Don’t wait, procrastinate now.

In a recent class exercise, we were asked to chart out the stages in researching and writing an essay. Following this, we graphed both our level of interest and skill level for each stage. A somewhat interesting exercise that also allowed me to become reaquainted with the classic Derwents- colour me happy.

Turns out the things that I rate myself as doing well in aren’t necessarily the things that I like. For example, I really don’t enjoy composing my bibliographies, but I’ve not had marks taken away due to errors. I don’t enjoy taking notes when I’m reading, but I do it pretty effectively.

There were only really two stages where my skill and enjoyment level seemed in sync- the submission of my work and going to the library to research. Firsty, I’ve only ever handed in one, maybe two assessment tasks in later than the due date EVER. I get an immense feeling of joy and relief from hearing those pieces of paper float and crash when I gratefully slot them into the submission box. Secondly, going to the library. I’m terrible at it, it’s a last resort, 11 hr “crap, I don’t actually have any quotes outside the prescribed reading” moment. If I’m in the library, chances are I’m in a slightly panicked state. Therefore, my associated feelings toward the library are not positive, so I stay away. This is not the way to conduct a successful honours year however, so I am endeavouring to visit the library in leisure time, to familiarise and make peace.

Possibly the worst mistake I made in filling in my graph was the horrifying (to some) admission that 9 times of of 10, I hand in first drafts. Definate correlation between this and submitting on time me thinks. Again, I am told this is not a successful way to conduct my honours year and thus I will publish my second draft of this blog, not my first.

Back to the title of this blog- I was astounded that noone mention the most critical stage of essay writing- the highly creative procrastination stage. This is a must for me. I sure there is all sorts of psychology surrounding this art, the cures for it etc. However I find it is a vital process as it allows the procrastinator to reach the adrenillin rush stage, induced by the panic/shame of wasting so much time that you actually could have been finished if you’d cut the crap 5 hours ago.

My enjoyment and skill level at this stage align quite well. I feel my resourceful nature really shines here as I can move beyond the DVD collection and weekend papers, and find a rabbit warren of linked distractions on the internet. It’s fabulous. I fear this has turned into somewhat of a productive habit however, as aspects of my thesis are geared toward online communication- what hooks people my age into a website and encourages them to explore it and take on board the messages it presents?

Ahhh, justifying procrastination, a vital cog in avoiding starting my Comm. Rev. essay.

Ethics- the Everest of Application Forms

Currently in the process of filling out my ethical clearance application for my honours research. Quite possibly the most confusing experience of my life- barring watching Fiddler On The Roof.

It’s proving to be a difficult process because I’m not one to plan in detail months and months ahead. Sure, I know roughly the sorts of people I’ll be talking to during my research, but knowing when and where I’ll be interviewing them is stretching me a little. Also, trying to evaluate the risk level of research is bloody hard too, knowing how people will react to certain questions is near impossible- I’m not a psychologist!I’ve been staring at the 12 pg template/guidelines for about a week now, and it’s at the stage where I’m starting to see vivid shapes jumping out at me from the page……no more coffee.

Just thought I’d share my frustration.

Final first draft of the second abstract…or something.

Young Australian wine drinkers are lost in a fog of up to 1400 wineries and 5000 different bottles of wine when walking into a major liquor store.A challenge for PR practitioners in the wine industry is creating a message, both educational and informative, that resonates with this demographic.

Currently, there are is a lack of youthful figureheads in the industry to facilitate the integration of a wine society into popular culture. Therefore, alternative methods of communication must be sought out.

The effect of mainstream media in delivering this message is vital in understanding ways in which the wine industry can successfully converse with younger consumers.

Blog Me Happy

The term ‘I blog’ is certainly on the list of things I’d thought I’d never say. It’s not that I had anything against avid bloggers- in fact, I do subscribe to many a blog that I obsess over- to the point of hitting the refresh button every couple of minutes if a new entry isn’t posted.

It’s really one of those personal barriers- I’ve never been capable of doing a ‘Dear Diary’ type of record. I simply cannot talk in the first person to myself. This first became a real concern to me as I headed overseas for my GAP year. Every man and his dog was insistant that I keep a diary of my experiences so that I will have a fantastic momento when I’m grey and old.

Great idea, I even search for the PERFECT diary that would be worthy of capturing and storing such a journey. However, when the day came to exposed my deepest thoughts at the onset of my big adventure, not a word could be written. It was a classic case of writers block.

However, I did find that when I went to email all my friends and family back home, words were just spilling on the screen without abandon. Hence, I was able to keep an email diary, just as long as I knew I was writing to SOMEONE (Psychologists go forth and analyse). And so here I am, after a long day at the office, pretending that there are millions of subscribers to my blog, hanging on my every word!

As much as I may have whinged about having to create my own blog a few weeks ago, I can start to see the sense in it all- for instance, by sending my family this URL, I am excused from at least one or two phone calls out of the 7 a week, as my academic life is documented on here. Lovely. Hi Mum.

I also have a space that is mine- unlike something like MySpace that continually sends me advertisements for free ringtones etc. I don’t feel the need to post pics from the last night out on the town, nor do I think it should be used for leaving unrelated messages. In other words, this blog is acting as a catalyst for my academic ‘white line fever’. Sure, I love my Facebook account for social documentation, however as soon as I log onto here, I know its game on for relevant blogging. And I like that.

 SO, from here on in, I shall not complain about this blog, and have trust in the fact that it’s somewhat theraputic and will be a worthwhile experience to document my crazy year.

Mags x

Qualitative Research- benefits v problems

After flipping through a few of my favourite journals on qualatitive research, I’ve come across quite a few counter-arguements to those that I set out in favour of the research method. So, in the interests of academic non-bias, I’ll present them to you for discussion (keep in mind, some of them are long-winded but get to the point eventually):

“Many papers lack explicitness about methods for searching, appraisal, and synthesis, and there is little evidence of emerging consensus on many issues. There was also some evidence of possibly inappropriate use of some techniques. We conclude that continued methodological progress and improved reporting are required.”
Synthesizing qualitative research: a review of published reports
by: Mary Dixon-Woods, Andrew Booth, Alex J Sutton
Qualitative Research, Vol. 7, No. 3. (1 August 2007), pp. 375-422.

“At issue here, in part, is what the term ‘criterion’ means, and what role criteria could play in the context of qualitative enquiry. In addition, there are differences in methodological orientation: over what counts as rigorous enquiry, realism versus constructionism, and whether the goal of research is to produce knowledge or to serve other goals.”
The issue of quality in qualitative research
by: Martyn Hammersley
International Journal of Research & Method in Education, Vol. 30, No. 3. (2007), pp. 287-305.

“The article demonstrates the potential impact of these identities on the data collected and their interpretation, and the researcher’s attempts to negotiate these identities. In thus demonstrating that the `how’ of data collection can have important effects on the `what’ of data collection and interpretation, the article argues that qualitative interviews in higher education policy research should pay more attention to the social construction of interview `data’.”
Pivoting the centre: reflections on undertaking qualitative interviewing in academia
by: Chrys Gunasekara
Qualitative Research, Vol. 7, No. 4. (1 November 2007), pp. 461-475.

So, to reach a conclusion on these points (ironic?!), some problems arise with qualitative research with regulation/methodology, the lack of conclusive data, and the impact of the data analyser or researcher on the results of the research.

In terms of the problems that these arguments bring to my own research- I think the second and the third problems cited above will become resonably relevant to me.

The lack of conclusiveness from the data I will have collected is certainly a real possibility- a scary one nonetheless. I guess to put this one in perspective, it is important to remember that much research is sample research of a demographic- particularly when talking about qualitative research. This does allow for a margin of error, and obviously it is impractical to collect data from every mind in a set demographic. Futhermore, some issues resonate outside a demographic, and therefore can contribute to inconclusiveness within a research topic as a whole.

The next problem will, I feel, become the bigger obstacle to my research- the objectives/bias of the researcher on the analysis of results. I’d love to find the magic formula that allows me to find a channel of communication to push the wine message to people my age- and actually have them take it on board. However, in trying to find this formula, I might neglect other areas of research that could be just as important to my thesis topic, but doesn’t directly lead me to the answer.

Lots of thoughts here, hopefully the fact that I’m aware of this will help to negate these problems.

Wine Whinge

The question at hand- who is my research on my the wine industry relevant to? Funnily enough, when speaking to the communications gurus at Fosters, I was asked if I had rocks in my head?! Not the best positive reinforcement. A very large area to tackle I’m told.

The problem is that wine marketing/PR has been pretty straight forward in the past- e.g go wine and dine a reviewer and let the rest take care of itself. However, now that every second wine drinker thinks their opinion and knowledge of the industry is good enough to start reviewing wines, there is a saturation of review pieces. Some are obviously more credible than others, but the movement is creating a challenge to PR practitioners. An area that I’m beginning to find very interesting.

So, perhaps my abstract is being tweaked as I write. I’ll get it right- sooner rather than later one hopes. In investigating this area of wine PR, I’m hoping major distributors such as Fosters would find such information relevant to their operations. It would also assist smaller wineries in identifying better ways in which to utilise public relations to increase awareness of their product, beyond a good review from a no-name reviewer.

Spinning the Bottle

The ‘average Joe’ wine consumer migrates toward mass produced, well known wine. However, this wine tends to be of poorer quality than lesser known, similarly priced, boutique wines.

If the awareness and availability of these boutique wines was increased, Australian wine consumers would enjoy an enhanced wine experience. In turn, the competition from these wineries would force mass producers to use better quality grapes/techniques.

By exposing this boutique wine culture through successful public relations and marketing practices, distributors will have a broader range of better wine to sell, fostering the growth of well produced, regional wines.

Why Honours?

A question I have been asked so many times in the last six months. Why don’t I just slip into a graduate programme, cruise my way through my first job and learn all the stuff that didn’t sink in at uni first hand?

Why did I want to voluntarily put myself through another year of sleepless nights and assignments deadlines?

Why do I want to spend another year on a less than impressive student salary?

I guess the answer to all of these is the need for self-satisfaction. I knew from about half way through last year that I really wasn’t going to be content to just graduate and walk away. If I really want to be honest, honours is something that has been in the back of my mind since the very start of my uni degree (yes, I do realise this is a little geeky to have planned so far ahead).

Even more honestly, it’s a chance to prove to myself that I might just be smarter than the average bear- something dotting parents, relatives and friends have tried to tell me since I can remember, but I didn’t believe the hype. So GAME ON.

I’ve only really decided recently that I want to investigate the wine industry further. I know public relations has a significant effect on the average wine consumer – well consumers who wander into the local bottle shop. This demographic seem to constantly drink only those wines they recognise and fit within a certain price range. I want to know why? How do wine producers find themselves in the position to grasp such a big market share? Why can’t smaller producers who use better grapes create such product awareness? I know that PR does have a huge part to play in the wine industry, however, I’m struggling with how to pose my thesis question. Thoughts anyone??

What is Research?

First thought- www.wikipedia.com. Then I thought back to the day I stood up in front of Jimmy Wales and told him his website was useless to me academically. Scratch that first stop.

The term research creates images such as piles of books, late nights, coffee and a 9am deadline. Good old fashion research in big libraries, citing historians, searching for related newspaper articles and scanning encyclopedias.

Then I think in journalistic terms, invloving primary, hands on research through numerous interviews with key players surrounding the issue of investigation.

Moving through the university degree- next stop marketing research. Although my experience in this area induces a shudder, I’m finally able to distinguish quantitative from qualitiative research. These research methods bring to mind surveying, focus groups and general number crunching to produce statistics.

Finally, I think of the most useful and perhaps most utilised form of communication for my generation- that being online research. Search engines that point us in the (generally) right direction to further materials- such as online journals and databases. Surely websites such as eBay are also useful in researching the price, placement and promotion of certain products, just as entertainment blogs are useful in researching effective communication…..

Scare Tactics- Mission Accomplished

And so i’ve come to the end of my first week of honours, and I’m suitably scared. It’s not just the new surroundings, or the imposing flight of giant stairs that will need facing at least once a week. It’s post pep talk fear.

In the midst of all the changes I’ve been adjusting to recently, it is somewhat comforting to see that no matter the uni, scare tactics are still on the agenda at the beginning of every course.

<>Don’t misunderstand me, I thrive on the scare tactic- it helps to kick me in to study mode sooner, running on the fear of not meeting course expectations. However, unlike previous scare tactics (that have done little more than make me over prepare, then lead to realising I can do the assignment the night before) I feel this one is a genuine warning. Perhaps I am confusing fear for adreniline?? Exactly how uncool is it to be excited by uni??

So here I am, doing my homework on time, if not early. I’m not sure how I feel about blogs- I was certainly never a ‘ Dear Diary’ sort of girl. All in the name of education I guess…