Clarification of Confessions of an Ethnographer Part 1

I just want to make this clarifying point on the upcoming series of posts that I plan to make on "Confessions of an Ethnographer".

These post are about ME and ME only. If you're expecting to read something juicy about my research participants then you will be sorely disappointed. I hold their trust, confidentially and privacy to the highest degree. Doing research ethically is a MUST for me. I will keep to that no matter what.

Just wanted to make that clear as it's incredibly important to me.

Confessions of an ethnographer part 1

Stayed tuned. Over the next few days/weeks/months...who knows. I'm going to be giving a very intimate look into the life of an ethnographer and what it means to be an anthropologist.

We get nice and neat papers and theories but have you ever wondered what goes into getting that material? We anthropologists are human after all and we have fears, hopes, dreams and emotional reactions to the things we study. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar. The trick is separating out those raw thoughts and feelings to remain objective and be able to dig for those deeper insights that are there with the subjects we chose to research and the people we study. Our job is an embodied and deep experience. We are privy into secrets and well kept thoughts and feelings of our participants. We are confidants, truth secrets, curiosity driven researchers. Passion for research and insight runs in our blood. But like I said, we're also human. We laugh along with our participants, cry along with them, experience what they do (because without that deep raw experience we might as well be researching robotics). Along the way we make friendships, we come to care deeply about the people we study. We do this, all the while balancing our internal thoughts and feelings with staying objective and true to our research objectives. It's a rough balance but one we *must* maintain this for the sake of good research.

It doesn't mean we don't get stage fright or that we don't worry about how we'll be perceived. I personally am a needless worrier and have to fight my own personal insecurities. But I do it...and at the end of the day I'm a damn good researcher. We expect the people we study to open up to us and let us in. We have to give something in return. Anthropologists have always known and struggled with the fact that our previous in some way shapes and reshapes those we study. It's inevitable. The goal is to leave as little a mark as possible. So...we keep ourself wrapped in researcher objectivity while we research but don't be fooled... we're human and we have all kinds of things going on inside too.

I'm going to let you get a glimpse into the world of an ethnographer. Stay tuned! It will be harsh, realistic, funny and true. A rare treat indeed!

Gritty, grown up Harry Potter-esque read

Monster by A. Lee Martinez

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When a Yeti is eating the ice cream in the freezers you're suppose to stock, who do you call? Naturally you call animal control. Good thing animal control works with the cryptobiological containment unit who are well equipped to handle Yeti's, Trolls, and all those others creepies who go bump in the night.


The concept of various layers of consciousness and creatures co-existing in one plane is always a fun one to work with and Martinez does it well. Think of this as a very gritty, grown up Harry Potter story. There are those who walk within the realm of the supernatural, those who can sense it but quickly forget (light cog) and those who are completely oblivious (incogs). When the world of the supernatural collides with a very inquisitive light cog, the universe as we know it is in trouble. This story follows Monster, Judy, Chester and a very interesting cast of characters as worlds collide.

My only negative is the ending. I really felt it "cheapened" the entire read. However, I give Martinez this...he is very true to his characters. My hats off to him for keeping true right up to the very end even if I didn't like it. Perhaps my problem was with Monster (as a personality) himself and not with the ending; and if that's the case (and I'm pretty sure it is) Martinez breathes incredible life into his characters.

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Love affair with the written word

So you've probably noticed a HUGE influx of book reviews lately. My weekends and nights seem to have been taken over by my love affair with reading. Since I started my PhD (the hardcore research portion anyways) I haven't read a book for pleasure. Don't mistake the not "reading for pleasure" with "not reading" because trust me...I've done a TON of reading, just not for fun. It helps when your "not fun" reading is on topics that interest you (like video games for me) but there's something about reading academic books that tends to zap the pleasure out of it and makes it seem more like work then leisure (let's not get started on the whole work/leisure dichotomy...that's a whole different blog topic). Over the 4th of July weekend I had a few days off of work and some time on my hands so I picked up Joe Hill's novel Horns and off we went. It was like discovering an old friend who you've missed dearly. You don't realize just how much you've missed them until you reconnect.

Reading for me is almost and obsession. It's most certainly a passion and as we all know passions can border on the obsessive. There certainly are worse things to be obsessive about. The worst part of my love for reading is that it collides with my love of collecting things so I'm all about buying books. My husband keeps telling me that my reading habit is going to put us in the poor house (he's joking...mostly) and that I should use our fantastic libraries. However, there's something about having shelf after shelf of books that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. One day, I dream of having a house that also has a library room (an entire wing would be better; one can dream). I want the old school kind with the vaulted ceilings and ladders to reach the highest selves of books. Add a nice over stuffed leather chair, a desk and a fireplace and I'd probably never come out.

This is probably why I've yet to purchase an e-reader. Don't get me wrong, I'd absolutely LOVE an e-reader. I've certainly had opportunities to buy one but I keep putting it lower and lower on the list of things to buy. It'd be an absolute savior to have while traveling. I tend to go through 3 or 4 books on a weekend trip, especially when flying, and well, books are heavy and to have to carry around 3 or 4...whew. But there's also that part of me that hates the idea of NOT having the tangible remains to later admire. I have only re-read a handful of books in my life so I'm not even going to fool myself into thinking I keep them around in case I want to reread them. I just love having them and with an e-reader it's hard to go back and admire your love made tangible. It's also why I hate the idea of video games going completely into the cloud...

So, it's a long way of apologizing for the numerous book review postings but also a warning that more are to come. If you're a reader you hopefully appreciate the reviews and if not, just keep checking back for the more video game focused, geeky ramblings that will appear.

Demonic Ducks...who'd a thought?

A Nameless Witch by A. Lee Martinez

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Curses come in many forms and for the Nameless Witch; heroine of this story, her curse is a most peculiar and horrid one. With a demonic duck, a troll, enchanted broom and White Knight by her side she sets off for vengeance and soon finds her quest one to save the world.

The first book I read by A. Lee Martinez was "Gil's All Fright Diner" and I fell in love. His humor is magnificent and the pace of his writing is a tempo that keeps you moving steadily until the end. A Nameless Witch also has some good underlying advice to it, "Curses come in many forms and it's all about perspective."

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A Modern Haunted House Tale

Audrey's Door by Sarah Langan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Audrey Lucas is a girl with problems. Growing up she bounced from town to town with her crazy mother, drifting herself for awhile until she manages to pull her life together enough to get a degree in architecture and take back her life; as much as one can with a mentally ill mother and a healthy dose of OCD battle.After breaking up with her boyfriend she needs to find a place to live and like mana from heaven The Breviary lands in her lap. It's cheap, it's big and it's the last of it's kind with a unique architectural history that someone with Audrey's background and passion can appreciate. Of course there's a catch; a recent tragedy has stained the walls within and the whole place seems to hum with the hunger of what happened.It's not long after she moves in that the truth begins to unravel and she begins to learn about the history of the Breviary...something is haunting her. Her dreams are fevered and her life begins to fall apart. Someone is demanding that build a door...


The book, a modern haunted house story is full of charm and character. The story unfolds nicely and the pace keeps up; for the most part. I stumbled over some of the language used as it was far to forced. There were parts were it felt like Langan was trying too hard to get across the message of the horrors of Audrey's childhood and her demented mother which have now made her into the damaged woman she is today. However, you need the background to explain the obsessive nature in which Audrey is trying to take back her; a nature which lands her at the Breviary. The story is not just about a haunted house but about how we are also are own architects. If you were a house, what sort of foundation would you have? What have your walls seen? Who has resided with you? Ultimately, it's up to us to keep standing tall and not let our walls crumble.

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How NOT to write a research book on World of Warcraft

The Warcraft Civilization: Social Science in a Virtual World by William Sims Bainbridge

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I had such high hopes for this book. I heard about it through the hive of the social media universe and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. When I received it from Amazon I dove right in thinking I would devour it's content in just a few sittings; I have been craving a book like this and would devour it's words like a hungry person...or so I thought.

I soon found myself reading in snips and junks because I was drowning in the foolishness of it all. It didn't take long to realize this book was written by someone who doesn't clearly have a firm grasp of video games or what they mean realistically to those who play them. I couldn't help but think I was reading the work of a madman. I kept waiting for the final chapter that said, "Ha! Gotcha! This entire book was a joke... a grand social experiment to see if people would finish it". But alas, that wasn't to happen.

It became more clear as you moved through his book that he just didn't understand the game. A game is made of more than just the AI and backstory. Designers, story, game mechanics and players all work in a strange discordant harmony to produce the final outcome, especially in a fluid game like World of Warcraft. His understanding of the game (holistically) was so limited that he has mad moments of brilliant insight that disappeared as fast as they appeared, like lighting. Don't get me wrong, his observations of the game story was so expansive it was indeed impressive. I learned more about the Warcraft story in his book than the years of playing it since beta came out. He payed attention to certain things with a sharp observant eye. I won't deny him this. What Bainbridge missed though was the players and what this game means with that sort of interaction. Without the players there is no game so unless this was research about design mechanics it needed to have that spark. This book has "social science" in it's title!

World of Warcraft really consists of layers of "game". I have yet to see a researcher give a really detailed account of it from a player perspective especially as it concerns the end game. The game begins as a player goes from level 1 to level 80. But a different game emerges once you hit level 80 and it's like the previous levels were just a warm up to come. Bainbridge was so focused on those early few levels that he really misses the mark of what the game holds later on.

Bianbridge focused far too much on the Role-playing servers. It was like he himself had built an entire world in his mind and then wrote the entire strange story down on paper and called it research. I was disturbed by the dual boxing events and conversations with himself. My mind reasoned that his "research assistants" had to be actual, living, honest to god people but no...they were just more inhabitants of the game world manifest through Bainbridge's play and eventual writing.

You could strip the actual insights down to a nice paper or conference topic. This book should be read with trepidation. If video game scholars want to be viewed seriously then we need to steer clear of this sort of writing. Be warned, if you read it, you're peering into the abysmal maw of one strange mind.

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Horns by Joe Hill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was the first novel I read for pleasure since diving into my PhD and Joe Hill didn't disappoint. His reading style is so easy that you don't realize hours have passes and pages have flown by.

This tale in particular was magnificent. He turns assumptions on their heads and deals with the concept of good and evil in such a way that it just makes sense. I couldn't help but grin as his realization of what "devil" is settled in. I loved it.

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Ma! That nice young man on TV is talking back!

Recently at my job I was promoted to "Social Media Analyst" which is an amazing opportunity and allows me to do some really interesting work and pay attention to things that now hold more significant meaning and implications; especially concerning where we're all headed when it comes to "social" connections and interactions.

Recently the Old Spice Marketing campaign has me reeling with the possibilities of where we are at and where we go from here. Advertising has always been there as a normal part of life for me and you occasionally see some really interesting campaigns that leave you chatting around the water cooler for a few days...but nothing like this. This is THE example of viral marketing to follow. The commercials are clever and have you watching over and over again. Isaiah Mustafa is an amazing specimen of manhood and can play his roll with such sincerity and composure that one wonders how he doesn't just break into laughter with the over-the-top ridiculous of it all. And to one up the already creative genius of the campaign, Old Spice is now featuring Isaiah Mustafa standing in a shower with nothing but a towel responding to various forms of social media directed to him and Old Spice. It's like touching greatest. It really brings a product and an actor into full focus of reality rather than a nicely put together attempt to sell you something. Oh sure... don't get me wrong...they're still trying to sell you something and they're selling it well.

Just yesterday we were in Target and my husband needed some deodorant. I happen to be standing next to them while he looked for some shaving products. As I looked, I picked up a container of Old Spice and said, "Here...use this." Now, I would have NEVER picked up Old Spice prior to this new campaign. To me, Old Spice was something old men well past their prime used; musty smelling old men trying to exude what they thought manhood should be. As a market researcher I can only imagine how the entire campaign went in trying to figure out how to make Old Spice young, hip and cool. I can see the focus groups now:

Researcher: "So...what do you think of when you think of Old Spice".
Respondent 1: "My grandpa. He's senile. He used Old Spice to cover up the stench of urine."
Researcher: "I see...and how about you?"
Respondent 2: "Old Spice? Is that some expensive spice you get at Whole Foods?"
Respondent 3: "Ha! But seriously...does anyone under the age of 70 even use Old Spice? I don't think anyone in their right mind would touch that stuff."

So, they change formulas (the original sent is still lurking...) and added new products to the line. But most importantly they created the greatest marketing campaign to date. People feel like they are apart of the product and even though they're constantly selling and getting it in your head you should use their product they are doing it in a way that fits, make sense and in unobtrusive. Humor is power. People are seeking out whatever they can concerning Isaiah Mustafa and Old Spice. They are going to the product, they product has to put little effort in getting to them. I spent an hour yesterday watching the viral replies and laughed at each one. I wanted more... in the end, I made my husband buy Old Spice, something neither of us thought would ever happen. Now, if only I could get him to bake me cake and leave how to swan dive the world would be a better place...maybe I'll start with buying a monocle. MONOCLE SMILE!

Here's what I wonder though... how in the world will they top this? What's next? I expect great things from you Old Spice...great things.

A few to wet your whistle and understand this pure genius:

The real me online doesn't want to collide with the real me offline

There has been a huge stir in the world of online privacy. Even bigger, I'd say than all the privacy issues that have cropped up in the past over Facebook. This time it was a game company's turn to rock the boat. Unless you've been hiding under a rock you've heard about the huge outcry and outrage against Blizzard's proposed changes with their RealID. In case you haven't heard, Blizzard announced that with the release of Starcraft 2 and the new RealID they would be using people's real names associated with their Battle.net account for all forums and community related posts. That's right... real names. No more hiding behind an internet identity... your name and the associated offline identity in all it's glory will be there for the world to see. They are doing this, in part, to stop the griefing and trolling that inevitably happens online and make people more accountable to their actions and words online. It's a nice thought but the reality of the situation is so deep and entrenched in various identity issues that a master spider would be impressed by the web this has woven.

There was such an outcry from players so strong that within a few days of the announcement of the change Blizzard retracted it.

The first problem is that if you've seen some of the responses on Facebook to President Obama's post then you'll know how much people don't really care about what they say even when it's associated with their real name. I've seen people threaten to shot the President on Facebook... people still tend to think there is this digital wall that shield their online actions from offline consequences. So I'm not 100% sold that using real names would stop people from acting like assholes on an internet game forum.

The second problem is a little bit more interesting and requires some reading of the numerous pages upon pages of replies to Blizzard's original announcement. Some people don't want their real names used not because they are afraid of saying something wrong, they simply don't want people to know they play video games. Seriously....let that sink in a moment. They...don't....want....people....to....know...they....play...video....games...

I can only say I'm flabbergasted. This type of thought only furthers the stigma that seems to be associated with video games. I mean, you wouldn't hesitate to let people know you read or listen to music or even watch TV. But video games... can't let people know you do that in your free time. Gamers need to step up and stop being afraid of the stigma. It isn't until we let people know that playing video games is a lot like reading or listening music will we be able to elevate them beyond mere "child's play". I personally don't understand what's so wrong with telling people you play video games? It's not like you're telling people you're snorting drugs in your freetime...it's a video game! They and by extension WE aren't the red headed stepchildren of the entertainment industry. There's seriously not shame in saying you play video games.
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Overall though what this has done to show is what many people have already discussed concerning social networks and identity; people want to keep anonymity and they want to keep online separate from offline. Even more so, online people fracture their identity in a variety of ways and will fight to maintain those different identities and keep them separate. It has interesting implications on social networking design and privacy.