I went to a party on the weekend that was full of avid twitters. Inevitably, after guests had lost interest in talking about renovations, conversation moved in the general direction of twitter. There were the usual jokes about twits and twats... and then of course a lot of eyelash fluttering and glassy eyed faraway looks as people schemed about ways to use twitter to further their own agendas (this of course made me roll my eyes, but reluctantly because I can't ignore the influence of the twitter mob - although that influence is frightening). However something did pique my interest... at one point there was an interesting comment about the difficulty of using twitter as a conversation tool. A woman had been trying to contact her rep to complain about some sort of signage problem. But because of the arbitrary character limit on tweets and the limited context one can provide in a post of that length, it had taken nearly eight back and forth messages to communicate the problem. Whether or not the problem was 'solved' is another issue. I wonder, why would this woman use twitter to communicate this problem when an email would have been much more effective? Clearly, the attempt to have a conversation about this issue using just twitter was frustrating and not effective. While contemplating these questions an imaginary light bulb lit up over my head and I wanted so very badly to discuss the idea below (from the GOOD post I linked to above).
In the summary of the piece, the author goes on to describe the twitter experience as "many arrows pointing one across (not up or down) to the ideas of others, cross-fertilization, and forced attention to the composition of sentences." I think this is brilliant. It identifies the limitations of twitter - where one must consider form and function as one element. I wish all conversation about twitter was like this. Except it wasn't. The debate only existed in my head. I didn't wish to frighten anyone with my heady notions about communication. Not on first meeting anyhow.

I was reading the work of a particular freelance writer last week and when I couldn't find a copy of one of her articles online I ended up ordering a journalism textbook where it had been published (my other option was to track down an old copy of Elle magazine). It was a random purchase but since I picked it up from the post office yesterday I've found myself rather engrossed in the textbook.

During the past few weeks, while pitching my grand ideas about using new medias to support the efforts of municipal governments I've frequently been bringing up the idea of storytelling. I think people thrive on stories. Nothing quite compares to a well crafted story that weaves together all the details of an event. Some people are particularly adept at gathering and remembering these details, an ability that is described in the textbook as the fine art of hanging out, a phrase attributed to a writer named Guy Talese. I wonder how well I practice the fine art of hanging out.

This morning on my way to work I passed by a former coworker of mine, a Bulgarian bridge engineer who has lived the most amazing life. In the last few months that we worked together he would often stop and sit with me and another coworker and delight us with stories of his childhood as a violin prodigy and early career as an engineer behind the Iron Curtain. His stories were fascinating and I seem to recall so much of what he told me, even though it's been many months since we last spoke. A few weeks ago I shared his story during dinner with some friends. While telling the story I paused to take a drink and was greeted with silence. At first I thought that I was boring everyone, but I quickly realized that I had the table's full attention. I'm sure this was more testament to the amazing life this man has lived, but part of it must be that I was able to retain those details of his story that made it interesting in the first place.

I am going to continue practicing this fine art of hanging out. If I keep at it, maybe I can end up writing something that is even remotely reminiscent of this essay by Guy Talese.

I figured this warranted a blog post, since I've been all bloggy lately. Or as I prefer to say, I've gone all bloggo.

I'm one of those lucky (or unlucky depending how you look at it) few who are relatively easy to find with a google search. Thanks to ol' web 2.0, I show up in the top three when you just type in my first name, and if you type in my first and last name I take up almost the entire front page. I've been pretty aware of this for some time (I like to google myself and other people I know) and I know that whatever I put on the internet other people can see. But that information just happens to be a lot easier to find than some people.

I read about the goog's recent efforts to bring back some of that control over what people know about you through search by the creation of google profiles. Perhaps this is another effort for the goog to take over the world, but it's also one of those well, of course sort of features that we expect from the googletron.

I've mused about online identity in the past, but I've never really gone into any sort of depth exploring what that actually means to me. I probably won't explore this too deeply now, as I tend to keep things fairly succinct on this site (I too must be getting lazy in this age of 140 characters). Much of what I post online is seemingly personal, I am not afraid to share how I feel, a trait which is not dissimilar to what I am like in person. I am a highly emotive individual. But of course that is only a part of me. I choose what I share online and I am not ashamed of it. However, do these outlets present the best professional side of me? Do I need to take more care in highlighting my other abilities that relate to what I do for a living? It's not as if I haven't also shared that information, but it's swirled together with all of my other online explorations. What I've presented is a mix of all that I have to offer - a little bit of theoretical analysis here, some photography there, a touch of design, a smidge of caustic wit - but it's never been a focused effort to assemble those bits and pieces that I've posted here and there to provide the world with a more fully formed online version of moi. For now I've left it up to the curious individual to glean what he or she can from what I reveal about myself and to make connections and linkages for her or his own self. There's only so much control one can exert over the information on the internet - and that control really amounts to what we post online. Everything is open to interpretation. Do I really want to meddle more with that?

I read something the other day (and I can't seem to locate the original source otherwise I would link to it), but basically it said that today there is an expectation of open communication and transparency - we expect information and we expect it immediately. However, as we are more conscious of this desire for disclosure, we exert even more control over that information, in that we attempt to control the message, tailoring, structuring, spinning, strategizing and coordinating. We want to control the outcome. We want to control people's interpretations. But we can't. So I'm debating what I want to do next. I like the idea of allowing people to come to their own conclusions about me. Whether or not that involves me tending to another online space has yet to be determined.

I've recently been thinking about how various levels of government use various new media/social media tools to engage with their constituents. I've been reading all sorts of studies, reports, conversations about this topic, trying to make sense of portions of it so I can apply it in my job. Although this is above and beyond what I was hired to do, it is not an unnatural extension of my job. This is something I'm doing willingly and on mostly my own time. Have I finally found a niche?

Of the things I've been reading/observing...

Bernie Hogan's "Networking in Everyday Life" via danah boyd

Twitter is Not a Strategy via e-politics

Change Camp Strategy Session Vimeo Summary via (roundabout) Change Camp

Pre-Expert Policy Forum - Draft Research Report Who is Getting the Message? Communications at the Centre of Government via Oliphant Commission

Those are just a sampling of the ideas I've been processing and attempting to draw connections between. I'm trying not to get caught up in the hype of certain tools and instead focus on the issue of apathy. How do we make people interested enough to participate meaningfully? This should be fun.

I think it's widely accepted that weekends are not long enough. However, when a 'long' weekend comes along usually I don't feel like they were long enough either. This past set of days off has been a little different. I feel like I've got it all done, socializing, photography, relaxing, dinner with friends and family, and now a day off at the end to think and knit.

As I've been getting older it's been harder and harder for me to sleep in. I've always been a fitful sleeper and my body doesn't differentiate between work days and weekends. So, for the past few days I've been up at my regular work time, my mind and body active. A., however, has an amazing ability to sleep... so I've spent a few hours in the morning before he wakes up doing a few quiet activities here and there, writing, reading, RSSing, and roaming on the internets. These are not unusual activities, but for some reason they had a certain air of freshness about them. Perhaps it was the weather outside. We have been experiencing a series of glorious spring days, it's been sunny and the sky has been a picturesque blue with big fluffy clouds. I suppose it felt more summer than spring. The city seemed almost foreign and I felt like I was on vacation in a different city, where the light has a certain crispness and all you can hear is the traffic below.

The rest of the day belongs to me. I have nothing I must accomplish which means I can do whatever I want. I love days like this.

So I have this other little blog project that's been 'under development' for many months now. I just haven't given it the attention that it deserves. I know what I want to do with it though but I just have to work a little bit harder to generate content and find some other contributors to the project. In addition to this non-profit venture I also am working on yet another web related project at work. I've pitched my concept to a few key people so far and much to my surprise it's being received favourably and moving along at a pace that I never would have anticipated. Now is a time for action.

I've been working on a 'social media' project at work recently and I've been thinking a lot about the proliferation of these tools and the changing nature of communication. Locked in my solitary think tank I have begun to focus on the obsession providing people bite-sized chunks of information, supposedly making information more manageable (As if we need to sample even smaller morsels before deciding whether or not to digest an entire article or story or anything). Why are we doing to information what we did to food? Do we really need to make information that much faster?

Is this not always the argument? Fast food versus slow food? Quanity versus Quality? Efficiency versus Effectiveness?

I am tired of superficiality.

I work well when I'm given the opportunity to direct myself. Give me a task and let me figure out how to do it. Give me the opportunity to explore tangents as I see fit and I will remain happy and productive. I do not like to boxed in. Thankfully, happily, joyously, my current job provides me with just the freedom I need. I'm getting to incorporate all my mad skillz (I don't know when I started writing skillz, but I did at some point and I continue to do it in informal settings). The physical setup of my work area leaves a bit to be desired, but that may be solved this month when we move offices.

So what is the key to my work happiness? Encourage my ideas, let me put them into action. If this streak of good luck continues I will continue the trend of skipping merrily on my way to and from work and only grumble a little bit about my ugly desk and the lack of InDesign (so far).

I wouldn't be me if I didn't have a day where I feel out of sorts. I'm a mix of a lot of things right now... I've had a productive week. I've been cheery and talkative. I've cooked, I've cleaned, I've worked, I've talked incessantly . These are all good things. I should be in top form. But instead, I'm just watching the clock. I'm waiting for the day to end. I need a little bit of cheer today. And I don't mean cheer that comes in a glass.