Using the Web to Promote More Accurate W.Va. Image
Written by Jason Keeling on June 19, 2008
In the days before the Internet, news traveled slowly, and people were geographically disconnected. They obtained their information exclusively from privately-owned and corporate media, which provided the only publishing outlets for the reporting of news and the airing of opinions. Awareness and discussion of public issues was heavily controlled. At times, media biases resulted in the suppression of healthy public dialogue and the circulation of exaggerated information. This meant people were often ignorant of the realities surrounding them, and stereotypes were prevalent.
A sharp contrast exists today. The Internet allows information to travel globally within seconds, and people are more able to report and share information publicly, without censorship. For West Virginia, this means that the Web can become a place where citizens may affect change in a manner that perhaps they never could before.
Can the ‘W.Va. Web’ Make a Difference?
With this in mind, the idea presented itself that those connected on the “West Virginia Web” should conduct a trial project, to see if we really could affect change. Given our state’s image tends to get run through the mud a few times a year, several area bloggers agreed that it was time to begin putting forth a more accurate image of West Virginia. To celebrate our best qualities and successes, allowing the world to see who we really are, and maybe even re-inventing ourselves to a certain degree.
Tomorrow marks the state’s 145th Anniversary, and at noon, a list of the various “aBetterWestVirginia Day” blog postings from across the state will be combined here for your perusal. Meantime, enjoy some of these photo streams that show participants organizing and promoting the effort:
- http://flickr.com/photos/oncee/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/wvagent/sets/72157605702733046/
- http://rickleephoto.blogspot.com/2008/06/better-wv-blogger-meet-up.html
Posted in Culture, Media, West Virginia
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June 20th, 2008 at 2:23 am
What a wonderful idea! I completely agree that the mode of gathering information has drastically changed. I am proud to be from West Virginia and share the heritage I have with the students I teach here in California. I want them to understand that being from West Virginia means you are hard working and you have high expectations for yourself, not the stereo type presented in the media. Communicating the good in our people is one way to correct the misconceptions regarding them and in the day of instant information, maybe these misconceptions will be changed sooner. Best of luck!
June 20th, 2008 at 2:47 am
[...] the last week I’ve thought about the question posed by Jason Keeling for the aBetterWestVirginia Day blogging project to celebrate June 20, West [...]
June 20th, 2008 at 8:44 am
West Virginia has much to offer but many folks don’t take the time to search it out. Some big cities offer a multitude of things to do and you don’t have to go looking for it. In Charleston and many other larger cities in West Virginia, there is plenty to do, but you might have to pick up a newspaper, read a blog, or watch the news to find out about it. I don’t see how this is so difficult. Around here, opportunities are not going to come knocking at your door. This applies to jobs, events, and opportunities to meet people. You have to make an effort to be a part of a community. Once you join the party, however, you will be provided with more opportunities than you can fit into your calendar. Not to mention the spots around town where you are always guaranteed a good time, there are also plays, musical performances, festivals, street fairs, and many other seasonal events to look forward to. With Festivall starting this weekend, who can complain that there isn’t anything to do in Charleston!?
My dream for West Virginia is for more people to get involved in their community. It could be attending Business after Hours through your local Chamber of Commerce…getting involved with Young Professionals Groups (i.e. Generation Charleston)…volunteering with a local nonprofit…or just supporting local artists, restaurants, and musicians. Find something that speaks to you and your plans for yourself and for your community. Our “transplants” already have this idea. They always take advantage of the great cultural experiences that our communities offer and they are quick to remind us how wonderful it is to live here.
One final thought…when you meet a “transplant”, don’t ask them why they moved here, just thank them for coming.
Jennifer Wood
Web Marketing Coordinator
University of Charleston
June 20th, 2008 at 10:04 am
I thank you for allowing us to be a part of this. We are seizing our opportunity and making a difference in WV. Let’s all make a better west virginia - together!
Todd Beane
Marketing Specialist
WV State University
Douglass Institute
June 20th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Hey Jason ~ I love your vision and the passion with which you are pursuing it! You, along with Skip Lineberg and Jim McKay, are gently breaking down my resistance to blogging, which in my case, comes from nothing more than a steep learning curve. You are a gift to our community and to those of us who love West Virginia, who revel in sharing ideas and collaborating on projects that shatter the stereotypes AND are much too comfortable with our usual ways of communicating. Thanks much for your leadership.
Trish Hatfield
Principal, CharacterEthics, LLC
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:50 am
“In the days before the Internet, news traveled slowly, and people were geographically disconnected. They obtained their information exclusively from privately-owned and corporate media, which provided the only publishing outlets for the reporting of news and the airing of opinions. Awareness and discussion of public issues was heavily controlled. At times, media biases resulted in the suppression of healthy public dialogue and the circulation of exaggerated information. This meant people were often ignorant of the realities surrounding them, and stereotypes were prevalent.
A sharp contrast exists today.”
You are a complete kook if you think that the there was no alternative sources of news before the internet and that the internet has now freed us from censorship, stereotypes, and exaggerated information! Were you born in 1993?