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Disclaimer before deconstruction: this isn't a blog about PrinceOfPetworth. However, he is of such interest because the breadth of his blog (in terms of content and readership). He is a BIG PLAYER in the DCBLOG GAME, hence being named the FIRST blogger of the month by the washington post.

However, I'd like to examine this PoP entry, 9th and U Street Market or How I almost Got My Ass Kicked. It is notable not only for the content authored by the blogger, but also the dialog that emerges in the comments.

In this adventure, PoP takes his first trip to the black market (woah was that a racist double entendre?, no, it wasn't). In short, PoP has stumbled upon a Flea Market and allows the fact that his camera was interpreted as intrusive to color his commentary. He postulates not only that vendors are adamant he does not photograph because their wares are possibly ill gotten but also asserts that there is

"a very large immigrant community at this market and perhaps, some may still be undergoing some paperwork because the iciness of the stares I got resembled the look on Rocky Marciano’s face when he stared down Joe Louis."

I question how he deduces the presence of an "immigrant community" and and assume about his assumptions: there is a large Puerto Rican community in the area, perhaps this is what he perceives as immigrant? (here is a word from my undergraduate degree:
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>__>
PUERTO RICAN IMMIGRANTS??? PUERTO RICANS ARE U.S. CITIZENS BY THE WAY. However, there are a lot of Dominicans in this area as well.... maybe PoP asked them if they were Puerto Rican or Dominican. durh durh durh.)

Anyway, as I said, what I find interesting about this post appears in the comments. It's rather simple.

A.) Thirty-seven comments exist in what proves to be a lively discussion. Clearly, thirty-seven individuals didn't participated. Rather, repeat posters create some really banal banter. Some express disgust at the idea of stolen merchandise:

GforGood Says:
November 28th, 2007 at 10:32 am

Sickening. I will certainly stay away from that flea market for good.

This is probably my favorite comment, in which the situation is likened to that which is common in an African capital city, where degenerate thieves abound, apparently:

# Steve Says:
November 28th, 2007 at 4:12 pm

Perhaps some of the dectives from MPD could go “shopping” there from time to time (sic). Pretty funny that people fence stolen goods with out a care in the world. Kind of reminds me of my time in Nairobi!

This conversation interests me in that a general consensus is reached. Flea markets are bad! Counterfeit merchandise cannot be tolerated because it devalues the authentic merchandise honest people possess. The discussion of common values is important for building community. It is more than likely that those who buy and sell at the 9th and U street market live in the area, along side those engaged on PoP, yet they're not present in this CYBER conversation while still existing in the REALSPACE community.

B.) But wait! Somebody (who wasn't my participant ethnographer , sock puppet or outsourced-troll problematizes the conversation!

# DCMovieGirl Says:
November 29th, 2007 at 10:49 am

The hazards of gentrification include missinterpreting differences in communication because of culture, assuming, and other such adventures in ignorance…

You’re living within different cultural area, Prince.

How about asking people next time, instead of drawing your own conclusions?

Most people don’t bite other folks…In public.

PWND. And I'm wanting to interpret her final statement "Most people don’t bite other folks…In public" as implicit opprobium of PoP's inclination to be very critical of his neighbors. As, of course, much of the internet is in the public sphere.

Okay Why DC again? info plz

Obviously all types of people in urban centers all over the world maintain weblogs. However, DC is so compelling because of the proliferation of blogs almost exclusively about neighborhoods, some maintained by newcomers who have purchased old row homes. These blogs monitor development, crime, neighborhood politics and DC politics in general. These blogs also offer reviews of new restaurants and stores to the neighborhood.

Well, Brooklyn has Brownstoner and perhaps similar issues in terms of gentrification. Maybe, since Emma and Miranda are from New York, they can investigate if there many bloggers writing about about specific neighborhoods. >:O
And Chicago has chicago bloggers, which organizes bloggers by proximity to train stops. But, there are no blogs specific to neighborhoods and their "redevelopment" except rogers park, but I don't think city government cares or the alderman. In DC the case seems to be different.

So, for my lil project here, I'll need to do the following:
1. Devise what qualifies as a blog worth attention. (some random formula like in a sample of 15 posts, 10 must be about the neighborhood)
2. Figure out what blogs belong to which neighborhoods. (this shouldn't be so hard. A. many have the neigborhood's name in the URL. B. Most bloggers link to other local bloggers and participate in their neighbor's blogging, leaving comments [Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor's blog])
3. Learn some history/demographic history about each neighborhood. (population trends according income and perhaps race)
4. Learn about local government, wards, councilmen/women/womyn (how does that work, how do they communicate with their constituents, VIA EMAIL?)

In other news:
I used to go to school where I was research assistant and now my favorite task at work is teaching people (working class, usually older) how to use the internet.

This day in history:
Today, 16 November 2007, the daily puppy is a corgi. My grandparents have a corgi. I think he is keeping them alive. I wanted them to name him Lowrider but they couldn't understand why, so his name is Sparky.

Allow me to reintroduce myself

Hi.
I'm establishing this blog to remotely monitor and muse about what I have christened the cyber-gentrification of a few northwest Washington D.C. neighborhoods.

I define cyber-gentrification as community building occurring online of a realspace community conducted by new residents in which some residents are excluded by cause of what is known as the digital divide. This phenomenon materializes in listservs, blogs maintained by individuals or groups of people and forums.

My friend, Emma, moved to Petworth and asked me to help her find information regarding her new neighborhood. A google search yielded an outcrop of blogs. This is one of the first entries I encountered produced by a Petworth blogger and I think it illuminates some aspects of what Emma and I are both thinking about when we use the term cyber-gentrification:

Petworth Turning Into One Gigantic Bulletin Board

Light pole ad, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.
Let me share a little secret with you all. I’ve heard of this great new Web site. It is called Craig’s List. You can put whatever you want to sell on the site for free! Amazing. It is a virtual world now. You don’t have to bother with scotch tape or printings or anything like that at all. And don’t give me the whole not everyone has a computer song. Everyone has computers! And if you are 80 and don’t have a computer you don’t need a weight bench. Everyone has a computer either at work, or home, or at their local library. Although, I am still looking for a place to unload my unwanted car for $50 cash. Help me please.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 at 9:49 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Many of these DC bloggers express scorn against posters in their neighborhoods, citing their illegality and what they feel their unsightliness. This particular blogger challenges why don't people who use analog, paper posters to advertise odds and ends use Craigslist; asserting that everybody has access to a computer while implying everybody has knowledge of craigslist. Interestingly, this blogger speculates the age of the person posting this notice influenced his choice to advertise the item in this way.

The reality is that yes, this person has access to a computer -- the sign was obviously computer generated. However, people have different levels of the internet proficiency and use the internet in different ways, whether that be due to age, race, gender, class and/or education level. This person may too have posted the item on craigslist or maybe not. Yet, the poster and how it was interpreted by this blogger suggests there are people in this neighborhood with different relationships to the internet and assumptions are maintained regarding the internet's ubiquitousness universally regardless of race, class, gender, age et al.

In this way, I believe that some are excluded de facto from dialog in the community and some cannot imagine that.

Texting 1-2-3

Hello world