Assessment 1: ID HUB Bethany Patch s3448500 http://bethanyapatch.wordpress.com/

1. Bethany Patch s3448500
http://flavors.me/patchs3448500

2. Positioning Statement/Persona Description
 I have utilised my new, online presence to portray the
intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm that I possess,
especially as a new student in the field of Media and
Communications. I am particularly interested in political news
journalism, social renegotiation via new technologies, and
writing.
 The key publics I want to attract are other communications
students, and communication/journalist professionals within
my interest areas. I have created an online persona that
represents and reflects this, in a way that positions me to
approach different students and professionals in order to
further strengthen my knowledge, skillset, and professional
online identity.
 In my online presence I have included a personal blog, and
Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram accounts, which showcase
differing elements of my online persona in order to create a
cohesive whole. I also created a TED account that I have used
to start TED ‘conversations’, one of which is accessible
through a recent blog post.

3. ID Design – Value Proposition
 I believe that it is an exhilarating time to exist, in a
period where human civilisation is attempting to
renegotiate the social terms with which we interact with
technology.
 I would like students and professionals who encounter
me to be able to grasp a sense of the determination I
have to improve my knowledge, as well as the passion
with which I plan to drive my career as a media and
communications professional. I hope to be able to ignite
this passion in others, and collaborate with them as
much as possible, in order to enrich mine and their
experience of media and communications.
 I would like to utilise my online presence to generate a
professional and inspirational public for myself that I
can connect with, and be received by (Warner, 2002).

4. ID Design – Brand Story
 I possess a true and enthusiastic passion for my professional and
personal development as a student of writing and communicative
practices.
 I have completed my Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) at the University of
Newcastle. I went on to study online courses of new media and
technology, and online communication. This year, I moved to Melbourne
in order to fully immerse myself in a cultural hub of journalism,
independent publications, and studies.
 To create a heavy online presence is a new concept for me, so my online
persona is one of enthusiastic embrace and a determination for skill
improvement. Through the practice of developing an online presence, I
have begun to understand the significance and associational influence
that is created through different connections provided by social media
(Donath & boyd, 2004).
 As I progress through my studies, I aim to strengthen and broaden these
connections in an attempt to build a thorough professional network
within the journalism/publication industry. For this reason, I have
chosen to use my full name on most platforms, with the exception of my
student-based Twitter account.

5. Evidence of blog posts
Theory/Literature
http://bethanyapatch.wordpress.com/2013/0
8/10/identity-types-which-one-are-you/
Class Exercise
http://bethanyapatch.wordpress.com/2013/0
8/12/vimeo/
Identity Types – which one are you?
 With another Bauman (1996) article, we are
asked to question the boundaries of our
own identities. Bauman reiterates that
the postmodern problem with ‘identity’ is our
perpetually unfulfilled need to remain open
to changes in one’s character and goals – a
constant yearning to ‘avoid fixation and
keep the options open’ (1996, p18). Here,
the essential concept of identity acts, not as
a noun used to describe our character, but
a verb – the act of persistent re-evaluation
and shift. While many of us are given the
glorified privilege of being able to sculpt and
re-sculpt our personal identities at will, the
choices that are available to us are moulded
by the society in which we live.
 Continued on blog
Vimeo
 ‘Vimeo is video + you. We put your videos
first and give you the best ways to share,
discover, and be inspired’
(http://vimeo.com/, 2013). Brought to you
from New York City, Vimeo is a (mostly) free
short-film initiative that allows all members
of the community to share film captures.
Vimeo can now be integrated with almost
any other online media platform, including
Dropbox and iPhone apps for ease of video
share. From face value, Vimeo seems to
showcase films of a higher quality and
calibre – content-based films created by
film-makers and amateurs alike, with strict
copyright laws. Funded by advertisements
and the public (Vimeo Tip Jar system,
premium user accounts).
 Continued on blog

6. Evidence of blog posts cont.
Personal Interest
http://bethanyapatch.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/an-idea-worth-spreading-the-quest-for-
personal-identity/
An idea worth spreading – the quest for personal identity
 http://www.ted.com/conversations/20081/in_a_modern_globalised_world.html
 Bauman (Identity in the Globalizing World; 2001) writes that ‘needing to become what
one is is the feature of modern living’. After becoming familiar with Bauman’s work, I
was inspired to start asking people about the different ways in which they build their
identities. Is it an ongoing process or do you reach a conclusion? What are the methods
you personally use to create and maintain your identity? Now that a lot of us have a
virtual component in our lives, has it changed the way we see identity, or how we build
one?
 I decided to start a ‘conversation’ on TED.com (see link above), where I posited the
question: ‘In a modern, globalised world, how do you build or adapt your identity?’. I
chose TED as a platform to ask such a question because of the nature of the debate:
whether identity is also adapted online required the interaction of people with online
personas. Also, I have come to understand TED as a fairly open platform for discussion.
 I wanted to share some of the major themes/answers that I found reoccurring in the
TED conversation, in order to provide a current (although limited) view of Bauman’s
concepts, and what is required of someone to secure their own identity. Also, I found it
insightful and enriching, as it ties directly with my current studies.
 Continued on blog

7. Tweeting
Course Material Tweets
August 8th, 2013
Interactions with classmates
August 21st, 2013

8. Tweeting
A different hashtag
conversation
August 12th, 2013

9. Platform diagram

10. References
 Donath, J. (2004). Public Displays of
Connection. BT Technology Journal, 22(4), 71-
82.
 Warner, M. (2002). Publics and Counterpublics
(abbreviated version). Quarterly Journal of
Speech, 88(4), 413-425.