CCCCs' Use of the Web
It's a little late to try to circulate this ad (deadline is tomorrow), but I'm going to do it anyway. CCCC is looking for a web editor:
The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) is seeking applications from CCCC members for a new position as CCCC Web Editor (to be distinguished from CCC Online Archivist). The CCCC Web Editor’s term will be three years (non-renewable) beginning as soon as possible after the application deadline and ending in December of 2011. This is a volunteer position.
Actual programming or Web building is not required. Instead, the CCCC Web Editor will have the responsibility of orchestrating uses of new Web building structures made available in the coming months (e.g., blogs, Wikis, Face Book and so on), moderating new community spaces, publishing relevant information, and working with NCTE/CCCC to develop a stronger Website with new features. We anticipate that after the initial restructuring period, no more than 5 to 10 hours per month will be required of the Web Editor's time.
Persons interested in applying for the CCCC Web Editor position should send a cover letter of application to be received no later than October 1, 2008. The applicant letter should be accompanied by the applicant's CV, one sample of published writing, and a one-page statement of the applicant's vision for transforming the CCCC Website into an active community space. Two reference letters from CCCC members attesting to the applicant's qualifications can be sent under separate cover. Please do not send books, monographs, or other materials that cannot be easily copied for the Search Committee.
Applications should be mailed to Kristen Suchor, CCCC Web Editor Search Committee, NCTE, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096; faxed to (217) 328-0977; or emailed to cccc@ncte.org.
I originally intended to post this as a "be part of the solution" exhortation, as several of us have expressed criticism of how CCCC has used the web in the past. For example, when they started a blog, some of us weren't impressed. I took a look at the CCCC blog right before writing this post, though, and I was very impressed. The blog had lain fallow throughout late 2006, all of 2007, and the first half of 2008, but now Joyce Middleton has started a series of posts titled Conversations on Diversity. She's featuring essay-length posts by -- so far -- Victor Villanueva, Krista Ratcliffe, Malea Powell, Paul Kei Matsuda, Haivan Hoang, Jonathan Alexander, and Mike Rose. Check it out; I will very likely be assigning this series of posts in my pedagogy classes.
Cross-posted at Kairosnews.
Comments
isn't that lovely
I'll probably talk about this in more detail on my blog, but among the ironies I might observe:
My title was changed, without any input from me, to the much less official-sounding "Online Archivist," presumably to reduce confusion between my position and this one, despite the fact that editorial staff are more commonly associated with journals than with organizations. I was simply informed of the change.
Despite my role with CCC for the past 3 years, I wasn't asked for any opinion about this. Nor do I have any role that I know of when it comes to actually participating in the decision-making process (and this despite the fact that NCTE has made numerous changes to their site that have negatively affected CCC Online, requiring more work from me, without explanation or apparent understanding).
Without intending to be directly dismissive of anyone who actually occupies this category, our "leadership" is making decisions about the journal and the websites of this organization without any actual experience or knowledge of such things, and without consulting or listening to anyone who possesses them. It's more than a little unfortunate.
Maybe that's too harsh of me, but as I posted last month, I find our organization's willful opacity really troubling, sometimes.
Frustrating
It's irritating that they changed your title. I hope someone who understands the web will apply for and get this job. Yes, I wish "actual programming or web building is not required" weren't in there, and I'll admit to a sigh when I saw "Face Book," but I hope that more people will apply based on seeing the ad through my blog and/or Kairosnews.
As for the CCCCs blog, my expectations aren't very high. I still agree with Jeff's comment on Derek's post that it's silly for them to use Blogger, but I'm just happy to see some content up there -- some open-access scholarship.
Are you kidding me?
CCC Online has been the best and smartest thing to come out of NCTE/CCCC for a long time. They should be running to Collin to try and figure out how to do more of this kind of thing.
This current blogspot thing is a joke, and it's frankly embarrassing. More people should be embarrassed by it, but they don't even know enough about online ethos to understand why it looks less than professional.
NCTE is basically operating at the level of a 6th grader with a school club: blogspot, Facebook, etc. What's next? A MySpace page for CCCC? This should make all of us blush.