Shaping Editors for the Digital Age: Final Paper

Here is my final paper arguing that in order to better prepare editing students for jobs in the field of editing, curriculum should be focused on involving the technology that is now a crucial aspect of all literature, news, and text that is being published and that the population is consuming. 

As much as I was dreading writing another final paper, I actually found myself really enjoying this one. I guess that's the difference when you are writing about something that you are really caring about and excited to share.

Provo Music Scene (Part 2)

Overview continued:

After the huge success of Neon Trees, some other bands were quick to follow in gaining national notoriety. First up was a band called Fictionist. Fictionist was selected by Rolling Stones magazine to be in a contest whose winner would be put on the cover of Rolling Stones magzine. They got a number of unsigned bands from around the country, and it is a testament to the growing reputation of Provo that a band was selected.

 

Fictionist gained a bunch of facebook fans, and a lot of attention, from being in this contest. They did not win the contest. But they made a big enough impact to get signed by Atlantic records, which was a huge accomplishment. 

Th above video is a "vlog" or video blog, which shows some of the new ways bands are interacting with fans in the digital age. So after Fictionist came another band that has made the Biggest waves out of Provo yet. Imagine Dragons, Who broke out in a number of ways. One of which was building bringing a lot of people to their shows at Velour music gallery in provo. (I will talk more about Velour in the next Blog post). The other was being selected to play in the Provo Rooftop Concert series, which allowed them to make an impact on the larger part of Provo and is said by some within the Provo Music scene to be there turning point in terms of starting to gain a lot more notoriety. Interestingly, it was another occidental saloon video that paired with this increased exposure to really break imagine dragons out and get them signed to a major label. 

So here we have been given a quick introduction to the biggest bands to have come out of Provo, and seen that for most of them it was a combination of old and new routes (having success in Live shows as well as on the newer medium of Youtube videos) that got them major notoriety. Up next is a look at the mid level bands and the routes they are taking to follow aforementioned, and whether they are succeeding in the realm of the digital. 

Provo Music Scene (Part 1)

Overview of the Provo Music Scene:

When talking about the music coming out of Provo in recent years, the average person might recognize a few of the names, Neon Trees, Imagine Dragons, and possibly Fictionists. But what most people don't realize, even within Provo, is that there are a number of other bands beginning to rise, and that Provo has made a name for itself within the Music industry as a hub, almost a little phenomenon, of burgeoning bands.

So in order to understand why Provo is being taken seriously in some circles (certainly not all, as a Seattle, or New York would be, but that is starting to change as more local bands make an impact) we need to look at the first band that really broke out, Neon Trees. Neon Trees, it might be said, started the Provo revolution in terms of finding a very large audience outside of Provo. Before Neon Trees had hit song "Animal" playing all over the radio, there were a lot of other bands in provo, and a very healthy underground scene. But that is all it was, an underground scene. Neon Trees, somewhat unexpectedly, got invited to tour with mega-band The Killers, which really changed things for them. On a side note, The Killers have some interesting connections to Provo bands due to the fact that a number of the band members, including the lead singer, are Mormon. And Provo is predominantly Mormon, including many of the musicians in bands there. So you might say Neon Trees got its notoriety from one of the more traditional routes, touring with a well known band. But they needed something to pair with that tour, and they had a music video made by The occidental saloon that started getting tons of views.

The occidental saloon is a Provo filmmaking team that has partnered with a lot of provo bands to create live performances. Their website, and other videos can be viewed here. Some of the film makers involved (Matt Eastin, Corey Fox) are very important to the success of the Provo bands because it is undeniable that having a visual online presence is important for a band in the digital age, as youtube has developed into a sharing and commentating culture that allows for "viral" videos that can gain the attention of a broad range of viewers.

So there it is, Neon Trees were the forerunners to the Provo Music scene, they brought the eye of the national music industry to Provo, and they gave the other bands a sense of confidence in the ability to make a splash in bigger markets.

Working Post: Provo bands and social media

Working Thesis:
Provo has a thriving music scene, and one of the biggest reasons for this is the way the bands have been using social media to gain fans. How exactly have they been using social media, and how have some of the bands gained international notoriety?

Preliminary Exploration:
I have been interested in the Provo music scene for quite some time now, and for a number of reasons. I like a lot of the music that they are creating, but I also like watching the bands develop followings and try to "make it". It is definitely an extraordinary accomplishment for a band to gain a big enough following to allow them to make music for a living. But ever since taking this class, I have been looking at these same bands in different ways. I am interested in what they are doing in the digital realm to try and make a ripple in the music world. Indeed, I believe the digital world is the only way for a band to become big anymore. But how are they doing it? I have explored in a blog post how fans have a large impact on the bands music, but i want to delve into how they are gaining these fans in the first place. I have also looked at another issue confronting bands: copyright and the need to make money from there songs , indeed copyright has become an issue that might be worth exploring as changes in the laws could make it easier for bands to get exposure. This was explored in a book a did a video review on. But as i go forward with my research, I need to look directly at a number of provo bands and see how they have gone about gaining fans through social media.

Relevance:
This is where the revolution is happening in the music world right now, and I don't see any other way for Provo bands to get wider recognition if they are not having social media successes. They need to be creating an image, getting music up, and finding exposure.

Format:
I would like to create something a little more digital than a paper, and appropriate for the audience I am trying to reach. Perhaps a blog.

Outlet:
I have not crystalized any particular outlets. Perhaps I would create an article which I would then submit to newspapers, or perhaps I would submit the blog to prominent music blogs, showing the world what Provo is doing. In any case, the ideal is to reach people outside of Provo who don't know about the music scene, but it would also be desirable to have those in the Provo scene see it. For that I could share it around twitter. I have found some people there that are involved in the music scene, such as @provomusicfacts, @thefakecoreyfox, @velourlive, etc.  I have also found some websites that talk about provo bands, they are all quite surface level stuff though, that is why I want my blog post, or whatever I end up doing, to really get into the details of the scene. The Micro rather than the Macro.

Curation:
I have been curating a soundcloud list of provo music. I might look into curating on Youtube as well.  As mentioned above I have found a few places on twitter, and some websites that are talking about provo music. This would be crazy but maybe I could make a remix a video for a song for a provo band and put it on youtube.

Social Proof:
I have been talking to people in bands as I have gone to the Velour (a musical venue in Provo) to see bands play. I have gotten great information from teammate Danielle. I have been following the progress of a number of Provo bands via there facebook pages. I would like to search google+ communities for anything, but because this is so new I am not sure I will find anything.  Maybe I should create for part of my project?

Next Step:
I need to get a few more blog posts up on all the information I have found/know about provo bands and social media, as something to work off of. Perhaps I could get some interviews with people involved in the seen. And I might even consider narrowing my focus to tracking the path of one band, seeing what they have done and are currently doing to gain a wider audience. There are a few provo bands that are doing a lot in this area. That would be cool cause it would be more of look at the growth of a band in real time rather than looking at the bands from provo that are already famous.

Working Post: Editing in the Digital World

Working Thesis Statement 
Editing is generally seen as a field dealing in print media, but as more and more companies, sources, sites, and people are taking to the web and modern technology editing is changing. What does this mean for the need for editing and editors?

Preliminary Exploration
I started looking at the relationship between editing and the digital world awhile before this class when I first started thinking about getting a job in web based publishing and editing. I took internet publishing as an initial interest in this topic and talked about it on my personal blog with a post about a website that I coded as an editing portfolio. This class has gotten me interested in looking much further into this topic. I started getting interested in the relationship between I guess "non-technology" things and digital culture with my posts about BYU and technology (found here and here). I started to realize that this was my opportunity to start curating information that was not only going to be helpful in me finding that future job in web based editing, but would also help me get my final paper written for this class (win/win right?). So, I started out with Dan Gillmor's book We the Media and did a preliminary book review where I started to question some ideas, a book review where I reflected on these ideas post reading, and a video book review. I have also been using diigo to curate articles on this topic.

Relevance
a. to digital culture: I think one of the most important things you realize when you study digital culture is how much it is changing things: for the better, for the worse, for who knows what. So, I wanted to zone in on one specific aspect of this that is relevant to me.
b. to a specific audience: I think its really important for editing students to know what is happening in terms of editing and the digital world. As more and more text is in the digital realm, it is important for editors to know what this means for them.

Format
I would like to create a blog/wiki about editing and the digital world, their relationship with each other, and what the digital world means for editors. If this is a no go, I will be writing a paper...

Outlet
If I do a blog/wiki I would see what I can do to get it shared around the editing department and involved in some of the editing communities that I have found.

So, if I end up writing a paper I found several calls for papers for publishing/writing/editing conferences and some that are focused on the relationship between these and digital culture.
12th International Conference on Books, Publishing, and Libraries
IFLA World Library and Information Congress
ACES National Conference 

Curation 
curation for analysis: I have been looking at a lot of editors blogs, types of editing that is happening online, and web editing jobs that are available
curation of secondary sources: I have been collecting articles about technology based editing on diigo.
curation of community: I have been following some people on twitter talking about this topic, joined editing groups on Google+ and linked in, and joined editing forums that allow editors to ask and respond to questions about the current state of editing.

Social Proof
Most of my social proof is coming from these communities I have joined which are all buzzing about what relationship the digital world and editing have. I have also chatted about this with fellow editing minors seeing if they see their editing career going in a print based or web based direction.

Next Step
Now that I have some content and ideas going, I need to start getting even more involved in these communities, start asking question, and start actually writing my paper and getting this all figured out and formed into some cohesive thoughts and ideas.

Proposal: My Edupunk Success

Working Thesis Statement

Students who excel in academics sometimes find themselves ignoring the value of extracurriculars in rounding out their education and helping them develop skills that make them marketable in the work force. I have always had the exact opposite problem. And looking back, I have gained experience and skills following my own interests and projects that have fulfilled many of the roles of education in the first place. It is my intention in this article to show what I have accomplished and how I have gone about accomplishing it, and show how my story can be a case study for the Edupunk movement — how I have gained an education while actively avoiding my degree.

Preliminary Exploration

As I have reflected on my experience in college, I see my extracurricular experiences as more connected to the goals of my educational pursuits than I previously realized. I've drafted out an initial narrative of what I have done, and am looking to tighten its purpose and make it more solidly applicable to wider questions about education.

Relevance

I have engaged in a unique way in digital humanities, which has led me to create work that has led to genuinely tangible results. I have gained experience and skills that will help me in my career, as well as which has rounded out my liberal arts education.

Format

Narrative essay, using my story as a case study for the Edupunk movement.

Outlet

Digital Humanities Quarterly

Curation

I have begun to curate selections from my podcasting experience (including unpublished mess-ups) to give a sample for the type of work I have done.

Social Proof

People often ask me about my unique college experience with podcasting in my spare time. The school paper published a profile of my efforts. I see my experiences largely through the lens of my weaknesses as a student, but have recently begun to see my experiences in terms of something positive (not just "fun"), and perhaps my experience can help provide a thoughtful critique of traditional education approaches. As I have hinted that I will talk about my experiences, several students have expressed interest in knowing my story.

Next Steps

The next step is to jump in the critical conversation surrounding Edupunk theory, and make application to my own experience as a student. Then, to continue working on my draft and see which parts of my narrative are most useful for making the commentary and point that I am hoping to make.

Working Post: Staying Afloat in the Digital Sea

Working Thesis Statement

In a world that is becoming more and more digital, it is important to be able to understand this digital realm and find a way to create a personal, even human, space in that realm in order to avoid the singularity.

Preliminary Exploration

The idea stems from my first paper earlier in the semester, as well as Dr. Burton's spiral post.

Relevance

The influence of the digital world swings like a pendulum between extremes of how strong it is. Some people try to make sure they are not influenced at all by technology, wanting to be a more primitive culture, while another extreme would be to have every single piece of new technology, constantly wanting the next big thing and allowing it to dictate every aspect of their life. It's not really possible anymore to avoid all aspects of technology, but finding a way to inject humanity into technology is relevant because it is how we can find a way to master the machine of the digital world on a personal level.

Format

Somewhat short editorial essay, approximately 1200 words.

Outlet

Digital Humanities Quarterly: The Literary 

Curation

Curation of Content: I have found a lot of different content (there is no shortage about technology in the technological world) but a lot of times it seems repetitive and like there isn't anything new. So the ones that I feel that fit in with my argument the best are all found in this blog post.

Curation of Secondary Sources:  For secondary sources, I've also found sources discussing the different aspects for and against singularity, and being educated in both the real and digital worlds.

Curation of Community: These are the online communities that I found that are talking about the ideas that have spurred my thinking:
- Google+: Accelerating Technology & Future Tech
- Google+: Artificial Intelligence
- Twitter: #singularityu

Social Proof

This idea came about as I was talking to a friend who is a high school English teacher. She has structured her classes around the theme of "what makes us human?" and I especially enjoyed talking with her about her Science Fiction unit and how humans and technology can interact. I started thinking about that in regards to the digital realm and in our time reading "Moby Dick." I started asking people what they think about the relationship between humans and technology through Facebook, Google+, and the blog, and it is an idea that I found that people enjoy talking about and everyone has their piece to say.  This just pushed me more towards the idea that it is on a personal level that we must find a way to "master the machine."

Next Steps

The next step that I will be taking is to draft my editorial and creating more of the connections between people's opinions and the more scholarly and academic sources that I have found. The idea from my first paper was that in order for people to "master the machine," they must find a way to make an imprint in the digital world by learning how to use certain aspects of the technology to their advantage. I am also continuing to look into how people can actually do that through things such as DIY, music, etc. in similar ways as I have done throughout my process of blogging.