#MyPhD Notebooks Research

Twitter Hour: #OrkneySupernatural

So. This is it.

Earlier this year, I discussed my plans for my remaining data collection. I was ready to announce the date of my first Twitter Hour when I promptly took a leave of absence for six months.

Now, however, I’m back and I’m ready to go. My first Twitter Hour will be held from 8pm to 9pm on Wednesday the 2nd of November 2016. The topic will be Orkney and The Supernatural.

If you’re unfamiliar with my PhD research, you can find out more on my blog here. This thesis has been changing shape since I first registered as a research student, but the broad themes have always been Orkney and folklore.

Osa dancing. My research has not uncovered any osas in Orcadian folklore.
Osa dancing. My research has not uncovered any osa in Orcadian folklore. Yet.

It would be ideal if I could get an interested few Orcadians or Orkney residents involved in my Twitter Hours, but I’m not just looking for people who were born in Orkney or who live in Orkney to take part. My research site is the internet rather than the islands themselves (I’ll discuss this further in a blog another time – it has been one of those tricky areas I have mulled over for some time), and that encompasses how Orkney is discussed and presented online by any and all, particularly in term of expressions of identity (whether that is personal or shared).

For those interested in taking part, I discussed a few key ethical considerations on my earlier post. I also mentioned two hashtags in that post: #MyOrkneyFolklore and #MyPhDHour. I will be using #MyOrkneyFolklore to discuss my own personal reflections of Orkney outwith the Twitter Hours, and I will be using #MyPhDHour to discuss my Twitter Hours as a method of data collection. After some thought, I’ve decided that I’m going to have a different hashtag for each Twitter Hour (starting with #OrkneySupernatural), which should hopefully make more sense to people who may happen to see the discussions as they’re taking place, and may wish to join in. I will also continue to monitor these hashtags after the Twitter Hours.

We’ll see how it goes. If I get six people taking part in this first Twitter Hour, I’ll be happy. The internet is a fickle thing, and the internet as research site more so. But that’s what makes this so interesting.

Details
What: Orkney and The Supernatural
When: 8pm – 9pm, Wednesday 2nd November 2016
Where: Anywhere and everywhere, via Twitter
How: Join the conversation by using the hashtag #OrkneySupernatural

Structure
At the start of each Twitter Hour, it’s helpful to introduce yourself, providing a brief background about your association with or interest in the topic.

  • These skies have seen many things.
    These skies have seen many things.

    8pm Question 1: What does The Supernatural mean to you, in terms of Orkney and Orkney’s legacy of folklore?

  • 8.10pm Question 2: When and how were you first introduced to some of the characters or creatures from Orkney’s legacy of folklore?
  • 8.20pm Question 3: How does The Supernatural in Orkney relate to concepts of The Supernatural elsewhere? What is similar or unique?
  • 8.30pm Question 4: How is Orkney’s folklore, in terms of The Supernatural, shaped by Orkney’s physical landscape and history?
  • 8.40pm Question 5: How do you feel the internet, specifically social media, has affected The Supernatural? Does it encourage or deter?
  • 8.50pm Question 6: Finally, what is your favourite element (a tale, a thing of any sort) of The Supernatural in Orkney?

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