Elliot Heatwole on Networked Media

First post of the new semester; hopefully it signals the first round of spectacular communal engagement and learning experience.  I thought I’d start off by giving a bit of advice on how to succeed in the course, especially as the key learning outcomes (as well as the course itself) are extremely malleable.  The reasons for the adaptability of the course are varied, but the key one that you should be thinking about is this this idea: anything we teach you in relation to networked media, online practice and communication technologies will be out-dated by the time you graduate.  It’s a concerning thought, though one that you should hopefully be able to respond to with confidence by the final submission at the end of week 13.  But, hey, if you want to cheat the answer it’s basically somewhere along the line of teaching overriding conceptual knowledge that can be applied to both existing and incipient communications and networking technologies as well as the fundamentals of online interaction, explored through the development of – and engagement within – a publicly available blogging ecology.  So, on to the tips:

1. Engage consistently

We’re trying to embed practice.  We’re trying to explore the systems that build themselves up around different models of communication and interaction.  As such, you’ll have to start blogging, keep blogging and engage with the blogs and ideas of others.  If you’re not sure what to blog about, do it anyway.  Trust me on this one.

2. Worry about the process, not the product

You can change anything on your blog.  No post is final, no content is unable to be switched, swapped, enhanced, renegotiated, deleted or have the font changed to pink.  As such, you should do what you can to start getting out of the head space of only publishing “finished” work.  Your ideas will develop and improve based on the input of others, so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

3. Don’t be defensive about your ideas

There is a strong inclination within the student body to value an idea to the point where it is never shared and consequently has no hope of being realised.  The first thing I want to say in response to this is that your idea is not as good as you think.  The second is that it can be.  But you’ll need the input of others; see how it develops in different environments; what other people think of it; where the flaws are; how it can be improved, etc.  “But Elliot,” I hear you say, “what if I can’t communicate my idea effectively and it doesn’t end up sounding like I want it to?  What if people don’t realise how good it is because I haven’t developed it enough or because I can’t type it out as well as I’d like?  What if they judge me for it?”  If you can’t communicate your ideas effectively then you need practice.  Plain and simple.  Start now.  You’ll have better ideas tomorrow, the next day and on into the future, so start getting them into a public forum now.  The more you do this, the better you’ll get at it.  If you’re worried about people stealing your idea then read the copyright readings for this week.  Once you publish it, you own it.  Any reservation about appearances is simply vanity, and we all know you’re above that 😉

4. Make it your own

A sense of ownership is vitally important.  Your blog is yours.  You can do whatever you like with it.  Well, maybe not, but you know, within reason.  Something I always advise my students to do is to use the blog post not related to networked media category for participation to advance a particular aspect of their online identity or to contribute to an area of research that will move you towards your desired career.  Is there an online CV component on your blog?  Is there a portfolio of work?  If not, why not?  Are you waiting to start your own personal website before you do this?  You do know you can copy and paste if you are, right?

This sense of ownership doesn’t just apply to the blog.  No matter what career path you choose it will incorporate networked practice in some way or another.  What is this currently?  What will this be in future?  Every week you should be asking yourself what the key ‘take-away’ ideas from the lecture are, and what they mean to your own area of interest.  The curriculum is speculative and adaptable.  Adapt it to what you want and we’ll accommodate you.  Everyone’s education pathway is different and the ability to tailor it to your desired outcomes is a key criteria for success.

This entry was posted on 28/07/2014 at 1:52 pm and is filed under Networked Media.