Attempting Elegance

In the Library with the Lead Pipe

info-mational

Library Scenester

Librarian Wardrobe [for fun]

I’m pretty new to Twitter and am still trying to figure out the best way to use it. I follow a fair amount of library/information related people, and have started to seek out some of my fellow cpd23-ers. I lurk more than I post, but I want to try and start some kind of tweeting schedule (e.g. 3 tweets a week). I like the idea of building networks through social media, and I think being able to ask questions and get answers quickly is really appealing. Guess I’ll see how it goes.

Before considering my nascent personal brandage, I did the old Google vanity search. I was pleasantly surprised to find that 4 out of the 10 results had to do with me personally. The first three results were about Amanda Maddock, the famous puppeteer. Seriously, her job seems so cool. Who wouldn’t want to play in Pooh Corner? My LinkedIn, Twitter (which was a surprise), and Blogger profile all came up. Also, 2 of the 6 pictures displayed on the first page are me. I have no problem with any colleagues or potential employers having access to any of this information… although I am not a fan of either photo.

I currently ::

Use my real name consistently across platforms. I decided to go with my real name for anything professional, although I have wavered in including my middle initial. It seems like a good idea (to differentiate myself from the famous puppeteer as well as a slew of other same names), but I also feel like it seems a little pretentious? I do know that when I get around to publishing, I’ll include the middle initial.

I’d like to ::

Develop a more “profersonal” identity. While I feel like there should be some separation between the professional and the personal, I’d like to develop a blend of the two. I have taken measures to keep that which is personal (Facebook and other social networking sites) private, but I’d like to be able to mesh the professional and personal through this blog and sites like Twitter. Ideally, once I have all of these things in order, I’d like to create a landing page with links to my various presences.

Find a consistent avatar photo of myself. The photo I’m currently using for WordPress and Twitter is a photo of Kathleen Hanna. Although it ties in with my blog title, I’d like to find a decent picture of myself to use across platforms.

Develop a clear visual identity. I tried out a least a half dozen WordPress themes before settling on what I currently have. I know that I like minimalistic design and am partial to gray with an occasional splash of color thrown in. I’ve been kicking around some different ideas for awhile now, but I’m not sure when I’ll try and put them into action. I suspect that if I continue blogging after cpd23, I’ll get things moving. For now, though, I’m pleased with my “theme.”

As far as the last “bonus” component of Thing 3, I guess I’m curious about what you think of “info feminist.” Judging by some of the comments on my other two entries, people were drawn in by the title. This makes me happy because I wanted to come up with a title/persona that would bring people over, and I guess it worked!


]]> http://infofeminist.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/thing-3-consider-your-personal-brand/feed/ 1 amanda l m http://infofeminist.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/thing-2-investigate-some-other-blogs/ http://infofeminist.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/thing-2-investigate-some-other-blogs/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 02:21:34 +0000 amanda maddock http://infofeminist.wordpress.com/?p=24 ]]> Thing 2 sent me off to explore the blogs of other participants. I have read through several, and have commented here and there. I have read through many more, but listing them all would make this post way too long.

Although many of the blogs I looked at were those in academic positions like myself, I discovered a broad range of other information positions. It was great to see a range in experience from students to established, and to read some of the blogs that had existed before this project. The amount of participants who are long time readers of blogs, but first time participants, made me feel at ease with my nascent blogging status. It has been fun commenting (for pretty much the first time) on other blogs and even engaging in some conversations on my own blog! I am really looking forward to interacting with participants as the project progresses.


]]> http://infofeminist.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/thing-2-investigate-some-other-blogs/feed/ 0 amanda l m http://infofeminist.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/23-things-for-professional-development/ http://infofeminist.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/23-things-for-professional-development/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:56:34 +0000 amanda maddock http://infofeminist.wordpress.com/?p=14 ]]> I’ve decided to take my first dip into the blogosphere to participate in the cpd23. While I’ve observed several “23 Things” projects in the past, I’ve never participated. The professional development angle of this program piqued my interest.

Week 1 started yesterday and the first two “things” are about blogging:

Thing 1: Create your own blog, write about what you hope to get out of the program.
Thing 2: Explore other blogs to see who else is participating and find out what they’re saying.

While I’m not new to social media in general, I’m hoping the program’s structured framework will provide me the opportunity to begin to articulate my thoughts, librar*/information related and otherwise. At this point, I am most looking forward to Week 6 (Organizing Yourself) and Week 11 (Getting Involved), largely because I’m hoping to present or publish something this year.

I’m also looking forward to reading the ruminations of other participants. I have been an avid reader of blogs for a few years now, but have stayed on the sidelines. I’m hoping this experience will provide me an opportunity to become active and start leaving some comments… we’ll see how it goes.


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