Over the past several weeks, I've learned a lot about what Weaving Today users are not doing. They're not, in the main, developing primary identity. They're not posting to blogs. They're not doing much social networking.
Then what are they doing?
Most users of Weaving Today are looking for answers to specific questions that arise in their weaving. the often look for these answers without signing in, mostly by following forum posts. If their question is unique, they may post it. This usually results in one of the "professional" Weaving Today inhabitants posting an answer, following which the user may or may not post a "thank-you." Users are spending limited time in the space. This pattern of use is consistent with theories of adult and older adult computer use, which suggest that these users are more likely to use digital resources to address particular information or task-related needs.
As soon as I finish threading this project, I'll go in search of the comfort zone I left to start this project. Maybe it's a little closer than when I last saw it.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Son of Users and Yarn
Among the most interesting users of Weaving Today are those who have no local weaving community available to them, but who feel the need to reach out and connect with others involved in the same craft. Several of these are from overseas, and at least a few are unable to participate in local guilds because of access issues (transportation or disability) or because there are no guilds close enough to them. These users may post from time to time when they have a question or when they know the answer to someone else's question. The latter is less frequent, likely because the Weaving Today staff answer questions when no one else answers, and nobody wants to argue with Madelyn. I went looking for a few of these users to prepare this project. One is a specialist in a particular weave structure (huck lace) and the other is a generalist who is an occasional weaver. Each has over a dozen posts, a large number for users of this site (average is just over two if professional users aren't considered).
Lynn is a huck lace specialist. She weighs in on most conversations in the huck forum, including technical discussions about reading drafts and designing huck. On her "about me" page, she lists only her age (60) and gender, and lists her "favorites" as the huck forum.
Kaaren is a generalist, with comments on five different threads. Her "about me" page is unusually complete for Weaving Today users. She has a short biography, including a description of her weaving practice.
These two users stand out by virtue of their length of use and number of posts. These "front pew" users are recognized as experts of sorts in the Weaving Today community. Even so, 16 posts over two years hardly qualifies as the kind of use most affinity spaces boast. Although these users are not typical, they do illustrate a type of use that underscores the differing practice of older users. Both of these women ask technical questions and answer the questions of others. This is a fairly typical post:
Lynn is a huck lace specialist. She weighs in on most conversations in the huck forum, including technical discussions about reading drafts and designing huck. On her "about me" page, she lists only her age (60) and gender, and lists her "favorites" as the huck forum.
Kaaren is a generalist, with comments on five different threads. Her "about me" page is unusually complete for Weaving Today users. She has a short biography, including a description of her weaving practice.
These two users stand out by virtue of their length of use and number of posts. These "front pew" users are recognized as experts of sorts in the Weaving Today community. Even so, 16 posts over two years hardly qualifies as the kind of use most affinity spaces boast. Although these users are not typical, they do illustrate a type of use that underscores the differing practice of older users. Both of these women ask technical questions and answer the questions of others. This is a fairly typical post:
Bride of Math Mess
Many of the readings for this term have emphasized the role of digital environments in developing identity and agency in digitally native users. My assumption in approaching the Weaving Today community is that, in a community of adult "immigrant" users, identity formation is less important. Adult users might be more likely to use an affinity space to create or maintain personal affiliations, or as a resource to find answers to specific content-related questions. During the time when I was working with the site, some changes were made in how information about users was presented, including showing the number of posts for each user next to their avatar. This allowed me to more easily assess the amount of activity of each participant, and bore out the original assumption that users of this site do not spend a great deal of time using it.
My method for working with the Weaving Today website began with reading through the forums provided. I noted the number of posts in each thread, and the types of interactions (whether a single user posted frequently to the same or different threads, whether interaction was call-and-response or involved more chatting, etc.) I then read through the blogs, noting how frequently posts were made and the type of material addressed by each contributor.
Having gathered an idea of how the site's users were engaged, I started looking for the ways in which individuals interacted with the site. This mostly involved reading through posts to see if there were patterns of use that could be helpful in understanding how weavers were using the site in their work. Because the site includes an individual's number of posts next to their avatar, this was fairly easy to track. I looked closely at those who had large numbers of posts but who were not employees of the site's magazine, attempting to find any "super-users" who spent large amounts of time in the space (there weren't any). I also went to the site frequently to see which users were signed in. Once a day or so, I signed in myself.
Once I had determined a general pattern of use, I made my first post. It was to the "introduce yourself" thread, one that does not get a lot of traffic. I identified myself as a student and a weaver, and asked for information about how weavers use digital resources. I received only one answer, from the "queen bee" of the website, who provided a summary of digital weaving resources:
For all that weavers use tools and methods that have changed very little for hundreds of
years, we also use an amazing number of digital products and processes. We communicate
on this website, for one thing, and on others, including mainstream social networking sites.
We create and use electronic books. We use special weaving software to generate designs,
plan colors, manipulate weave structures, and even to drive some looms. We depend on
digital photography and share videos and process photos in ways that speed up our learning
and improve our woven cloth.
Although an individual weaver may use any of these resources, it is by no means necessary to use any of them for the art and craft of weaving. Assuming that the users of Weaving Today have some facility in digital environments, it seems reasonable to assume that they may be more likely to avail themselves of other digital resources as well.
My method in examining this website has been neither systematic nor exhaustive. What I have found is a discernible pattern of light use, much of which occurs "under the radar," that is, without signing in. This may be because the majority of users don't actually sign up, or because they need not sign in only if they want to make a post (all other aspects of the site are available without signing in). I have yet to receive any additional answers to my digital resource post. Perhaps this is because the participants are too busy trying to figure out how much yarn they need for their next project.
My method for working with the Weaving Today website began with reading through the forums provided. I noted the number of posts in each thread, and the types of interactions (whether a single user posted frequently to the same or different threads, whether interaction was call-and-response or involved more chatting, etc.) I then read through the blogs, noting how frequently posts were made and the type of material addressed by each contributor.
Having gathered an idea of how the site's users were engaged, I started looking for the ways in which individuals interacted with the site. This mostly involved reading through posts to see if there were patterns of use that could be helpful in understanding how weavers were using the site in their work. Because the site includes an individual's number of posts next to their avatar, this was fairly easy to track. I looked closely at those who had large numbers of posts but who were not employees of the site's magazine, attempting to find any "super-users" who spent large amounts of time in the space (there weren't any). I also went to the site frequently to see which users were signed in. Once a day or so, I signed in myself.
Once I had determined a general pattern of use, I made my first post. It was to the "introduce yourself" thread, one that does not get a lot of traffic. I identified myself as a student and a weaver, and asked for information about how weavers use digital resources. I received only one answer, from the "queen bee" of the website, who provided a summary of digital weaving resources:
For all that weavers use tools and methods that have changed very little for hundreds of
years, we also use an amazing number of digital products and processes. We communicate
on this website, for one thing, and on others, including mainstream social networking sites.
We create and use electronic books. We use special weaving software to generate designs,
plan colors, manipulate weave structures, and even to drive some looms. We depend on
digital photography and share videos and process photos in ways that speed up our learning
and improve our woven cloth.
Although an individual weaver may use any of these resources, it is by no means necessary to use any of them for the art and craft of weaving. Assuming that the users of Weaving Today have some facility in digital environments, it seems reasonable to assume that they may be more likely to avail themselves of other digital resources as well.
My method in examining this website has been neither systematic nor exhaustive. What I have found is a discernible pattern of light use, much of which occurs "under the radar," that is, without signing in. This may be because the majority of users don't actually sign up, or because they need not sign in only if they want to make a post (all other aspects of the site are available without signing in). I have yet to receive any additional answers to my digital resource post. Perhaps this is because the participants are too busy trying to figure out how much yarn they need for their next project.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Shopping for Users and Yarn
Yarn shopping! Yay!
Unfortunately, my magpie nature has me standing in front of a shelf of yarn pretty much completely unsuitable for the project at hand. This project is supposed to be an alpaca/wool/silk scarf suitable for use with dress clothes and I'm looking at fabulous lumpy mixed fiber yarns in eye-popping colors. Remember where this stuff is, but go find something to use for this one!
Among the most interesting users of Weaving Today are those who have no local weaving community available to them, but who feel the need to reach out and connect with others involved in the same craft. Several of these are from overseas, and at least a few are unable to participate in local guilds because of access issues (transportation or disability) or because there are no guilds close enough to them. These users may post from time to time when they have a question or when they know the answer to someone else's question. The latter is less frequent, likely because the Weaving Today staff answer questions when no one else answers, and nobody wants to argue with Madelyn. I went looking for a few of these users to prepare this project. One is a specialist in a particular weave structure (huck lace) and the other is a generalist who is an occasional weaver. Each has over a dozen posts, a large number for users of this site (average is just over two if professional users aren't considered).
Lynn is a huck lace specialist. She weighs in on most conversations in the buck forum, including technical discussions about reading drafts and designing huck. On her "about me" page, she lists only her age (60) and gender, and lists her "favorites" as the huck forum.
Kaaren is a generalist, with comments on five different threads. Her "about me" page is unusually complete for Weaving Today users. She has a short biography, including a description of her weaving practice.
These two users stand out by virtue of their length of use and number of posts. These "front pew" users are recognized as experts of sorts in the Weaving Today community. Even so, 16 posts over two years hardly qualifies as the kind of use most affinity spaces boast.
And while we're talking about barking up the wrong tree . . .
Having found the suitable yarn, I have managed to select colors that are absolutely gorgeous together, but not at all what I thought I came in for. While I'm at it, I guess I'll buy a skein of that turquoise and pink ombre!
Unfortunately, my magpie nature has me standing in front of a shelf of yarn pretty much completely unsuitable for the project at hand. This project is supposed to be an alpaca/wool/silk scarf suitable for use with dress clothes and I'm looking at fabulous lumpy mixed fiber yarns in eye-popping colors. Remember where this stuff is, but go find something to use for this one!
Among the most interesting users of Weaving Today are those who have no local weaving community available to them, but who feel the need to reach out and connect with others involved in the same craft. Several of these are from overseas, and at least a few are unable to participate in local guilds because of access issues (transportation or disability) or because there are no guilds close enough to them. These users may post from time to time when they have a question or when they know the answer to someone else's question. The latter is less frequent, likely because the Weaving Today staff answer questions when no one else answers, and nobody wants to argue with Madelyn. I went looking for a few of these users to prepare this project. One is a specialist in a particular weave structure (huck lace) and the other is a generalist who is an occasional weaver. Each has over a dozen posts, a large number for users of this site (average is just over two if professional users aren't considered).
Lynn is a huck lace specialist. She weighs in on most conversations in the buck forum, including technical discussions about reading drafts and designing huck. On her "about me" page, she lists only her age (60) and gender, and lists her "favorites" as the huck forum.
Kaaren is a generalist, with comments on five different threads. Her "about me" page is unusually complete for Weaving Today users. She has a short biography, including a description of her weaving practice.
These two users stand out by virtue of their length of use and number of posts. These "front pew" users are recognized as experts of sorts in the Weaving Today community. Even so, 16 posts over two years hardly qualifies as the kind of use most affinity spaces boast.
And while we're talking about barking up the wrong tree . . .
Having found the suitable yarn, I have managed to select colors that are absolutely gorgeous together, but not at all what I thought I came in for. While I'm at it, I guess I'll buy a skein of that turquoise and pink ombre!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Math Mess and Method
Hmm. I want the scarf to be 70 inches long, so add 7 for take-up, 15 for loom waste. Do I want fringe? Okay, 12 more. No, the loom waste can be part of that. Hmm. Sett 14? Nope, only number 12 reeds. 12 it is. How much draw in? It's a twill, better plan extra. I HATE ARITHMETIC!! Okay, take a break and come back before I start measuring. Yup. Blog time.
My method for working with the Weaving Today website began with reading through the forums provided. I noted the number of posts in each thread, and the types of interactions (whether a single user posted frequently to the same or different threads, whether interaction was call-and-response or involved more chatting, etc.) I then read through the blogs, noting how frequently posts were made and the type of material addressed by each contributor.
Having gathered an idea of how the site's users were engaged, I started looking for the ways in which individuals interacted with the site. This mostly involved reading through posts to see if there were patterns of use that could be helpful in understanding how weavers were using the site in their work. Because the site includes an individual's number of posts next to their avatar, this was fairly easy to track. I looked closely at those who had large numbers of posts but who were not employees of the site's magazine, attempting to find any "super-users" who spent large amounts of time in the space (there weren't any).
I also went to the site frequently to see which users were signed in. Once a day or so, I signed in myself.
Once I had determined a general pattern of use, I made my first post. It was to the "introduce yourself" thread, one that does not get a lot of traffic. I identified myself as a student and a weaver, and asked for information about how weavers use digital resources. I received only one answer, from the "queen bee" of the website, who provided a summary of digital weaving resources.
My method in examining this website has been neither systematic nor exhaustive. What I have found is a discernible pattern of light use, much of which occurs "under the radar," that is, without signing in. This may be because the majority of users don't actually sign up, or because they need not sign in only if they want to make a post (all other aspects of the site are available without signing in).
Okay. 83" long. 16 inches times 12 is 182 ends. Balanced weave, so 16 times length without fringe plus take-up is . . . (where's the calculator?) 1232 plus 182 times 83 is 15,006 divided by 36 is about 417 yards. Can that really be right? Double check.
Time to go yarn shopping!
My method for working with the Weaving Today website began with reading through the forums provided. I noted the number of posts in each thread, and the types of interactions (whether a single user posted frequently to the same or different threads, whether interaction was call-and-response or involved more chatting, etc.) I then read through the blogs, noting how frequently posts were made and the type of material addressed by each contributor.
Having gathered an idea of how the site's users were engaged, I started looking for the ways in which individuals interacted with the site. This mostly involved reading through posts to see if there were patterns of use that could be helpful in understanding how weavers were using the site in their work. Because the site includes an individual's number of posts next to their avatar, this was fairly easy to track. I looked closely at those who had large numbers of posts but who were not employees of the site's magazine, attempting to find any "super-users" who spent large amounts of time in the space (there weren't any).
I also went to the site frequently to see which users were signed in. Once a day or so, I signed in myself.
Once I had determined a general pattern of use, I made my first post. It was to the "introduce yourself" thread, one that does not get a lot of traffic. I identified myself as a student and a weaver, and asked for information about how weavers use digital resources. I received only one answer, from the "queen bee" of the website, who provided a summary of digital weaving resources.
My method in examining this website has been neither systematic nor exhaustive. What I have found is a discernible pattern of light use, much of which occurs "under the radar," that is, without signing in. This may be because the majority of users don't actually sign up, or because they need not sign in only if they want to make a post (all other aspects of the site are available without signing in).
Okay. 83" long. 16 inches times 12 is 182 ends. Balanced weave, so 16 times length without fringe plus take-up is . . . (where's the calculator?) 1232 plus 182 times 83 is 15,006 divided by 36 is about 417 yards. Can that really be right? Double check.
Time to go yarn shopping!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
We Interrupt This Tapestry . . .
Let's put down the butterflies and fork for a moment and get academic.
The Weaving Today website is probably best understood using Gee’s concept of affinity space (2004). Users, however, appear to spend much less time in the space than most examinations of affinity space use would indicate is typical. In fact, it appears to be typical for users of Weaving Today to log on once a week or less, for between 20 and 60 minutes. Compared to players of MMOs or users of sites like Flikr, this is an insignificant investment of time in the space. Interaction between users is fairly limited, too, with very few users providing the vast majority of posts.
This may be accounted for, in part, by the difference between the apparent age of Weaving Today users and more typical digitally native users. Where “digital natives” (those 18-24 who grew up using digital technologies) are widely perceived as more able to use these technologies, some evidence indicates that “digital immigrants” are more likely to use technologies for “work,” that is, to accomplish specific tasks (Cowan 2011).
Although it is dangerous to overgeneralize, younger users frequently have more time to spend in affinity spaces, and, because they also typically multitask, may spend time in the space while attending to a variety of other tasks as well. In contrast, older users are more likely not to multitask, and are more likely to spend shorter sessions on line (Wagner 2010). This may well be connected to the particular physical challenges of older users in digital spaces, where interfaces may favor those with socio-cognitive features and physical characteristics such as vision and motor control more often associated with younger individuals (Charness 20).
Because of these features, and taking into account the patterns of use I have been able to observe, it would seem that the Weaving Today site may function for most users less like an affinity space and more like a knowledge/reference site. This view of the site is strengthened by the observation that the most frequently seen pattern of use is for a question posted by a member (you must be a member and be signed in to post) to be answered by one or more of the site experts, who are employees of the site’s parent magazine. The relatively short amounts of time spent by visitors to the site also argues that development of individual identity in the space is limited as well.
It bears mentioning that, while we tend to think of participation in digital environments as a new literacy, it may be important not to confuse the concepts of “new media” and “new literacy.” “Literacies,” as Moje points out, ‘‘’make use of’ symbol systems and technologies for producing those systems. They are not one and the same.” The ancient technologies of weaving are a literacy as well, one that may apply to modern digital environments is new and exciting ways.
In a nutshell, it appears that users of the Weaving Today site visit to seek answers to specific questions, look for related threads or blogs, and post a question if there is not already an entry addressing their particular issue, then returning when the post has been answered. This sort of task-related use of digital technologies is, apparently, typical of the adult and older adult users who seem to make up the bulk of the Weaving Today online community. It is to be hoped that this limited time investment in online environments maximizes weaving time.
Back to the tapestry. Over, under, over, under, over, under, pack it down. . . lovely.
References
Charness, N., & Holley P. (2004). “The New Media and Older Adults: Usable and Useful?” American Behavioral Scientist 48, 416-433.
Cowan, B. (2011, November 6) “‘Digital Natives’ Aren’t Necessarily Digital Learners.” The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Gee, J. (2004). Situated language and learning: a critique of traditional schooling.
London: Routledge.
Moje, E.(May 2009) “Standpoints: a Call for new research in new and multi-literacies.” Research in the Teaching of English 43 (3), 348-362.
Wagner, N., Hassanein, K., & Head, M. (2010) “Computer use by older adults: A multi-disciplinary review” Computers in Human Behavior 26, 870-882.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
OMG! A Brush with Greatness
Okay. That sounds sarcastic, and I don't mean it to.
In my last post, I declared my intention to post a question to the Weaving Today website that might elicit responses from other weavers using the site. What I had in mind (and still plan to do eventually) was to post a picture of some gorgeous mixed fiber yarn my daughter gave me and ask for ideas from the Weaving Today community for projects that would be an appropriate use of this imported-from-Italy, hand-spun, delicious resource. So far, I have been unable to get a picture of the yarn that does it justice, and I'd really like to have suggestions that are specific to the yarn, so I haven't posted it yet. What I did was post a short paragraph on the "introduce yourself" thread letting people know that I'm involved in finding out how weavers use digital resources. Within a few hours, I had an answer from MADELYN VAN DER HOOGT!
Madelyn is the editor of HandWoven, the magazine for which Weaving Today is the companion website. She is the person who answers most of the weaving questions posed by users of the website. Well before I became involved in this process, I mentally signed up for the M van der H fan club because of her analytic turn of mind with weave structures and her designs, which combine solid understanding of materials and tools with a turn for the creative and wondrous.
This highlights what I think may be the most attractive feature of digital spaces--it makes available a body of expertise and a community of practice that might not be physically available. While I tend to think of digital spaces as just another social necessity, they also make available a community you can access in your jammies, and from a distance.
The Weaving Today website has been, it tells me, accessed by 45,452 users, who have contributed 2,521 posts to 2.285 threads. In any given day, 150-300 "new" users participate, some of whom may be members who don't bother to sign in. A very few users are signed in at any given time. While there is a location on the site that is set up to list most popular thread and thread with the most posts, and thread with the most replies, no data has been listed in those spaces in the time I've been visiting the site. Typically, there will be a bare handful of new threads or new posts on any given day. But . . .
Today I "talked" to Madelyn van der Hoogt. WOW.
In my last post, I declared my intention to post a question to the Weaving Today website that might elicit responses from other weavers using the site. What I had in mind (and still plan to do eventually) was to post a picture of some gorgeous mixed fiber yarn my daughter gave me and ask for ideas from the Weaving Today community for projects that would be an appropriate use of this imported-from-Italy, hand-spun, delicious resource. So far, I have been unable to get a picture of the yarn that does it justice, and I'd really like to have suggestions that are specific to the yarn, so I haven't posted it yet. What I did was post a short paragraph on the "introduce yourself" thread letting people know that I'm involved in finding out how weavers use digital resources. Within a few hours, I had an answer from MADELYN VAN DER HOOGT!
Madelyn is the editor of HandWoven, the magazine for which Weaving Today is the companion website. She is the person who answers most of the weaving questions posed by users of the website. Well before I became involved in this process, I mentally signed up for the M van der H fan club because of her analytic turn of mind with weave structures and her designs, which combine solid understanding of materials and tools with a turn for the creative and wondrous.
This highlights what I think may be the most attractive feature of digital spaces--it makes available a body of expertise and a community of practice that might not be physically available. While I tend to think of digital spaces as just another social necessity, they also make available a community you can access in your jammies, and from a distance.
The Weaving Today website has been, it tells me, accessed by 45,452 users, who have contributed 2,521 posts to 2.285 threads. In any given day, 150-300 "new" users participate, some of whom may be members who don't bother to sign in. A very few users are signed in at any given time. While there is a location on the site that is set up to list most popular thread and thread with the most posts, and thread with the most replies, no data has been listed in those spaces in the time I've been visiting the site. Typically, there will be a bare handful of new threads or new posts on any given day. But . . .
Today I "talked" to Madelyn van der Hoogt. WOW.
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