
  

Be sure to start labeling your posts! (labels vs tags vs categories)

Web 2.0

Video by Mike Wesch

Tim O'Reilly, originator of the term, on Web 2.0, more from O'Reilly

What is Web 2.0? Google Definitions


Andi Gutmans - Web 2.0 as technology

Popular Web 2.0 apps

• Blogging
• Flickr
• Digg
• Technorati
• what else?