Learning From Experience

When I learned on the first day of class that we would be curating an ebook and then actually publishing I almost could not believe it. But Dr. Burton our English professor had proof that the impossible had been done by a previous class in their ebook, Writing About Literature in the Digital Age. So from their example we began our own process to publishing our own ebook Becoming Digiliterate.

We had a prompt to write about a piece of literature and relating it to what we find on three digital literature platforms: the Kindle, Goodreads, and Amazon. We blogged about those ideas that we had, and then we each individually further developed the best ideas into chapters.

Then came one of the harder parts, putting all of our ideas into a working table of contents through this blog. This was useful for ideas, but eventually during class we were able too discuss our two chapters and decide on which part of the book it fit in: Find, Read, Connect, and Create. This seemed to be most effective.

At first we were doing most of the writing and blogging from our own separate homes and other than the blog we had no communication amongst us until class time. We all downloaded the WhatsApp app, and we were able to send text messages to a group text. We also had been using the Google docs and been sharing those files under folders as one of our classmates compiles the ebook. Google drive
was mostly effective, but there were some glitches in sharing.

Overall I would say that the ebook is worth the price. Through the writing process I was able to learn so much more about the three platforms we wrote about, and also To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee that was my focus of my two chapters. My whole opinion on digital literature has changed, and our ebook can also help other students and avid readers feel the same.

Pleasantly Surprised

This semester in our Entry to English Studies course -- an entry course like no other -- we used digital platforms to enhance our study of literature. I'll say it right now: this course proved me wrong in a myriad of ways. Kind of a negative overarching theme, right? I actually don't think so. In this blog post, I want to illustrate the ways that my personal literary identity changed, or rather, expanded in order to let the digital age (and other things that used to bore me) in. I will explore my progress in terms of traditional ways to understand literature and in terms of the future of literary studies. 

Traditional Literature Studies

The main change I see in myself in reference to traditional literary study is being more open to subject matter and genres that I used to think didn't hold much relevance in my personal life. A great example of this is my personal study of the novel Heart of Darkness. I was not initially thrilled to learn that we would be studying Heart of Darkness, because the first time I read that novel, I just wasn't impressed. I was a senior in AP Literature, I was stressed about college applications, and I absolutely loathed the movie Apocalypse Now. However, this semester, as we studied the novel while also studying different literary theories, and reading other students' interpretations of the novel based on Marxism, reader response theory, cultural studies, etc. spiked my interest, and I began to see the novel as more of a vehicle for Joseph Conrad to make many different statements about society, etc. It was fascinating for me to see all of the different lenses by which we could interpret Heart of Darkness, and I realized that the novel was quite interesting to me when I read it through the lens of feminist literary criticism. Reading about different literary theories opened my eyes to the critical conversations that are already going on about novels, epic poems, and more. Critics are constantly finding more things to be said about books and poems that were written years ago, and they, along with their theories, help me to see how these things are relevant in my own life. Just because I don't personally enjoy a certain author's style doesn't mean that his or her work doesn't deserve my attention. More examples of this kind of enlightenment occurred when we analyzed the York Mystery Plays, wrote our own sonnets, and more. 

The Digital Wake Up Call

At the beginning of this English course I felt completely out of place and slightly incompetent. I had just returned from an 18-month mission for my church, and had immersed myself in a foreign language during that time. I was unsure if I could even write anything coherent in English.

Registering for this class I knew it would be a challenge, but I have always loved literature. I kept telling myself that anything worth it is difficult, and so I plunged into this new world. I was able to discover the diverse world of literature all on the digital platform the Kindle; a device I was completely unfamiliar with. I remember ordering it off of Amazon and to my surprise receiving it only 3 days later because of Amazon Prime membership, but that wasn’t the biggest surprise. I opened the Kindle and was amazed by its appearance as a printed book. I had never seen the screen of a Kindle, and in that moment it changed my opinion of the device almost instantaneously. (Check out chapter one of our class ebook, Becoming Digiliterate to learn more about the Kindle.)

Through reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad I began to see that the Kindle models traditional literary study; notes can still be taken, highlighting can be done, bookmarks may be placed and much more. It resembled a printed book, but it also enhanced note taking, highlighting, and bookmarking. Instead of tediously flipping through pages of the book I could see on one page all highlights, notes, or bookmarks I may have placed. This was very beneficial as my class collectively authored this blog and we all wrote several posts about Heart of Darkness.

Twice a week my classmates and I wrote in our class blog, ranging from blog posts about books that had impacted us to writing our own sonnets. I had read fashion blogs before, but had never actually desired to start to author my own blog. At first, it was such a stressful homework assignment that I would spend most of the day just brainstorming what to write about; it made me so nervous to post any of my personal thoughts about literature online. Literature was supposed to be something private right? Not anymore… If that wasn’t social enough my class was also assigned to have a Goodreads account.

The first time I was on Goodreads I probably spent the rest of my evening finding books I had read, and also adding some to my to-read list. I was surprised that many of my friends already had a Goodreads account as well, and I was able to see what books we had both read. I no longer had to rely on what a librarian insisted that I read, but Goodreads could recommend books based on what I had read and rated.

Through all these mediums my literary study has been enhanced. It goes deeper than just the sparknote study that I was used to, but into social sites such as twitter and youtube. This class has helped to see that traditional literary study has been changing since it begun from just an oral medium and it will continue to do so. The Kindle and any other form of digital literature are becoming just as much traditional as a printed book.

One and the Same.

My semester of literary studies is quickly coming to an end. My class has studied everything from poetry, to plays, to literature online, and everything in between. We’ve sort of gone through everything in our quest to learn about the importance of literature both classically and digitally. This class was my first class I’ve taken that is actually required for being an English major, and some days it really made me question my life decisions concerning being in this major.

The beginning of the class started with jumping from different forms of literature each week. Nonfiction, fiction, poetry, plays, etc.. – you name it, we did it. And all the while we were beginning our journey into using and finding this literature online. There were two big pieces of work that really stood out to me. The really big one was when we read Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. We spent a lot of time on this one, and I think it sticks out to me so much because of the amount of time I personally spent with it. I had to fully read and analyze this book, and it was very difficult for me to get into. This was sort of my gateway book into online literature though, as the difficulty of it and the analysis I had to make of it took me right into the heart of the Internet for help. It was during my studies of this book that I first really entered into Goodreads and discovered how reviews work and how a book can connect me with other people. In fact, there was a particular review that really stood out to me and helped me understand why this book matters. When I read that review, I decided to follow the man who wrote it, and since I’ve become so enraptured by his other reviews and have become in new books simply because of his high opinions of them. It was because of this section that my ideas began to form for my chapters about both reviews and Goodreads for my class’ semester ebook we would soon be writing.

My other big work of literature that really stood out to me during this class was during our poetry unit. This was in the beginning of the semester before we had really delved into the online world. So while I was finding and reading poetry online, I was also focusing on the more traditional poetry such as Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley. This poem showed me the ways of traditional literature analyses and how to compare the ways in which an analysis must be made. This was quite a challenge for me as I hadn’t before done a formal analysis in this way. We also had to write our own sonnet during this portion of our studies. While struggling with my rhythm and wording of my own poem, I began to feel a connection with these other poems I had been trying so hard to understand. I found beauty in them that before I hadn’t seen, and I developed a deeper appreciation for the authors and the pains they went through to bring us their words.

I could probably go on forever about what works I used and how they helped and frustrated me, but that would get old quite fast. This semester and the class ebook project have taught me so much about the importance of classic literature as well as its introduction into the digital age. Classic literary analysis is still valid, and I would hate to ever lose that part of literature or understanding. But after this semester, I do believe that working with the more social and online aspects of literature are now becoming just as important as the classic. It opens more doors and ideas than before, and allows people to actually connect to these books and people and authors in ways that have never been seen before. It's becoming almost impossible to have literature without including the digital in some way. They're becoming one and the same.

Literature is changing. And to keep it alive it must be allowed to change and grow as the world continues to change and grow.

Chapter Research

Each of my chapters requires a lot more social and scholarly research, though I'm leaning more towards the scholarly research I've found because it seems to anchor my topics more steadily than bloggers' opinions, though I do find them valuable. Here is some research I conducted for each of my chapters:

Long Tail/ Equal Access Building Literacy 

On the Kindle/Amazon digital platform, more books are available. More people have more access to books that truly interest them, not just the most popular books. This phenomenon is increasing literacy. 

1. Social Graph
1. I want to talk to people who consume books from the niche markets offered on Amazon. People with obscure hobbies, etc. 
2. My roommate N, who buys books on graphic design because they aren’t available in Utah. They’re books from different countries, etc. She says her favorite art books are not sold anywhere in Utah, and she buys them on Amazon. 
3. My friend K just started to learn how to whittle wood, and is buying books from Amazon to do it. 
2. New Media
1. This blog is for authors and talks about how to market your niche market books.
1. http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/buzz-your-book-niche-marketing-techniques-for-every-author
2. This is an interesting article in Forbes about how niche marketing is helping authors. 
1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/booked/2010/07/29/the-magic-of-niche-marketing-for-authors/
3. This is a YouTube video about how to find an Amazon niche market. It’s almost two hours long! 
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VjeMFx3zdA
3. Social Networks
1. Erica Bauermeister is an author of niche-market novels who I found out about through Forbes. I am going to try to contact her through email.  
2. “Dave C.” started a group on LinkedIn called “Flea Circus Books,” which is described as “A new royalties-based professional media interchange which allows authors to link up with Content Callaborators, editors, etc.” I joined the group and became the second member, but I am going to message Dave and see what got him so interested in book niche markets and ask about his opinion. 
3. LinkedIn Group called “Ebooks, Ebook Readers, Digital Books and Digital Content Publishing.” 
4. There are TONS of people connected to this LinkedIn Group whom I will be messaging. 
4. Traditional Scholarly Sources 
1. Amazon Top Seller Secrets: Inside Tips from Amazon's Most Successful Sellers by Schepp, Brad, Schepp, Debra, and Richardson, Gary
2. Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More by Anderson, Chris

Isolated Reading (this one has been more difficult, especially because I'm not sure how Nathan's chapter and my chapter fit together... I've tweeked my tweethis but remember that we discussed changing my responsibilities in class, so that might be best. But here is some research.) 

1. Social Graph 
1. I really want to talk to people who are avid readers. I want to talk to people who use goodreads regularly, and others who don’t. I want to interview them about their experiences. 
2. My roommate M, who was a literary criticism major and an avid goodreads user.
3. My friend H, who was a philosophy major and is an avid goodreads user as well as fan fiction reader. She has a lot of online friends who she’s ended up meeting at different conventions, etc, but not through goodreads... 
4. A girl in my ENG 295 who runs an active twitter account where she talks about eBooks, etc. 
5. Mrs. D, my AP Literature teacher, has a lot of opinions about the way students should read and share with one another. I would love to get her opinions 
2. New Media
1. This is a blog entry called “Women Who Travel Alone: A Reading List” 
1. http://blog.longreads.com/2014/10/12/women-who-travel-alone-a-reading-list/
2. This is a blog called “Reader’s Connections,” and I think I can connect with the author to find out her opinion on how Goodreads is affecting literacy or attitude toward reading, etc. 
1. http://www.imcpl.org/readersconnection/
3. Social Networks
1. The authors of the blog “Reader’s Connections” is a group of librarians. I am going to email them and ask their opinion on isolated reading, etc. 
2. There are lots of blogs about how authors can better connect to their readers, like this one: http://bookmarketingtools.com/blog/four-keys-to-connecting-with-your-readers/, but this might be better for another chapter. 
4. Traditional Scholarly Sources
1. This book talks about fluency in the classroom. Very interesting. It would provide wide context. 
1. Essential Readings on Fluency by Rasinski, Timothy V. 
2. This book also discusses literacy on a general level. 
1. Secret of Literacy: Making the Implicit Explicit by Didau, David
3. This book has a chapter on how technology encourages adult literacy. SO interesting. 
1. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction : Options for Practice and Research by Committee on Learning Sciences: Foundations and Applications to Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Lesgold, Alan M., Welch-Ross, Melissa

Publishing E-Books For Dummies by Luke, Ali

(I just add this because I think I need to read it. Ha!) 

More Research!

Research is so important in any academic field, and it is going to be extremely important for our literary reading in the digital age project.  I am excited that we are going to start incorporating our research findings into our chapters.  In order to do this effectively, Dr. Burton asked us to create an annotated bibliography to keep track of our research.

Digitizing Classic Literature: A New Love Via Reconsumption

New media adaptions of classic literature are changing peoples’ views, and encouraging people to reconsume classic literature in its original form.  Online Platforms such as Goodreads are facilitating this bridge between new media and classic literary representations.

Social Graph: I am particularly interested to see how representations of classic literature in new media affect reconsumption of classic literature in different age groups.  I am assuming that different age groups will have different exposure to classic lit new media representations because different age groups tend to use different social networks and tend to use the internet for different amounts of time.  I have two teenage brothers in high school, and both have different interests.  I am thinking it would be an awesome idea to ask them about specific new media representations of classic lit, and how that has or hasn’t affected their desire to read more classic literature.  I also plan on asking my college roommates similar questions.  It also might be an excellent idea to post similar questions on my Facebook to attract adults who might be interested in the topic.

New Media: I think that classic lit representations in media are particularly important.  I don’t really think that many people can say that they’ve never watched a movie based off of classic literature.

Click here, here, here, and here to see some examples of what I am talking about!

Social Networks: Of course I am going to use Goodreads, but I also think that using Twitter is going to be super helpful.  Just browsing through Twitter with a search of "classic lit" has turned up with tons of results of people talking about new film adaptions of classic lit.  Click here to see what I am talking about. 

Traditional Scholarly Sources: Like I said above, I think that discussing literature in the realm of film is super important.  Click here to find an article that discusses that very subject.  

Dispelling Old Prejudices: The New Face of Libraries

The face of libraries are changing, and digital libraries allow for the user to become the “librarian.”

Social Graph: We’ve talked about this in class a lot, and I am planning on contacting some librarians at BYU and potentially at other colleges/universities.  I am also going to contact some “librarians” on Goodreads and ask them about what they do.  I can also pull on my own experience with Goodreads and libraries. 

New Media: I found a couple of great articles that talk about traditional libraries and digital libraries.  Click here, here, and here, to see what I am talking about. 

Social Networks: I am also planning on using Twitter as well for this chapter.  I've never been the biggest user of Twitter so I think now might be an awesome time to start! I typed in the two keywords "digital" and "librarians" and I found out that a lot of people are talking about these two subjects!

Traditional Scholarly Sources: This link here leads to an article that discusses digital librarians vs. traditional (print) librarians.  This article is obviously completely applicable to my chapter. 

eResearch for the eBook

When something is constantly on my mind, I constantly talk it through with friends and family. This eBook has been on my mind a lot the past few weeks. I talk to several people about it because it helps me get my ideas more firm. Where I struggle the most is through research, but as I did this assignment of creating an eBibliography I found that I haven't done as badly at researching as I thought. 

Escaping the Cinderella Complex through Self-Publishing

Amazon and Goodreads provide the ideal vehicle for a reader to become an author by giving the online users freedom to self-publish and advertise using the features that these digital platforms contain.

Social Graph:

I’ve actually talked to several of my friends about my chapter to see what they thought. A lot of my friends had never heard that authors could self-publish on Amazon. Before this project, I think I knew that you could, but not how. I think that makes this chapter especially important because people should be informed. I also talked to some friends that actually write on the side. A few of them had heard that they could self-publish and were really considering it.

As I’ve been writing this chapter and putting the class book into eBook format, I’ve had to learn even more about what goes into self-publishing. I think the experience I’m gaining by exploring how to put a book in eBook format gives me an advantage and a sort of authority on writing this chapter.

New Media:

There are a lot of sites that will put your book in eBook format for you. Unfortunately, most of them say “free to start” which basically means that “you can download your documents into our site, but to actually get it from us you must pay.”

There are also several eBooks on how to self-publish. I’ve used one that Amazon published called How to Self-Publish a Book on Amazon.com: Writing, Editing, Designing, Publishing, and Marketing.

Social Networks:

My mom uses Twitter a lot for her work so when I told her what I was writing about she immediately searched self-publishing articles on Twitter. She gave me quite a few. I actually used a quote for my chapter from this one. There are a lot of discussions out there about self-publishing.

Traditional Scholarly Sources:

I’m working on finding books about the history of self-publishing. I found an article somewhere about how self-publishing is the way it used to be done in the 19th century..I just need to find that article.

The Guardian: Winner of the Pulitzer prize

“America's Cinderella” by Jane Yolen

No Need to Cut Off Toes and Heels When You Have a Kindle Touch 

Unlike SparkNotes, the X-Ray feature creates an arsenal of contextual information about a story without damaging a reader’s ability to read and analyze a literary work on his or her own. This increases a reader’s desire to join the enriching world of the novel on the Kindle device.

Social Graph:

I have never met a single person that has not heard of SparkNotes. Even if they’ve never used it, I think it’s safe to assume that the majority of people that took high school English have heard of SparkNotes. The XRay feature is not as widespread. I’ve asked a few friends that have Kindles if they knew about the XRay feature and several have never known what that link lead to on the Kindle.

New Media:

There are android apps for SparkNotes now. This is worrisome in that students don’t even need to go out of their way to look up a book. They can easily access the cheat sheets on SparkNotes in the classroom for class discussions on their phones.

There are even more sites than SparkNotes too: Cliffs Notes, Schmoop, etc.

Social Networks:

Spark Notes’ tag line that it is the “Most Popular Study Guide” proves true as you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and even Vine. #SparkNotes, everybody.

There are several forums discussing the XRay feature on the Kindle.

Traditional Scholarly Sources:

“The Right Understanding: Teaching Literature in the Age of SparkNotes” by Alison Bach

Still working on finding more information here. I'm looking to find more books about the necessity of reading and analyzing literature. 

Peer Reviewed and Social Sources

On Monday, the class talked about various research methods that go outside of the traditional sources that we are used to.

In my searches for sources, I have come across some interesting places to look. One of the most interesting is an "index of indexes." Essentially, journals and other sources for more academic works are stored in various indexes. In an index of indexes, you can find out what indexes a certain journal is kept in, and then go on to find similar journals that might contain something you're looking for. Very cool stuff.

Mosy recently, I have taken to speaking with other readers of both Slaughterhouse Five and Watchmen on forums and facebook groups, and have been combing through Goodreads reviews for evidence of socialization through these books and interaction in opinions. Goodreads also serves to give me insights into popular opinion of those books.

My biggest concern is finding that delicate balance between credible sources and social sources. What do you all think is the sweet spot for Peer Reviewed sources vs Social sources?

Sampling and Experimenting Research

So this is my family minus my dad. 5 sisters and we couldn't be more different! 

My Own Mini-Experiment

Last weekend I spent the weekend with my family, and I was talking about our semester project that my English class is doing together. I explained that we would be collectively writing and ebook based on the Kindle, Goodreads, and Amazon.
I thought they would have some interest because my family is a pretty avid user of Amazon, but more for materialistic purchases. However, we all love to read and I became curious as to if my family would be interested in owning their own personal Kindle. So my curiosity took over and I just asked simply, "Hey would you like to own a Kindle? and why or why not?"
Only one of my sisters said an affirmative YES! She responded that she loves reading, and would love to have a device just to devote to reading. The rest with the exception of one were undecided. They simply stated that they would not mind having a Kindle. My sister that responded that she would never want a Kindle had no reason at all.
Although this isn't exactly a well planned experiment, I think it proves the point that the Kindle doesn't get the credit it deserves. It reminded me of my initial reaction to buying a Kindle; I definitely wasn't completely opposed but I wasn't all for it either. With the exception of one sister they weren't really able to explain why or why not a Kindle would be a good purchase. The Kindle is often overlooked by its simplicity.

Facebook Status

As a class we are trying to diversify our research, and an interesting social research would to have a discussion on Facebook. For example to write a post with a somewhat specific question. One of the chapters I am writing for the ebook is just about the Kindle, what it is, features of it, and so on. So I could write a Facebook status like: "If you own a Kindle and iPad which do you use more to read why?" Or something like that... let me know if you have something better in mind before I post my status.

Google Alerts

I have also enjoyed reading blog posts. I found a few blog posts using the Google alerts that I JUST learned about today! So you have to sift through a bunch of useless material but there are some good finds just as Google normally is, that should be no surprise. I have not found any scholarly sources yet... but I have found some appealing arguments, and opinions I had not thought of myself.

So it's been a fun process. I still need to work on the scholarly sources, but the social sources are so fun and surprisingly useful!

Social Network Fueled Research

We use social networks everyday.  Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. have become integral parts of our day-to-day lives.  When doing research we have unlimited access to so much information via search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.  But, we might be leaving out an important component when we exclusively turn to academic sources to give us the information that we seek.  Social resources can offer a wonderful insight, which is why our class is engaging in doing such research for our e-book project.  For our e-book project, we are focusing on platforms such as the Kindle, Amazon, and Goodreads and related components and how they are influencing our reading habits in daily life and education.

Dr. Burton created a bibliography Google Doc for us to use.  He helpfully laid out several social topics for us to look at and start researching in.  He told our class today that next to Google, YouTube is the second largest search engine.  That really sparked my thought because I YouTube quite a lot of things.  I often turn to YouTube for help in explaining difficult school topics, audio books, and fun, entertainment-related things.  It only makes sense that we would use YouTube videos to obtain background and topic information for our e-book project.

I didn't have as much time to do research as I would've liked before I had to submit this post, but what I did find was promising.  I found several videos in which YouTube users compare print books and e-books, which is something that is super important and relavent to our topic.  Click here if you would like to see some of the search results that I found regarding e-book vs. print book.

I also found some videos on YouTube that will be particularly applicable to one of my chapters.  My first chapter has a heavy focus on Goodreads, an Amazon sister company.  Goodreads is a social networking site for readers, and it allows for readers to interact on many levels with books at the center of everything.  A simple search entry of "Goodreads" on YouTube resulted in many different users who related their feelings about the Goodreads site.  I haven't had time to look at it very much, but I plan on doing so before our next class on Wednesday morning.

The Social Research Resources

I love that our class is taking a new approach to research.  To help along the progress of our eBook project, we have looked at a few different sources in order to find more information to put in our chapters.  As an English major, I thought that this class would require a lot of hours in the library, pouring over giant books with even bigger words that were impossible to understand, just to figure out the hidden meaning of a classic paragraph.

Well, I'm still spending hours in the library.

However, this research is much different than what I thought it would be!  Instead of sticking to the traditional forms of learning, we have been encouraged to check out social sources.  This is basically my favorite activity, because I think that communicating over the internet is super cool.  To find out more about the great innovation of the Amazon Kindle and Goodreads.com, I checked out a few sites that I visit every day, but with a very different purpose!

For example, I headed over to Pinterest to see if there was any discussion or info over there,  While they had a lot of great stuff on teaching how to be digitally aware, safe, productive, etc., I didn't find much about our topic in particular.  However, Twitter turned out to be really useful with its hashtag searches.  There were a couple good articles that I found there about using Kindles in the classroom and how they have affected education.  Facebook was not the best option for me.  I don't think that many people see it as a place for literary discussion quite as much as other forums, etc.  Obviously that's based on my own connections, but I think that the majority of people who are interested in our topic are found on other forums, etc.

So...I went to forums!  I just typed in "Forums about Kindle" into Google and was taken to a ton of sites.  Amazon has one right on their page, but I think that one was pretty biased and they took any negative stuff off.  This obviously makes sense from a business perspective, but isn't the most accurate source.  The other site that I found here had a lot of topics and opinions.  It was cool!

As far as scholarly sources, I could use some help.  I found a few on the HBLL site, but nothing very specific as to what we're trying to write about.  If anyone finds some, let me know by commenting or just putting them on the drive!

Working Cover/Title

So for our current purposes, we need a working (very most likely temporary) cover page and title for our ebook. I've been researching for both and wanted to share my ideas in a post. We'll definitely discuss this tomorrow, but here you can see what I've been working on.

How to Make a Cover Page
Heaven knows that I don't know how to do that on my own. First of all, there's an amazing YouTube video that details exactly how to create an ebook cover page! Wow, thanks internet! The video says that the best size for a cover is 15 cm (height) by 10 cm (width). My graphic-design-major roommate helped me to size everything and add a title using PowerPoint. She disagreed with the online tutorial and this is what we came up with together. Thanks, friend!

Cover Photo
So I looked around for a good picture that would use an actual kindle (or something that appeared to be a kindle) and would either show someone reading it or symbolically showcase readership in the digital age. I found this photo, which is very similar to Dr. Burton's last book cover, on flickr. It's free and available for use, but it is extremely similar to the last cover. How do we feel about that? I like the moving train in the background, because I think of it as symbolizing the movement of readership and the accelerating rate at which technology is becoming more and more relevant. I like that the woman is holding the Kindle like a book, but the screen is clearly lit. This would be obvious in a black and white version of the picture too. There are a lot of good other options too. So let me know what you think.

Title
So far, we seem to all like Saren's word, digiliterary or digiliterate, and so I wanted to incorporate that word. I also think it could be useful to use the words Amazon, Goodreads, and Kindle in the title, so that people searching those subjects online will know that those platforms really are the focus of this ebook. What do you think? Here are some of my ideas:

Becoming Digiliterate: How Amazon, Goodreads, and the Kindle are Changing Readership 

Becoming Digiliterate: Reading in the Digital Age with Amazon, Goodreads, and Kindle

... meh. I don't love that. 

Becoming Digiliterate: How Amazon, Goodreads, and Kindle are Changing Readership in the Digital Age

...so that's pretty long. Does 'Kindle' need a 'the' before it? 

So that's what I have so far. Comments? Questions? We'll talk about it tomorrow in class. I've thought about moving the title text to the far left corner? How do we feel about the fonts? Let me know what you think! 

It's the Start of Something New...

  I feel a little like Troy and Gabriella at the beginning of High School Musical.  They're awkwardly thrown into this situation where they obviously feel superrrr uncomfortable.  They are made to sing in front of a ton of people (more importantly, certain people that they are clearly attracted to.  Scary!  Ahh!)

But then, they start to realize that they're capable and able to create something great, so they start to warm up to the song and to each other, and pretty soon....there is love.  And they're belting out a tweeny hit and on the road to make millions of dollars.  

I hope to have a somewhat similar experience with this class.  Maybe not with the singing, but with a newly discovered talent and lots of money in the end?  I'd be down.

This class is much different than any other general I’ve taken!  I’m pretty excited that at the end of the semester, we’ll actually have a finished product to show for it!  After thinking long and hard about how to organize our chapters and where my book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor, fits in, I decided on a few potential ideas to research.

My first contribution to the project will be about how piracy is becoming more and more prevalent due to the availability of books online through such platforms as Amazon and Goodreads.  I did a little bit of digging online and found this one slideshow that talked about the rise in piracy since the rise in eBook popularity.  There’s definitely a correlation there, since hackers are amazing and know how to download everything and turn it into a PDF that’s easily available for public consumption.  This causes authors and publishers to suffer because it’s really hard for them to keep a hold on their content and digital rights.  To me, this relates to how the Logan family, in my book, struggled to retain their lands while their white neighbors tried to take them away.  The white neighbors felt like the land should be their own property, just as the current internet users feel an entitlement to content online today.  It’ll work together, I promise.

My other idea, definitely not as well developed, would be how Cassie, a young girl growing up at the time, has to reconcile a collision of worlds around her, and how that relates to students or the younger generations using Goodreads and Amazon as study tools and reliable, trusted sources, rather than the traditional study methods (dictionaries, solo work, etc.)  I’ll admit, I’m not quite sure how to research this one yet.  But I’ll get there!  I think there will be a lot of papers on online research, the benefits of it, and how to reconcile/make the most of the old and the new. 

As far as putting together the actual book, my real concerns are only making sure that everything is cohesive and supports each other.  What if we have two contributors with different viewpoints on a similar topic?  Is that allowed?  Does that take away from our book, or does it add to the validity by exploring all the options?  These are just a few things I’ve been wondering.  But our class is pretty good at coming together and getting stuff done, so I’m not worried!

The Search

So I have been researching the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee for an e-book my class has been collectively writing  relating the modern digital age with literary works on platforms such as the Kindle, Goodreads, and Amazon. 

While researching there has been quite a few sources and ideas that have struck me and while trying to pin point a clear powerful thesis my mind seems to be running in circles around all this information. THERE IS JUST SO MUCH OUT THERE!
However, one of my ideas is focused on how the digital age is changing things for authors. Now authors are able to sit behind a screen and speak with thousands of fans. This has to have an effect on how they write, or even publicize their book. As an example of this, Harper Lee has announced a sequel to her well-known novel; unfortunately she has received some skepticism if this upcoming sequel is truly her work or if she was pressured into publishing it. I read an article written by Lisa Suhay on EBSCHOhost, and she seemed very unsure of who the true author is, but I also wanted a non-scholarly opinion. This lead me to do some research on Goodreads on "Go Set a Watchman." Some reviewers expressed wariness of the timing, but most had a pretty classic reaction: 

I literally found these images on some of the comments that people left.
Although I would say 90% of commenters had this reaction there was the few who questioned as to why now? The doubt may also lead many to read to see if the sequel reflects Lee's voice and "uncover the mysteries" of the sequel. How wonderful that we can express our doubts and excitement together on Goodreads!

I also thought of a new outlook on Harper Lee. She disappeared for 55 years leaving her fans with nothing, and I was pleasantly surprised to find fan fiction during my research based on "To Kill a Mockingbird." I have not gone through and read a lot of it, and I am sure that most of it isn’t very scholarly. However, I feel that it is an important topic for the digital age because it is becoming increasingly popular. While I was making a rough table of contents for our e-book I recognized that no one had talked specifically about fan fiction, but Jenna had related Cinderella to self-publishing. Are they too similar or would these chapters coincide well?

So that is just a little preface of where my searches have lead me to. It has been exhausting and exciting at the same time to find so much information that I will have to read and find a well-done thesis based on my findings. Let me know what you think!

Researching Research

If Cinderella Was On a Magazine Cover

I haven’t done a research-type paper since high school (I’m 24 now!), so doing research for our class eBook about my chosen literary work has been a fun experience. With a few ideas boiling in my mind, I started my research process by logging into Brigham Young University's library website. I thought for sure that if I searched “Cinderella” I would find loads of articles analyzing the story – I wasn’t disappointed. One particular article about economics caught my attention because it referenced something called the “Cinderella Syndrome”, sometimes called the “Cinderella Complex” – which is the idea that a woman is strong and beautiful, but incapable of changing her situations without the help of a third party (typically a male). With this syndrome or complex in mind, my ideas for writing a chapter about self-publishing in the digital age began to take form. 

I decided that I want my chapter to argue that digital platforms such as the Kindle, Goodreads, and Amazon provide the way for the common individual to break free from the “Cinderella Syndrome”. For this to work, I needed (and still need) to research how to self-publish on Amazon. I went to Amazon and searched for eBooks about that particular topic, finding two that seem particularly helpful. One is titled How to Self-Publish a Book on Amazon.com: Writing, Editing, Designing, Publishing, and Marketing and the other is titled Transformations: Stories of Successes from Authors, Innovators, and Small Businesses Thriving on Amazon. Both are free Kindle downloads and both will help me with my chapter, but I think they can also help with publishing our class eBook.

After finding those eBooks, I knew that I would need some more scholarly knowledge about my specific literary work. I found a neat article by Jane Yolen, a teacher of writing and literature, titled “America’s ‘Cinderella” where she discusses how the popular folktale has been made to present Cinderella in a weak light, but that, based on the original stories, she is actually a strong-willed individual.

Push to Kindle

So far, I would say my research has been fairly easy. I’m excited to delve into the eBooks I found so that I can better shape my chapter. 

Random thought: If you haven’t used the “Push to Kindle” option on your computers, you really should! It makes researching online so much easier because you can send articles that might be helpful straight to your Kindle. I love it! (Click here to learn how to install the “Push to Kindle” option.)

Working Working Table of Contents

Phew! It has been so enlightening to go through everyone's posts again and get a better feel for the direction we want to go with our ebook about digiliterism... digitiliteraritism? Anyway! After combing through lots and lots of ideas that our class has come up with, I returned to our original idea, which was an ebook that outlines "how Kindle, Amazon, and Goodreads are influencing literacy and literary study today" (Dr. Burton, instructional blogpost). We have TONS of good ideas, but I think there are a lot of things we can shift and combine and cut in order to drive more toward a united purpose. So the broad idea is: how do modern methods of readership influence literacy and literary study? Specifically, we want to comment on the following platforms: Kindle, Amazon, and Goodreads. So for the purpose of helping myself to see how many of our chapters will relate to each platform, I divided up our chapters into the following four sections: How We Read: Kindle; How We Interact: Goodreads; How We Buy: Amazon; and Other (for those subjects that don't necessarily fit under just one platform). I think the division is uneven, but I don't know that we need to be concerned about that. What do you think?

We'll Get There. Someday.

Ok!  That was harder than I thought it would be.  Here are a few of my ideas on how we could group the chapters...and they are rough.  But this was a really good chance for me to carefully go through what everyone has come up with and put it together in a working format.  I think that a lot of the ideas relate to each other well, and we definitely have enough content to fill an eBook.

Our “Limitless” Society

Jenna:  Publish Yourself, Not Myself: 

 With more opportunities to self-publish and promote, the temptation to steal the ideas of others is easily within reach.

Shelby: What’s Mine is Mine…or Yours Too? 

  The increased conflict between what is and is not defined as public domain.

Leah:  It’s Not Old, It’s Vintage: 

Creative Commons crosses the generation gap, giving modern readers access to the classics and instilling an appreciation that can withstand time.

Lauren:  Knowledge is Power:

  The possible benefits and effects of unlimited access to information on society.

A World Where Opinion is Everything

Meghan: eBook Etiquette:  

What is and is not acceptable to do, say, like, think, share, or bash on online platforms

Saren:  The Reviews We View:

  By using the review feature on Amazon and Goodreads, we are able to see different opinions and learn more about the perspectives of others by their takes on literature.

Emily:  What Happens When Everyone’s a Critic: 

  How the reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads influence public opinion, even before the work has a chance to be read by the masses.

The Online Relationship

Lauren:  Are We Allowed to be Friends Offline?  

There’s a certain aspect of friendship that is only available through face-to-face communication.  Does that matter in the digital age?

Saren:  Getting our Bearings in the Digital World:

  There are definite tricks and tips to having a meaningful online presence.  Now, people must not only grow up in the real world, but develop their social, online identities as well.

Jenna:  Becoming Internet Nobility:  Learning the Tricks of the Trade to Become Who You’d Like Online:

  Posting a thought online can damage a person’s credibility as a reviewer and tarnish a person’s online identity.

Nathan: “So It Goes,” But Should It Stop?

  At what point is the disconnection between a book and its readers a harmful thing?

The Change Caused by the Digital Era

Emily:  Made-To-Order Novels:  

With open relationships between authors and their readers, consumers have more influence with what goes into their favorite books.

Nathan:  What Came First, the Novel or the Trailer?

  With literature expanding to all types of media, we can be exposed to the whole story of a work before even turning (or swiping) a page.

Shelby:  Once Wasted Time, Now the Most Valuable Resource: 

  How the rising generation is taking a new look at the possibilities of digital resources

Jenna:  They Know Where You Go:

  What are cookies, and how do online algorithms follow them to suggest what we’ll like best? (Echo Chamber?)

Meghan: We Want It and We Want It Now:  

Is the instant gratification of online literary platforms negatively affecting society, or simply continuing the trend?

I agree with Jenna, we should discuss how or if these online platforms will affect academia, as well as what we, as the "authorities" on them, can do to make the best use of them.  I think that a book like this, that discusses a topic is such detail, should have a "call to action" or something like that at the end.  Are we encouraging this, or is it simply a presentation of facts and opinions that doesn't really swing one way or another?

My Desk Could Be So Cluttered Right Now

Brainstorming used to consist of lots of paper strewn all over my room, maybe a broken pencil or two (until I would find a pen and then the white out would surface), and a lot of going back and forth between books and more papers. Boy, am I glad for computers! I love this digital age. I was able to open up this blog to view each post made by my classmates, and open up a word document to type and edit my ideas to my heart's content. Oh, the bliss.

Without further delay, please see below for the draft of a possible Table of Contents for our class's ebook. (This is a very rough draft - eventually the language will be much more flowery.)


Table of Contents Draft

Entering the Digiliterary World

1. Saren Bennet, Finding a New Home Among Online Platforms
Getting acquainted with online platforms can be a foreign experience, but when done with an open and eager mind, readers can become their best selves and create a new home.

2. Shelby , Rotting Our Brains Has Become Broadening Our Horizons
 It is important to put aside our fears of the unknown and become digiliterary in order to enrich our literary experience.

3. Lauren Sullivan, Increased Access to Information Equals Increased Intelligence for the Individual
As readers are able to explore and utilize online platforms for literary study, they are increasing their knowledge; this increased knowledge enables individuals to shape society anew.

4. Nathan Scovill, Good Advertising vs Spoiler Alert
Online platforms introduce a story out-of-order: the pros and cons of this effect.

5. Leah Smart, Reconsuming the Classics
Amazon opens the Kindle reader to a variety of free ebook downloads; many of those free downloads are classics that readers can reread and replace old judgments.

Digitizing the World of Elizabeth and Darcy

Our English 251 class at BYU is currently studying literature in the digital age.  For our semester project, we are going to be creating a e-book that details our findings, specifically relating to the Amazon and Kindle platforms.  To help facilitate this, Dr. Burton (our professor) asked that we explain our concept in terms of a novel that we love.  My concept, thus far, is going to deal with "reconsumption of literature."  Now, "reconsumption" is a term that I completely made up, and I talk about it more in this blog post.  Hopefully, as I delve further into my topic, I will be able to find others who agree with my point of thinking.

Basically, I have noticed that platforms such as Goodreads and Amazon have allowed users to come back to literary works they had not perviously liked, cared for, or just not shown an interest in.  I would like to discuss my topic in terms of Pride and Prejudice, because I truly love that book.  I was skeptical that it would work for my topic because it is such a well-loved novel, but after looking at reviews on Goodreads, I realize quite a few users had hated it before and were posting a review because they gained a new appreciation for the novel.

I would also like to focus on Pride and Prejudice because it is a classic, and it can be accessed in many places under the Creative Common's license (I think).  I believe that the novel's accessibility adds to people's desire to "reconsume" the novel.  One can certainly access the novel by typing it into Google, but one can also download a free copy from Amazon to Kindle with additional resources included.  The same is true of many other once-hated-now-beloved novels.

To align the text of the novel more closely with my ideas, I could possibly discuss Elizabeth and Darcy's initial displeasure with one another, and then their ensuing love after time had passed, which could represent my "reconsumption" idea.  Because Darcy and Elizabeth made themselves more "accessible" to one another (wink, wink), they increased their desires to be with one another.  I could also discuss other relationships in the novel that follow a similar pattern.

Pride and Prejudice was written to comment on the society of the day.  One of Austen's main points in writing the novel was to bring attention to the lack of education and representation that women had during that time.  This is more of an abstract thought, but maybe greater access to classic works online is creating a better educational atmosphere?

Anyway, these are my thoughts.  Feel free to comment.

Is the future looking Grimm, brothers (and sisters)?

Image:
http://inkmonster.net/blog/why-ash-maiden-the-original-cinderella-kicks-ass

Our English class is in the process of writing an ebook about using the Kindle, Goodreads, and Amazon. I have chosen to use the 1812 version of Cinderella by Jacob Ludwig Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm to illustrate my ideas for my chapter. Please let me know what you think!

1. To expound on my last post (click here to read), I can discuss the necessity of a bridge between the isolation of the Kindle and the socialization of Goodreads. It is crucial to a reader’s online identity that they know how to review and discuss the books they read. In the Grimm version of Cinderella, the stepmother and stepsisters mock Cinderella for wanting to attend the festival because she cannot dance. Later, when she does attend the ball, she is able to dance with the Prince – three nights in a row. How was this possible? She went from being the dish-washing, floor-sweeping, bird-talking girl to the elegant woman at the festival that could dance the night away with a Prince. When readers enter the online social world without the proper training, it isn’t always charming. Posting a thought online can damage a person’s credibility as a reviewer and tarnish a person’s online identity.

2. When we search something in Google, we leave a cookie behind – a footprint. Google is then able to show us ads based on our preferences. Goodreads is similar with the recommendations feature that is based on the books readers had read and rated. It is important for a reader to be selective in their choices so that they make the best use of this feature – otherwise, books are recommended that they have no interest in. The first two nights that Cinderella runs from the ball, she leaves nothing behind to give a clue for the Prince to find her. On the third night, the Prince pours pitch on the stairs that causes Cinderella’s shoe to get stuck – thus forcing her to leave a “footprint” (Ha!) behind. The Prince is then able to find her so he can marry her. In order to fully utilize Goodreads and Amazon, users must tailor their visits to the site to better the recommendations provided. It is vital that we leave our footprint behind.