Brainstorm....... Organize.......... Process..........In the process of researching and writing my expository blogs on electronic civil disobedience and the connection with Thoreau's revolutionary essay, "Civil Disobedience", I have found myself swarmed (in a good and brilliant way) by so much useful information. I have literally been introduced as an outsider to a topic. All of the information I am accumulating is incredible! I have been searching the web, blog posts, using search engines like google and googlescholar, searching social network sites like twitter and facebook, and a plethora of so much more.
In recording my information, I have been using Diigo, a website dedicated to research and sharing that knowledge within a community. Building networks and collaborating with colleagues using Diigo has allowed me to build my own personal library where I store most of all the research I have been using. I am a big fan of Diigo and the tools it allows me to use (like hi-lighting web pages and even adding "sticky" notes) and encourage others to participate in the research world!
All of this research has allowed me to organize, process, and sort information. I am so interested in my topic and I feel it is so important to share to the world which gives me the responsibility of sorting my research into how I wish to explain it. In working with my topic of Electronic Civil Disobedience (ECD) and relating it back to my main focus of literature, "Civil Disobedience", I need to first explain the history of ECD. How it was organized, what it does, and where it is headed.
In my introductory blog post, I discussed civil disobedience and its history here in America and discussed the building up to a new form of civil disobedience found in the cyber world. All in all, linking back to Thoreau's theology that that “unjust laws exist” and asks fellow citizens “shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded or shall we transgress them at once?”
The posts following discussed discoveries I found on the internet of another piece of literature (I have yet to look more deeply into) and an upcoming event on peace and non-violence to be held in Australia.
My last post ties into the history of Electronic Civil Disobedience and a few of the technicalities that go along with it including its roots, relationship with the Mexican Zapatistas, its founding, and the FloodNet software. There is still so much more they are involved in: virtual sit-ins, hacking, the infowar going on around cyberspace, and current issues that the Electronic Disturbance Theater is apart of.
My plan for blogging is to lead up to ECD practiced in modern times, tying it into Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" and to be honest arriving at a conclusion I'm not exactly sure what is just yet. Electronic Civil Disobedience is absolutely present in the world's society and politics. What will this mean for the future? Where is this headed? Well as I discover the answers to these questions and express my ideas I hope to deliver a message that provokes thought and a platform for new ideas and thinking.
Aurdey, really good "tie in" post! Great job! I think you nailed what we talked about in class with helping your readers understand where you're going and not just taking the plunge! So I have a few suggestion/comments!
ReplyDeleteGreat interlinking to your previous posts. Maybe it would be good to use sub-headings? As ADD of a reader this makes me sound, I find that if I see a sub-heading I'm more likely to read it than if I just see another paragraph! That could just be me though, so take that suggestion with a grain of salt!
As you're talking about where you want to take this next, you could maybe use a "trilogy" type set up for your audience, sort of like what I did (yes I'm self-promoting one of my methods lol! but only because it's really helpful) as I found when I had to think about what I was going to say next, how it would build upon the previous post, and what to name it to show that relationship, I found my final 4 posts and start each post with a goal in mind!
In response to your question, "Where is this headed?" maybe take a look at civil disobedience which wasn't virtual (hello Becca, Woman's suffrage that Stacie is writing on might be a good place to start!)and see where those went, and compare/contrast if ECD will have the same results. I don't think we constantly have to be comparing our subjects, we can contrast as well to show the shortcomings of the digital age compared with the real life thing. Just a thought!
Really great post though! I think you did a great job!
Thanks Becca! You've made some very valid points. Blogs to come will definitely thank you for it!
ReplyDeleteI like how you tied Diigo into your post because we have all been using it, but no one has really discussed it in their posts. I have heard so many of our classmates talking about how much they love it and how it has changed their way of researching. I personally haven't been as into it as everyone else, but I see the potential behind and completely understand where everyone is coming from. Diigo has created a place where you can store all your information in one convenient place instead of having information is 5 different areas that you are constantly having to switch between!
ReplyDeleteAll in all, a great post and you did an awesome job referring to the posts you have already written while still keeping us as readers in the loop!
I don't know if the following comment will help you to wrap things up, but it's something I've been thinking about while reading your last few posts.
ReplyDeleteWould civil disobedience be defined as disobedience to the laws of the land only, or some sort of activism specifically directed at the government? Or could it also just be bucking societal expectations or even picketing a large corporation like Walmart? Did Thoreau intend for civil disobedience to specifically be a way of providing a check on governmental power, or did he intend it to be a way of expressing dissatisfaction with any organization, group, or company that has power?
Have you taken a look at stacies recent trilogy of posts on activists? It should tie in really well with your work. http://staciefarmer.blogspot.com/2010/06/have-activists-lost-their-passion.html
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