Week 6 Readings

I think I’ll begin with an analysis of how our photo a day assignment has helped me. I have begun to notice little things all the time that I think would look really good when shot from this angle or that one. I take notice of what is going on around me because I know I’ll have to have something interesting to show for my day and that has made me realize that there are hundreds of amazing things to look at all the time. I have voiced this opinion before that I dislike Tumblr but I understand why you are having us use it, because that is also teaching me how to deal with frustrating technology. I hope that I’m beginning to improve upon my photography itself- that is yet to be determined…. But regardless it has given me more of an understanding of the possible issues I could have with social sites and apps and if I ever help to make or design one I can have some input.

On to McAdams advice, most of which I have tried to put into practice. The rule of thirds is so amazing and I wish someone would have told me about it years ago! Actually I take that back, someone did mention it but the explanation was so off base I had no idea what the hell the thirds actually were- yay google! Anywho, the composition of your photo and the way you use your body to position the camera are so important. I have gotten to the point that when I see photographs on instagram or facebook that are taken with no eye to detail I cringe. It’s not fair for me to do so since I have been guilty of the same crime but no one ever said life was fair…

I really enjoyed reading Buttry’s post, although it definitely wasn’t necessary to tell me since I have a cyber closet saved on Pinterest that I like to shop from whenever I have a bit of extra cash (which is never) and I also collect recipes and home design ideas from places like Home Goods and Better Homes and Gardens. He mentioned pets and there is a really great use for Pinterest when it comes to shelter animals. Since it is such a visual medium, and people are more likely to pay attention to pictures of animals than written posts or ads, shelters and rescue organizations are using it to spread the news of which animals they have and what they look like. C’mon, you see a picture of a dog doing the shelter dog eyes (you know what I’m talkin about) and you’re headed to the car to make a mistake before anyone can tell you no.

For my blog, which centers around my passions for gender equity and extreme nerdiness, photos can be very useful. Pictures are worth a thousand words… that was super corny but completely true so I get a pass…. If I see an interesting photo then I know I am ten times more likely to investigate further. However, I need to start finding the right kind of pictures. I’m having trouble really figuring out what I’m trying to show and I think it is holding me back. I need to just go out there and see what there is for inspiration, it’s on my to-do list. If I can hone these skills then I definitely see my blog becoming more user friendly and drawing some traffic. I think that PR professionals could use Pinterest as an aggregation of infographics, advice, ideas that they would like to pursue in the future, even creating a board for each campaign they are involved in and organizing the content on that to explain things to their followers.

So the really interesting thing about Shirky’s text this week was that earlier today I was binge watching a show called The Good Wife. The last episode was completely about the prisoners dilemma! It was a couple (of six months) that was brought in for questioning and then put into two separate rooms. Both were assured that they had to inform on the other or go to jail and that they had better hurry because the other person was about to talk as they spoke. The entire episode the lawyers to each person were urging them to turn on each other and not face 20 years in prison, but they never did. In the end, the boyfriend confessed to the crime, although it was she who had pulled the trigger (to protect him). This is a perfect illustration of the innate trust we have in people. We trust the government to protect us (hopefully Robin doesn’t read this), we trust that as we pass under a green light everyone else is following  the rules of the road, the girlfriend trusted her significant other not to turn her in. I like that he brings up Meetup, I think it is one of the most amazing (and FREE) tools citizens have at our fingertips. If I need help understanding photography skills, I can post on the Memphis Digital Photography Groups page and get some help. If I’m feeling particularly pale from a long winter of couch surfing and netflix binges, I can check out what the Memphis Outdoor Adventures group has to offer. Talk about social capital! People are not connecting the way that they used to, that is true, but I laugh at anyone who tells me that people are more disconnected than ever. That is an excuse from people who do not like to accept change. We are so connected in ways that my parents couldn’t have imagined when they were my age and it is beautiful. I can meet people who truly share my passions and whom I can have strong and interesting conversation with- that would have been impossible just 20 years ago.

The world is changing and many people are afraid of it. That is what needs to change, the outlook that many people have on how social media creates cheap relationships, because they just don’t see it for what it truly is- the center of a big ass web.