Blog 2- “Stalk Your Professor”
This week’s blog is about the digital presence of my professors Mary Abdoney and Elizabeth Anne Teaff. Both professors were relatively easy to research on the internet through the typical social media platforms. It was easy to quickly figure out their personal views on politics and positions on things such as women’s rights.
Mary Abdoney was born in Florida in 1977 and attended Plant high school. She is highly educated, attending the University of Florida for undergraduate studies and the University of South Florida for her Masters degree in Library and Information Science. Professor Abdoney is a fan of Burrito Bros. in Gainesville as is anyone that has had a chance to eat their double wrapped burrito with red sauce. I cannot find many references to the Gator football program, so it is unlikely Professor Abdoney teases Professor Teaff about the Gators destruction of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2007 National Championship Game. Instead, she tends to spend her time and intellectual energy on topics related to libraries, the evils of the Patriarchy and supporting liberal leaning political candidates. She was a huge supporter of Elizabeth Warren for president which seems to tie in perfectly with her apparent political views and position on equal rights. From a tweet that she posted, I believe she supports changing the name of Washington and Lee University. Professor Abdoney is a bit obsessed with cats and enjoys the outdoors. Ned Norland, her husband loves music and enjoys tasting bourbons. I found an address for the couple in Lexington, but I am not sure it is current.
Professor Teaff was born in Ohio in 1974. This self-described quiet and quirky librarian has a very extensive educational background. Professor Teaff had four stops at institutions of higher learning, earning multiple degrees along the way. Her college experience started in 1992 at Fulton-Montgomery Community College and ended in 2006 at the University of South Carolina. Professor Teaff has an usual affinity for spiders which is pretty rare. She votes in democratic primaries and is a supporter of LGBTQ rights. She does not mind experimenting with different hair colors with pink or red seemingly being her preferred dyes. For a self-described quiet person, Professor Teaff has made many friends judging by the number of happy birthday wishes she receives on Facebook. Being born in Ohio, Professor Teaff is a big fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
It’s a little scary how much you can find out about people in 30 minutes of research. Addresses are listed in public data bases and most information intended for friends is very public. I think I will become more cautious on my approach to posting information on myself. What I do not like about the “digital profile” is that people tend to judge others, especially people they do not know well, on what they post on social media. This article (https://bit.ly/2FEwAWU) that we read for class, explains how hard it is to keep your digital footprint under control. People can interpret a post incorrectly and then comment about you which can influence your footprint. Unfortunately, there is no way to fully explain or elaborate on most posts. Therefore, I prefer to discuss issues important to me with my chosen audience so I can explain the reasoning behind my beliefs. I do not mind sharing my beliefs, but I always like to have to opportunity to share why I believe what I do and always like to listen to alternative positions. In my opinion, this approach leads to more thoughtful conversation which seems to be lacking in our society. I enjoy associating with people from all backgrounds, political and social spectrums and I do not want to be misinterpreted or prejudged by limited information on the internet.
