Clinamen

I am currently teaching a course called "Inventing Electracy," and we're using Twitter. The Lab I teach in (the CWRL) asked me to do a short write up of this assignment, and I figured I'd post it here.

Below, I explain the reasons I chose to use Twitter. Additionally, I provide the basics of how to get started using Twitter (for those unfamiliar).

I used Twitter for a few different purposes:

1) LRO Observations.

While revisiting some of historian/journalist Marshall Poe's comments on Wikipedia, I found out that Poe leads a project called MemoryArchive. MemoryArchive is a wiki, but unlike Wikipedia it isn't an attempt to use "NPOV" or to focus on what is "verifiable." Instead, its front page asks us to contribute a memoir: "Everyone has a Story. Make Yours History."

I have discussed Wikipedia with Jeff in terms of electracy, and I find his take persuasive: Wikipedia is not an electrate project - it lacks the "felt" (in all the choragraphically complicated meanings of the term) aspects of writing that electracy seeks out.