A #Hashtag Changed Me

I have for several years actively engaged in the #sachat hashtag, a discussion centered on working in student affairs. Tuning in each week for the lunchtime chat covering the topic most requested by the community. In the beginning, I was a lurker. Just figuring out the process of having a conversation on Twitter was a bit of a challenge. Eventually, I mastered how the endless feed of responses and reactions. Having the "aha" about how it all worked gave me the confidence to join the discussions. At times, the information offered is fresh and new, and at times it seems less valuable to me at this point in my career.  Additionally, I will use the hashtag to share an article or news item that seems relevant to what we do as student affairs practitioners. 

The most prominent change for me after engaging in the hashtag is the number of professional peers I connect with via social media. A hashtag can make the world very small and link people who might not otherwise ever connect. Participating in the #sachat has changed how I define professional development. My professional peers have diversified and my network of information sources has broadened. I am a different educator, communicator, and professional because of a hashtag. 

Are you having the same experience as we dig into the multiple platforms and modes of social media?

Bluestocking Identity

As individuals, we are forever defining our identities. Some are set early in life. Others set some and we choose to meet those expectations. Some evolve regularly and emerge as we grow and develop. Brunner (1994) offered the following, 

"Blog identities are constructions that develop over time. The genesis of a blog is a moment when several identity decisions must be made (i.e. username, template). These are not immutable decisions, but nonetheless impact both the first impression one will make upon the blogging community and the early experiences a blogger may have. As bloggers weave the narratives of their lives into posts, these narratives, which are acts of self-construction and self-depiction, express a sense of author agency (Bruner 1994)."

The developing narrative allows the blogger to curate their presence; to tell the story they want to translate. According to Dennen (2009), this is achieved via the (1) Name and blog title; (2) Profiles; (3) Post content; (4) Voice; (5) Affiliations; and (6) Visual design. No wonder I spent so much time contemplating my blog name.

I have gotten several questions about the origin of the “Budding Bluestocking”. So I’d like to give insight into this one aspect of my blog presence. Wikipedia explains a bluestocking as an educated, intellectual woman, more specifically a member of the 18th-century Blue Stockings Society. 

By choosing this name, I hoped to assert my identity as an academic-in-training. The title is a nod to the women of the past who were unable to seeking a higher degree of education. Finally, the name offers insight into my quirky, slightly off personality and lack of interest in in high fashion. The quote from R. Brimley Johnsonn's introduction to his 1926 book, Bluestocking Letters resonates with me:

“Always ladies, never pedants, they regarded life with intelligence and common sense, formed their own opinions, followed their own tastes; and accomplished something towards the ideal of a gay and frank comradeship with brilliant and learned men.”

Resources:

http://www.basbleu.com/info/bluestocking.hzml

Dennen, V. P. (2009). Constructing academic alter-egos: Identity issues in a blog-based community. Identity in the Information Society, 2(1), 23-38. doi: 10.1007/s12394-009-0020-8 [PDF]