The Effect of Twitter on my RattlerGator Blog

For months now I've periodically pulled up my blog and been absolutely stunned at the lack of posts . . . and proceeded to do absolutely nothing about it.

Why?

It's the damn Twitter, man. Along with work requirements, considerations because of wifey's job, etc. It's just always something but mostly it really is all about Twitter. The convenience of the tool simply can't be beat. I've found the following paragraph on their "About" page to be quite true:

You don’t have to tweet to get value from Twitter

You don’t have to build a web page to surf the web and you don’t have to tweet to enjoy Twitter. Whether you tweet 100 times a day or never, you still have access to the voices and information surrounding what interests you. You can contribute, or just listen in and retrieve up to the second information. Some people never tweet, they simply use Twitter as a way to get the latest information on their interests.

I definitely agree. Here's the link to my twitter page. It has a background photo taken from the front entrance of Florida A&M University's Black Archives. It (the archive) is situated smack dab in the center of FAMU's campus and looks southward toward the Gulf Coast (no more than 30 miles away but, unfortunately for we locals, lacking a suitable beach due south). With a deep interest in African Americana, and a deeper understanding that such a niche *is* Americana, I thought that locale was an appropriate spot for my initial background photo on Twitter.

With little time to pay attention to daily or weekly occurences worthy of comment and sufficient to keep blog posts current, I really wasn't prepared for the posting effect on this blog. But so be it. The social media landscape changed, Twitter and the blog are now intertwined components of my internet expressions, and there's the possibility that Google+ may change things further.

That said, the Christmas holidays are approaching and there might be some time for me to catch up on some posts I want to make (Haiti, Tim Tebow, Republican presidential field, etc.). And yes, I know I need to walk through my "Conservative Brotherhood" listing of bloggers and make sure links are current, etc. Today, however, I'm going to try and enjoy some pro football and -- hopefully -- another victory for Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos while simultaneously lamenting the incredible missed opportunity the Jacksonville Jaguars stubbornly insisted upon taking by stupidly passing on a hometown, statewide and national legend that would have instantly transformed the team from a regional pipsqueak to national player.

Yes, I'm still bitter. But I still love and support the Jags. And the Dolphins. And the Buccaneers. And, because of another Jacksonville (and FAMU) legend -- Bullet Bob Hayes -- Go Cowboys !!! For the sake of remembrance, here's a video on Bob Hayes. To this day, he may be the most under-appreciated Hall of Famer in the NFL:

Later, Gators.

Comments

[Alexis]

For what it’s worth, I think the recent scandals at Florida A&M are big news. Very big news.

There a silver lining. If Florida A&M had new dynamic leadership (perhaps like Walter Kimbrough), it would be able to turn all of this negative publicity into an opportunity. The negative publicity is not a bad thing – it means there is outrage. It means that people are not acting as though ungodly horrors are simply to be expected from an historically black institution.

Florida A&M has an opportunity to chart a new era, push for higher appropriations, and campaign for donations from alumni and other well wishers. This is an opportunity to replace hazing with other rituals. (One could start by burning the paddles in a bonfire.) This is an opportunity to rise above corruption.

Imagine if the University of Kansas basketball team were suspended. Or the football team of Alabama or Auburn. Or the hockey team of North Dakota. Whenever a university becomes a “one trick pony”, political attention focuses on that one event. The Marching 100 appears to be Florida A&M’s main extracurricular attraction.

Florida A&M can act the way most colleges with low morale do (hiding from the publicity, sweeping scandals under the rug, acting as if everything is wonderful when it isn’t, et cetera), or it can use these scandals to build upon Florida A&M’s strengths to grow into a better institution.

Hazing is not only political indoctrination that teaches hierarchy and subservience, but it is also a major historical reason for segregation. Hazing at Florida A&M has a subtext of black acceptance of Jim Crow. I’m not sure that is a message the Florida A&M community actually wants to send.

[Todd Vann]

HI Rattler - I rarely post, but I do read your blog weekly!! You do a great job.

[RattlerGator]

Much obliged, Todd.

[RattlerGator]

Alexis, trust me, I'm not ignoring you. The hazing situation is personally complex for various reasons; wifey has been sent in to clean up the Music Department. I will necessarily not comment on the matter further.