Comments for Among Other Items http://shadeball.org Archives, tea, technology, life Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:39:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Comment on Why I don’t post to Archives and Archivists by Lea Osborne http://shadeball.org/2010/07/26/why-i-dont-post-to-archives-and-archivists/comment-page-1/#comment-173 Lea Osborne Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:39:15 +0000 http://shadeball.org/?p=355#comment-173 What I find interesting are the comments that your post (and Maureen's) have generated. The level of defensiveness and the immature responses are so unprofessional that I find it almost humorous. I'm not necessarily new to the profession or in my 20s (7 years as an archivist and four as a teacher before that), but I don't think that the divide is necessarily just generational. I think that folks who defected recently or in the past just have a different idea of what professional means. It doesn't have to be dry, yet it also doesn't have to involve posting photos about flowers. Folks are too emotionally invested in the A&A Listserv and are unable to take criticism of it well. They seem to feel as if we are criticizing them. I would welcome a different sort of forum. What I find interesting are the comments that your post (and Maureen’s) have generated. The level of defensiveness and the immature responses are so unprofessional that I find it almost humorous. I’m not necessarily new to the profession or in my 20s (7 years as an archivist and four as a teacher before that), but I don’t think that the divide is necessarily just generational. I think that folks who defected recently or in the past just have a different idea of what professional means. It doesn’t have to be dry, yet it also doesn’t have to involve posting photos about flowers. Folks are too emotionally invested in the A&A Listserv and are unable to take criticism of it well. They seem to feel as if we are criticizing them. I would welcome a different sort of forum.

]]> Comment on Why I don’t post to Archives and Archivists by Why I make comics instead of posting to A&A « Derangement and Description http://shadeball.org/2010/07/26/why-i-dont-post-to-archives-and-archivists/comment-page-1/#comment-172 Why I make comics instead of posting to A&A « Derangement and Description Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:01:53 +0000 http://shadeball.org/?p=355#comment-172 [...] there have been some interesting discussions about potential improvements to our beloved A&A. And no offense to the [...] [...] there have been some interesting discussions about potential improvements to our beloved A&A. And no offense to the [...]

]]> Comment on Why I don’t post to Archives and Archivists by abcission http://shadeball.org/2010/07/26/why-i-dont-post-to-archives-and-archivists/comment-page-1/#comment-170 abcission Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:50:54 +0000 http://shadeball.org/?p=355#comment-170 it's worth noting, particularly for us archivists, that preserving data (in an accessible form) is not a high priority for many 2.0 sites. i like using these technologies, too, but it is often hard to find past information/posts. i'm sure this can be done with 2.0 apps, but i just worry that it often isn't. it’s worth noting, particularly for us archivists, that preserving data (in an accessible form) is not a high priority for many 2.0 sites. i like using these technologies, too, but it is often hard to find past information/posts.
i’m sure this can be done with 2.0 apps, but i just worry that it often isn’t.

]]> Comment on Possible masters paper topic by Laura http://shadeball.org/2009/05/18/possible-masters-paper-topic/comment-page-1/#comment-168 Laura Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:09:54 +0000 http://shadeball.org/?p=59#comment-168 Whoops, my bad for not reading the date! I'm blaming it on dissertation panic ;) Whoops, my bad for not reading the date! I’m blaming it on dissertation panic ;)

]]> Comment on Possible masters paper topic by Laura http://shadeball.org/2009/05/18/possible-masters-paper-topic/comment-page-1/#comment-167 Laura Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:06:09 +0000 http://shadeball.org/?p=59#comment-167 Currently I'm in the middle of the dissertation (submission date is 1st September). Personally I would recommend looking at more than one piece of technology. My minimum word limit is 12, 500 and I'm finding it tricky <i>just</i> writing about Twitter and blogs. Also the current trend has been to group technologies by their purpose rather than their specific name such as, bookmarking (StumbleUpon, del.ici.ous), podcasting, ratings and reviews (Flickr), community sites (Facebook) and blogs. If you haven't found it already, Mary Samouelian's paper 'Embracing Web 2.0: Archives and the Newest Generation of Web Applications' is a good starting point (available via the American Archivist journal). Good luck! Currently I’m in the middle of the dissertation (submission date is 1st September). Personally I would recommend looking at more than one piece of technology. My minimum word limit is 12, 500 and I’m finding it tricky just writing about Twitter and blogs. Also the current trend has been to group technologies by their purpose rather than their specific name such as, bookmarking (StumbleUpon, del.ici.ous), podcasting, ratings and reviews (Flickr), community sites (Facebook) and blogs. If you haven’t found it already, Mary Samouelian’s paper ‘Embracing Web 2.0: Archives and the Newest Generation of Web Applications’ is a good starting point (available via the American Archivist journal).

Good luck!

]]> Comment on Library of Congress, Twitter, and catching up after a vacation by Laura http://shadeball.org/2010/07/17/loc-twitter-and-catching-up/comment-page-1/#comment-166 Laura Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:00:27 +0000 http://shadeball.org/?p=338#comment-166 Hi there, I Stumbled Upon (literally) on your blog via a Twitter post. So far I have read some posts and really enjoyed them. I'm an archives student in Scotland and currently writing my dissertation on Web 2.0. So it's nice to see that there are others out there. Your blog is being added to Google Reader as I type. Hi there,

I Stumbled Upon (literally) on your blog via a Twitter post. So far I have read some posts and really enjoyed them. I’m an archives student in Scotland and currently writing my dissertation on Web 2.0. So it’s nice to see that there are others out there. Your blog is being added to Google Reader as I type.

]]> Comment on Why I don’t post to Archives and Archivists by Why I Have Given Up On the Archives and Archivists List — thesecretmirror.com http://shadeball.org/2010/07/26/why-i-dont-post-to-archives-and-archivists/comment-page-1/#comment-165 Why I Have Given Up On the Archives and Archivists List — thesecretmirror.com Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:45:14 +0000 http://shadeball.org/?p=355#comment-165 [...] chime in on this topic, and I certainly hope not to be the last. Inspired by two fantastic posts by Ben Bromley and Maureen Callahan, I have chosen to discuss the reasons why I have given up on the Archives and [...] [...] chime in on this topic, and I certainly hope not to be the last. Inspired by two fantastic posts by Ben Bromley and Maureen Callahan, I have chosen to discuss the reasons why I have given up on the Archives and [...]

]]> Comment on Why I don’t post to Archives and Archivists by DHL http://shadeball.org/2010/07/26/why-i-dont-post-to-archives-and-archivists/comment-page-1/#comment-164 DHL Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:57:42 +0000 http://shadeball.org/?p=355#comment-164 It's been a problem for years. When I first subscribed, I came in right in the middle of the annual renewal of the "MLS vs. Certified Archivist" war. I almost unsubscribed immediately. It has gotten somewhat better, as some of the hostile posters have stopped posting. But it's still entirely true that it's dominated by a handful of people, and that handful doesn't like being criticized about the content that they're posting, even if what they are posting is off-topic, hostile, etc. Now, I'm not sure using #thatdarnlist on Twitter to vent about it is really constructive or professional, even if I think the people who use it happen to be correct (and hilarious, I might add). It’s been a problem for years. When I first subscribed, I came in right in the middle of the annual renewal of the “MLS vs. Certified Archivist” war. I almost unsubscribed immediately. It has gotten somewhat better, as some of the hostile posters have stopped posting. But it’s still entirely true that it’s dominated by a handful of people, and that handful doesn’t like being criticized about the content that they’re posting, even if what they are posting is off-topic, hostile, etc. Now, I’m not sure using #thatdarnlist on Twitter to vent about it is really constructive or professional, even if I think the people who use it happen to be correct (and hilarious, I might add).

]]> Comment on Why I don’t post to Archives and Archivists by Bob Kosovsky http://shadeball.org/2010/07/26/why-i-dont-post-to-archives-and-archivists/comment-page-1/#comment-163 Bob Kosovsky Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:31:44 +0000 http://shadeball.org/?p=355#comment-163 I quit the A&A list months ago because the noise ratio is so high. As a listowner, you can certainly modify things to reduce the noise (automatically limit the number of messages per day, limit the number of messages per person, etc.). But it seemed that the owner of that list didn't want to exert that kind of control. I think the issue about email lists ("Listserv" refers to specific software) is a generational thing. Many younger folk don't like email in general, but some of us (I'm 54) prefer email to other methods of communication. I like many email lists (I run 5 of them, including one with over 2,000 subscribers), but if poorly or neglectfully run, they may not be worth the time. I quit the A&A list months ago because the noise ratio is so high. As a listowner, you can certainly modify things to reduce the noise (automatically limit the number of messages per day, limit the number of messages per person, etc.). But it seemed that the owner of that list didn’t want to exert that kind of control.

I think the issue about email lists (“Listserv” refers to specific software) is a generational thing. Many younger folk don’t like email in general, but some of us (I’m 54) prefer email to other methods of communication. I like many email lists (I run 5 of them, including one with over 2,000 subscribers), but if poorly or neglectfully run, they may not be worth the time.

]]> Comment on Why I don’t post to Archives and Archivists by Angelique http://shadeball.org/2010/07/26/why-i-dont-post-to-archives-and-archivists/comment-page-1/#comment-162 Angelique Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:09:43 +0000 http://shadeball.org/?p=355#comment-162 Thanks Ben! Thanks Ben!

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