Tips for the Modern Language Association

January 2, 2010 | 36 comments

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In the spirit of my fake advice for National Novel Writing Month, last month I began posting “tips” on Twitter for the upcoming Modern Language Association conference, an annual exercise in masochism for literature professors and graduate students the world over. This year’s conference was held in Philadelphia, from December 27 to December 30, and it was most notable for the bleak prospects of job candidates, hoping to score interviews at a time when English Departments were hiring for fewer positions than ever before. My tips — and I imagine the tips from the others who joined in — were all attempts to lighten the mood and make fun of something we usually take far too seriously: ourselves.

Here are the complete tips, in chronological order:

  1. #MLA09 tip for novices: Upon arrival, locate the following: coffeeshop, drugstore, liquor store. Acquire supplies. Repeat as necessary. Posted at 11:38 AM on 12/8/2009 by profsyn
  2. #MLA09 Tip: Always preface your question to a panelist with “I know your paper was about X, but let me tell you about MY work…” Posted at 1:20 PM on 12/13/2009 by samplereality
  3. #MLA09 Tip: Be sure to rewatch Sharon Stone in “Basic Instinct” for interview tips on poise and posture. Posted at 3:04 PM on 12/13/2009 by samplereality
  4. #MLA09 tip for novices: The cool kids will always be outside smoking. At the *other* entrance to the hotel. Posted at 9:37 AM on 12/15/2009 by profsyn
  5. #MLA09 tip for novices: No one at the convention is as glad to see each other as they pretend to be. Posted at 12:03 PM on 12/20/2009 by profsyn
  6. #MLA09 tip: MLA is in the City of Brotherly Love this year, so you may recline fraternally on the hotel room bed during your job interview. Posted at 2:42 PM on 12/21/2009 by amandafrench
  7. #MLA09 tip: Watch http://9interviews.com. Watch and learn. Posted at 2:51 PM on 12/21/2009 by briancroxall
  8. #MLA09 Tip: Nothing says “promising job candidate” like an acappella performance of “She Bangs” in the interview suite. Posted at 4:12 PM on 12/21/2009 by samplereality
  9. #MLA09 Tip: Figure out which of your interviewers is the Paula Abdul of the bunch, and get her drunk alone. Posted at 4:15 PM on 12/21/2009 by briancroxall
  10. #MLA09 Tip: Jargon. No one understood Derrida, and he had a job. Impenetrability is your best defense. Posted at 4:17 PM on 12/21/2009 by briancroxall
  11. #MLA09 Tip: Failing impenetrable jargon in your interview, speak with a heavy foreign accent, preferably Slovenian. Posted at 4:23 PM on 12/21/2009 by samplereality
  12. #MLA09 Tip: Speakers used to say “quote” & “end quote” to indicate a quotation. In the digital age, you need merely spell out the URL. Posted at 4:31 PM on 12/21/2009 by amandafrench
  13. #MLA09 Tip: Drink big glass of water right before interview. You write better w/deadline pressure.Your mind works better w/bladder pressure. Posted at 4:32 PM on 12/21/2009 by briancroxall
  14. #MLA09 Tip: An accent will not work for Comp Lit positions. Comp Litters should smoke during the interview, punctuating points with exhales. Posted at 4:34 PM on 12/21/2009 by samplereality
  15. #MLA09 Tip: Make deliberate use of split infinitives during your presentation to edgily show your edginess. Posted at 4:48 PM on 12/21/2009 by amandafrench
  16. #MLA09 Tip: If you see your interview committee later, ideally in the elevator, ask them if they have made a decision yet. Follow up is key. Posted at 4:50 PM on 12/21/2009 by academicdave
  17. #MLA09 Tip: In your job interview, argue that you’d make a really good literature Professor because you really, really, really love to read. Posted at 5:04 PM on 12/21/2009 by amandafrench
  18. #MLA09 Tip: Be sure to seek out journal editors who’ve rejected your essays. Explaining their mistake in person = badass networking skillz. Posted at 5:05 PM on 12/21/2009 by seabright
  19. #MLA09 Tip: Explain you’re going “carbon neutral” and insist the hiring committee pay for carbon offsets before you answer their questions. Posted at 5:14 PM on 12/21/2009 by samplereality
  20. #MLA09 Tip:If you should run into a candidate exiting an interview as you walk in,offer to settle the matter via a duel.Pistols at 30 paces. Posted at 5:15 PM on 12/21/2009 by academicdave
  21. #MLA09 Tip: Registration, $125. Hotel, $300. Dinner and drinks, $65. Finding Stanley Fish’s room and stealing his dry cleaning, priceless. Posted at 5:19 PM on 12/21/2009 by briancroxall
  22. #MLA09 Tip: Every time you pass up an open bar at a public reception, a puppy dies. Posted at 5:29 PM on 12/21/2009 by samplereality
  23. #MLA09 Tip: There’ll be a whole salmon at the Princeton cash bar. Put it down your pants. They’ll know it’s an allusion to The Corrections. Posted at 5:33 PM on 12/21/2009 by amandafrench
  24. #MLA09 Tip: What to say when job search committee asks if you have questions: “How strict a policy on sleeping with students do you have?” Posted at 8:26 PM on 12/21/2009 by georgeonline
  25. #MLA09 Tip: During your job interview always use air quotes when using the words “service” or “teaching.” Posted at 8:28 PM on 12/21/2009 by georgeonline
  26. #MLA09 Tip: First time at MLA? Understand that you shd begin every post-panel question with “This is more of a comment than a question…” Posted at 8:31 PM on 12/21/2009 by georgeonline
  27. #MLA09 Tip: Pay homage to Benjamin Franklin while in Philadelphia by sneaking your bastard children into MLA governance committees. Posted at 9:02 PM on 12/21/2009 by samplereality
  28. #MLA09 Tip: Interview committees find it endearing if you giggle every time you say “phallus.” Posted at 9:15 PM on 12/21/2009 by samplereality
  29. #MLA09 Tip: Everyone knows Philly is famous for its cheesesteaks. But be sure to sample our fab cornhole ballers du jour too. Posted at 10:16 PM on 12/21/2009 by samplereality
  30. #MLA09 Tip: In the hotel lobby will be seated many nervous, dowdy people in black suits looking at papers or laptops. These are FBI agents. Posted at 9:00 AM on 12/22/2009 by amandafrench
  31. #MLA09 Tip: Dude, they’re TOTALLY gonna ask you to define “clinamen.” Seriously. Yes way. Posted at 9:10 AM on 12/22/2009 by amandafrench
  32. #MLA09 Tip: It’s considered bad form to live tweet the annual cage match between Terry Eagleton and Gayatri Spivak. Wagers are fine though. Posted at 10:02 AM on 12/22/2009 by samplereality
  33. #MLA09 Tip: If you can find an outfit in a color darker than black, wear it. Posted at 10:23 AM on 12/22/2009 by mlaconvention
  34. #MLA09 Tip: If the panelist keeps not quite answering your question in Q&A, keep pressing. They must be made to submit. Posted at 12:24 PM on 12/22/2009 by briancroxall
  35. #MLA09 Tip: Make your research and pedagogy sound more impressive by adding “e-” and “cyber-” prefixes to everything you say. Posted at 12:34 PM on 12/22/2009 by georgeonline
  36. #MLA09 Tip: There won’t be wifi connectivity in the panels. Unless you bring that 30-foot antenna with you. Posted at 12:41 PM on 12/22/2009 by briancroxall
  37. #MLA09 tip: if you’re talking to someone more junior/less famous than you, keep scanning the room over her head – someone better’s coming! Posted at 12:41 PM on 12/22/2009 by kfitz
  38. #MLA09 Tip: if you’re talking to someone more senior/more famous than you, don’t look them in the eye. Aim for the lapel. Try to blush. Posted at 12:43 PM on 12/22/2009 by briancroxall
  39. #MLA09 Tip: Don’t acknowledge the presence of “colleagues” from schools with a 4/4 (or higher!) course load. It just encourages ‘em. Posted at 12:50 PM on 12/22/2009 by jbj
  40. #MLA09 Tip: why drink coffee from the beverage stations? You’ll make a much stronger impression if you whip out a flask & take a few belts. Posted at 12:50 PM on 12/22/2009 by seabright
  41. #MLA09 Tip: conferences are an alternate dimension where time behaves differently. No need to cut that talk from 40 minutes down to 20. Posted at 12:52 PM on 12/22/2009 by amndw2
  42. #MLA09 Tip: When grabbing handsful of free chocolate at booths (insidehighered is known for the cocoa stash), pretend to look @ offerings. Posted at 12:53 PM on 12/22/2009 by mlaconvention
  43. #MLA09 Tip: If you see interview candidates, beam them a silent meditation (“may you do well, may you interview with ease”). Posted at 12:55 PM on 12/22/2009 by mlaconvention
  44. #MLA09 Tip: If you see other interview candidates, HUG IT OUT, BITCH! Posted at 12:56 PM on 12/22/2009 by briancroxall
  45. #MLA09 Tip: If you see search cte mbrs, beam them a silent meditation (“may you be kind to all, may you convince dean to hire 3 candidates”) Posted at 12:57 PM on 12/22/2009 by mlaconvention
  46. #MLA09 Tip: Be sure your author name adjectives are correct, e.g., Kafkaesque, Dickensian, Shakespearean, Yeatsy, Austeniferous, DeLilloid. Posted at 1:36 PM on 12/22/2009 by amandafrench
  47. #MLA09 Tip: French maid outfits are almost never appropriate attire for job interviews. Take it from someone who knows. Posted at 1:39 PM on 12/22/2009 by samplereality
  48. #MLA09 Tip: If your interview doesn’t begin with hugs all around, leave the room. You wouldn’t want to work with people like that anyway. Posted at 1:40 PM on 12/22/2009 by samplereality
  49. #MLA09 Tip: Don’t take it personally if nobody shows up at your 8:30am panel. It just means nobody finds your life’s work interesting. Posted at 1:41 PM on 12/22/2009 by samplereality
  50. #MLA09 Tip: Everyone knows that academics are critical thinkers. Not bound by convention. That’s why you should *only* use Apple products. Posted at 1:44 PM on 12/22/2009 by briancroxall
  51. #MLA09 Tip: Happily, the 20-minute paper limit doesn’t apply to the formulation of a question from an audience member. Posted at 1:45 PM on 12/22/2009 by samplereality
  52. #MLA09 Tip: If the audience outnumbers your panel, your session is “well-attended.” (A moderator counts as half a panelist.) Posted at 1:45 PM on 12/22/2009 by RichardMenke
  53. #MLA09 Tip: Everything you say on your flight or train to and from Philly will be overheard by someone who knows who you are talking about. Posted at 1:49 PM on 12/22/2009 by mlaconvention
  54. #MLA09 Tip: You’ll be able to spot me at the convention because I look just like my @mlaconvention avatar. Posted at 2:04 PM on 12/22/2009 by mlaconvention
  55. #MLA09 Tip: If people appear to be tweeting during your presentation, don’t worry, most of them are playing Bejeweled. Posted at 2:18 PM on 12/22/2009 by warnick
  56. #MLA09 Tip: Need guidance? Every year, the Gideons’ Bibles in all convention hotels are replaced with copies of *Of Grammatology*. Posted at 2:18 PM on 12/22/2009 by RichardMenke
  57. #MLA09 Tip (for real): You should still tip your server even if it’s an open bar. Posted at 2:24 PM on 12/22/2009 by georgeonline
  58. #MLA09 Tip: nail, cigar, pen, Q, stock, cue, of the hat, O’neill, (per) Gore… enough tips for ya? Posted at 2:59 PM on 12/22/2009 by mlaconvention
  59. #MLA09 Tip: Hang out with ODH’s @jasonrhody. He’s a real mensch & can tell you tales of the internets. Posted at 3:49 PM on 12/22/2009 by brettbobley
  60. #MLA09 Tip: Try to work a few “whatevs” into any conversation you have, especially with prominent scholars and or hiring committee members. Posted at 4:27 PM on 12/22/2009 by georgeonline
  61. #MLA09 Tip: Good, cheap, Chinese BYOB restaurant? Ask me Lee HOW fook. http://www.leehowfook.com/ Posted at 4:58 PM on 12/22/2009 by mlaconvention
  62. #MLA09 Tip: Insomnia? Forgot to eat during the day? Little Pete’s, 219 S. 17th St is open around the clock. It’s a greasy spoon, nttawwt. Posted at 5:03 PM on 12/22/2009 by mlaconvention
  63. #MLA09 Tip for panelists: Don’t know how to answer aud. member’s question? Respond with “That’s what *she* said!” and hi-5 fellow panelists. Posted at 5:05 PM on 12/22/2009 by georgeonline
  64. #MLA09 Tip: Mention this tip during your interview for a free campus visit. Guaranteed! (Disclaimer: Not Guaranteed) Posted at 8:45 PM on 12/22/2009 by samplereality
  65. #MLA09 Tip: To get away from it all, pretend the #MLA09 hashtag is actually for the Medical Library Association ‘09 meeting in Honolulu. Posted at 9:11 PM on 12/22/2009 by dancohen
  66. #MLA09 Tip: Scooter rentals are only for people with disabilities. Being on the job market inexplicably does not count as a disability. Posted at 9:42 PM on 12/22/2009 by samplereality
  67. #MLA09 Tip: Don’t be fooled by the smiles and bonhomie. People are devastated about leaving behind their families for all that free booze. Posted at 12:30 AM on 12/23/2009 by samplereality
  68. #MLA09 Tip: Your field is French medieval lyric. His is the postmodern novel in English. I don’t care how cute he is: IT’LL NEVER WORK OUT. Posted at 8:55 AM on 12/23/2009 by amandafrench
  69. #MLA09 Tip: Don’t even joke in the interview about calling a lifeline. That reference from 2000 will be too current for committees to get. Posted at 9:12 AM on 12/23/2009 by samplereality
  70. #MLA09 Tip: The theme of Judith Butler’s annual cosplay event is “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Yeah, I know. We were disappointed too. Posted at 10:23 AM on 12/23/2009 by samplereality
  71. #MLA09 Tip: MLA guidelines state that candidates should not have to sit on a bed during interviews. But come on, you know you want to. Posted at 12:27 PM on 12/23/2009 by samplereality
  72. #MLA09 Tip: It’s considered rude to leave the room after the “star” speaker has talked. Instead, stay and heckle the other panelists. Posted at 12:32 PM on 12/23/2009 by samplereality
  73. #MLA09 Tip: Search committees are always flattered to hear you’ve been stalking them. Be sure to mention that pic of their kid on Facebook. Posted at 1:54 PM on 12/23/2009 by samplereality
  74. #MLA09 Tip: Every year the work of a new theorist dominates the conference: Agamben, Badiou, Hardt & Negri. This year make it Tom Colicchio. Posted at 7:45 PM on 12/23/2009 by samplereality
  75. #MLA09 Tip: If you’re not spending Christmas Eve either practicing your talk or rehearsing for interviews, you really are a Scrooge. Posted at 11:42 AM on 12/24/2009 by samplereality
  76. #MLA09 Tip: Mix family and work on Christmas Day. Tell dear old Aunt Stella how Moby Dick signifies both a phallus AND a vagina dentata. Posted at 7:24 AM on 12/25/2009 by samplereality
  77. #MLA09 Tip: An interview is the perfect time for Modernists to admit they think the last lines of “The Dead” are pure and utter bullshit. Posted at 9:00 AM on 12/25/2009 by samplereality
  78. #MLA09 tip: Find free conference parking on the street! Look for trash cans/lawn chairs in shoveled-out spots. All yours! http://is.gd/5Bqcu Posted at 4:39 PM on 12/25/2009 by mkgold
  79. #MLA09 tip: If you find yourself “interviewing” on a bed at the Marriott, just close your eyes and think of tenure. Posted at 4:53 PM on 12/25/2009 by DrGnosis
  80. #MLA09 Tip: Let the search committee know how technogically sophisticated you are by texting during the interview. Posted at 8:48 PM on 12/25/2009 by samplereality
  81. #MLA09 Tip: It is considered good luck in Philly to run up the “Rocky Steps” just minutes before any endeavor, like a talk or interview. Posted at 8:51 PM on 12/25/2009 by samplereality
  82. #MLA09 Tip: Don’t forget that a prize for “Best Zombie Costume” will be awarded at Monday night’s Presidential Address. Posted at 9:56 PM on 12/25/2009 by samplereality
  83. #MLA09 Tip: Bring leftover Xmas cookies, rum cake, and bûche de Noël to give your interviewers. Also eggnog. And whiskey. Posted at 7:57 AM on 12/26/2009 by amandafrench
  84. #MLA09 Tip: Always begin your talk by thanking “The Academy.” Sure it’s a cliché, but everyone expects you to say it. Posted at 1:34 PM on 12/26/2009 by samplereality
  85. #MLA09 Tip: Not enough room on your credit card to pay the hotel bill? Your advisor will happily expiate survivor guilt by lending you $$. Posted at 2:04 PM on 12/26/2009 by amandafrench
  86. #MLA09 Tip: Not enough room on your credit card to pay the hotel bill? Your advisees will happily curry favor by lending you $$. Posted at 2:05 PM on 12/26/2009 by amandafrench
  87. #MLA09 Tip: Bentham’s Panopticon inspired Philly’s Eastern State Penitentiary. Dante’s Inferno inspired the Convention Center’s Ballroom B. Posted at 3:07 PM on 12/26/2009 by samplereality
  88. #MLA09 tip: if a speaker goes over the allowed time it is perfectly acceptable to tackle them. Terry Tate Office Linebacker style. Posted at 6:23 PM on 12/26/2009 by academicdave
  89. #MLA09 Tip: Afraid the theorist whose work you’re criticizing is in the audience? Groucho glasses and mustaches are available in gift shop. Posted at 6:34 PM on 12/26/2009 by samplereality
  90. #MLA09 Tip: Forget Zizek. For real street/theory cred, tell the committee how you’ve been inspired by the work of Zinedine Zidane. Posted at 6:49 PM on 12/26/2009 by briancroxall
  91. #MLA09 Tip: Kate Hayles isn’t actually a robot. I know: I was disappointed too. Posted at 6:54 PM on 12/26/2009 by briancroxall
  92. #MLA09 Tip: Use the phrase “In conclusion” so that audiences know you only have 15 minutes left to go in your talk. Posted at 8:56 PM on 12/26/2009 by samplereality
  93. #MLA09 Tip: No pain, no gain! When the going gets tough, the tough get going! Take no prisoners! RRRAAWWGHHH!! Posted at 9:02 AM on 12/27/2009 by amandafrench
  94. #MLA09 Tip: You could do worse than drinking a Yuengling in Philly, and by Wednesday night, you probably will. Posted at 9:07 AM on 12/27/2009 by samplereality
  95. #MLA09 Tip: Nobody uses business cards to exchange contact info. Either use the Bump app or a cocktail napkin written in lipstick. Or both. Posted at 9:21 AM on 12/27/2009 by samplereality
  96. #MLA09 tip: when choosing a plane pcik one without a smoking cockpit. Posted at 12:24 PM on 12/27/2009 by academicdave
  97. #MLA09 Tip (Serious one): You are one block from awesome and cheap food. Scads of it at the Reading Terminal Market: http://bit.ly/8Whdt0. Posted at 4:22 PM on 12/27/2009 by briancroxall
  98. #MLA09 Tip: The horrible nightmare that you forgot your interview suit probably just means you forgot your interview suit. Posted at 5:15 PM on 12/27/2009 by samplereality
  99. #MLA09 Tip: Four 20-minute papers is too much for a single panel. Russian roulette is not a viable option until healthcare reform is passed. Posted at 5:33 PM on 12/27/2009 by samplereality
  100. #MLA09 Tip: Looking for your soul in the hotel lobby costs valuable hotel whirlpool time. Posted at 7:43 PM on 12/27/2009 by mirk79
  101. #MLA09 Tip: For all happiness and that eternity promised by our ever-living poet, conclusively establish the identity of “Mr. W. H.”. Posted at 9:39 PM on 12/27/2009 by amandafrench
  102. #MLA09 Tip: Your goal for Monday morning: Achieve enlightenment. Failing that, settle for achieving consciousness. Posted at 10:34 PM on 12/27/2009 by samplereality
  103. #MLA09 Tip: It’s 1:30am. You’re in a bar. You have a necktie around your forehead. You can take off your MLA badge now. Posted at 1:30 AM on 12/28/2009 by samplereality
  104. #MLA09 Tip: That delightful dream about wood nymphs just means you’ve overslept your panel and will be blacklisted from the MLA forever. Posted at 7:14 AM on 12/28/2009 by samplereality
  105. #MLA09 Tip: Despite the practice of the high priests of our profession, death by PowerPoint is not a noble way to die. Posted at 10:03 AM on 12/28/2009 by samplereality
  106. #MLA09 Tip: Are your ideas too good to share with the rest of the room? Sit in the front row and ask your four-minute question sotto voce. Posted at 2:56 PM on 12/28/2009 by warnick
  107. #MLA09 Tip: The upside to the depressing job market is that blackmail and bribery are almost pointless anymore. Posted at 11:12 PM on 12/28/2009 by samplereality

It was great to see Rosemary Feal, the Executive Director of the MLA, join into the fun. And thanks especially to Amanda French and Brian Croxall, who contributed greatly to the list, even while absent from the conference itself (a true loss, by the way, and the conference — and profession — was poorer for it).

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  1. Brian Croxall’s avatar

    Brian Croxall on January 2, 2010 at 2:54 pm

    I think my favorites are #46 and #63. #49 is the runner-up.

    Reply

  2. Brian Croxall’s avatar

    Brian Croxall on January 2, 2010 at 9:57 am

    Thanks for making this data available, Mark. The open-source scholar rides again!

    This comment was originally posted on SAMPLE REALITY

    Reply

  3. Brian Croxall’s avatar

    Brian Croxall on January 2, 2010 at 2:58 pm

    Crud. I just lost all credibility by not writing “these data,” didn’t I?

    This comment was originally posted on SAMPLE REALITY

    Reply

  4. Mark Sample’s avatar

    Mark Sample on January 2, 2010 at 11:43 pm

    Actually, where you lost points was saying “open-source professor” instead of naked professor.

    This comment was originally posted on SAMPLE REALITY

    Reply

  6. Amanda French’s avatar

    Amanda French on January 5, 2010 at 5:34 pm

    #MLA10 Tip: Use the word “rhizomatic” whenever possible. Rhizomatic rhizomatic.

    This comment was originally posted on SAMPLE REALITY

    Reply

  7. Mark Sample’s avatar

    Mark Sample on January 5, 2010 at 11:30 pm

    I agree, #MLA10 has the chance to be the most rhizomesque conference ever.

    This comment was originally posted on SAMPLE REALITY

    Reply

  10. uberVU - social comments’s avatar

    uberVU - social comments on January 9, 2010 at 9:46 am

    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by ProfHacker: New at ProfHacker: “Academics and Social Media: #mla09 and Twitter,” by @GeorgeOnline (and a bunch of you): http://wp.me/pAGUw-19K…;

    This comment was originally posted on Prof. Hacker

    Reply

  11. Kathy’s avatar

    Kathy on January 9, 2010 at 2:54 pm

    Each and every post presents interesting views on Twitter — really a celebration — with the exception of one of the anonymous entries. A single tweet, just one, put this particular candidate out of the running? It must have been an extremely spurious remark in order for the committee to resort to it as a condemnation of the candidate. And, I certainly wouldn’t attribute it to the intensity of this year’s job market. Not to step on any toes, but perhaps this author is contributing to the paranoia about social media and tenure/promotion issues? Is this the backlash? Perhaps teaching tweeters is a better way to resolve the issue than to muck with an individual’s livelihood and career? I’m truly disappointed if a single tweet knocked out a candidate. If this isn’t the case, a single tweet, then I apologize for jumping into what I know is a difficult decision-making process.

    This comment was originally posted on Prof. Hacker

    Reply

  12. Nels P. Highberg’s avatar

    Nels P. Highberg on January 9, 2010 at 3:46 pm

    But in a market where there are sometimes hundreds of applications for one position, every little thing counts. And when it comes to the final twenty, ten, five, or two, the decision can come down to minutiae (I have seen people get knocked out of the running for one sentence in a reference letter, for example). We did not interview at MLA this year, but some of the people who applied for our position did take part in the tweets (these were not necessarily people we interviewed). I will be honest and say that one person’s tweets did make me glad we did not interview that person. The tone and style of the comments made me uncomfortable. I’m now wondering if it was the same person knocked out of the running for job mentioned above.

    When it comes to narrowing down the pool to the final whatever, every little thing matters. We’re meeting soon to select the people we’re going to bring to campus, and I’m having a hard time ranking my finalists. It’s going to come down to minor things. I hate that, but we had over 140 applicants. I’ve gone over their applications and their web presences (for the people we interviewed). Every word counts.

    Having reread the anonymous person’s comments again, she or he does say, “We’re not against new media. Our committee consists of bloggers and Twitter people and all that. They were the ones who alerted me to the MLA thread on Twitter. The other candidate on Twitter sounded fine, and he/she is likely to be invited to campus.” I think he or she is trying to say that social media itself is not the problem here. It’s what the tweeter said that was the problem.

    I think that’s an excellent point. Being a blogger or tweeter will not get you a job or lose you a job, but what you say on your blog or Twitter could lead to either one.

    This comment was originally posted on Prof. Hacker

    Reply

  13. Mark Sample’s avatar

    Mark Sample on January 9, 2010 at 4:02 pm

    I suppose I come across online as the perpetual class clown, but I have to say here that I am utterly dismayed that a job candidate is out of the running because of a few words he or she wrote on Twitter. My “It was damn fun” assessment of social media and the MLA now seems naïve and self-absorbed.

    As George cautions above, though, I can only hope this news doesn’t have a chilling effect upon graduate students and untenured professors. If anything, those of us who are under constant scrutiny as junior faculty or job candidates should be even more active online. As I’ve spoken about elsewhere, transparency and open reflection need to play a greater role in our profession. Erasing or diminishing your online identity, forged over years, should be the last thing you do in the face of such disheartening use of social media.

    This comment was originally posted on Prof. Hacker

    Reply

  14. Nels P. Highberg’s avatar

    Nels P. Highberg on January 9, 2010 at 4:07 pm

    BTW, I should add that I had a lot of fun, in general, following the MLA tweets. I laughed out loud at times and learned a few things, too. I’m glad that people are starting to do this at conferences. I had a blast being a part of the #CCCC09 Twitter stream last March in San Francisco. I tried it at a conference I went to in October but no one joined me. We all just need to remember that everything we put out there gets evaluated and judged, the same caution we’ve been reminding each other of for years.

    This comment was originally posted on Prof. Hacker

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  15. Brian Croxall’s avatar

    Brian Croxall on January 9, 2010 at 4:24 pm

    I’m somewhat chagrined that I missed George’s call for comments on Twitter for comments on the experience of #mla09. Thank goodness for comments on ProfHacker!

    Twitter obviously had an effect on my experience of the conference–even though I wasn’t there. As Bethany Nowviskie said above about the effects of Stephen Ramsay’s contributions to Digital Humanities 2009, one of the things that is most important to me about Twitter is that people who are not present at a conference can still have a real effect upon the proceedings. People like myself and Amanda French were able to not only hear what was happening in particular sessions that were relevant to our own fields but to also pose questions to those attending. While Amanda French, like Amanda Watson, lamented that there weren’t more people covering particular aspects of literary studies via Twitter, getting some of the conference experience is far better than nothing. Twitter means that not physically attending a conference no longer means that you are shut out of the learning that can take place at a conference.

    Perhaps more important still–despite how much we might shyly admit it–conferences in academia are as much about talking with people outside of sessions as they are about the sessions themselves. Twitter means that those who aren’t present at the conference can still make use of this aspect of meeting with others. It’s a chance to get your ideas and work advertised and known and to meet people whose work will inspire you in the future. That might sound mercenary–and it is. But if you are a in academia–or even a somebody–then networking and rubbing shoulders is something that you need to do and needn’t be ashamed of doing. What’s wonderful about Twitter is that its real-time nature and the use of it as manicule means that it has enabled me to get to know people much quicker and more effectively than I would have ever been able to do across 3 days at the tail end of a December.

    This comment was originally posted on Prof. Hacker

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  16. Catherine Prendergas’s avatar

    Catherine Prendergas on January 9, 2010 at 4:26 pm

    As a Rhetoric and Composition scholar, I felt the tweet channel opened up the MLA conference to me in a way I had never before experienced. MLA tends not to be the major conference for Rhetoric and Composition scholars, and often tends to under-represent both the quantity and quality of work in my specialization. The tweet stream, however, gave MLA a new identity, one where it became home to scholars who were interested in studying, albeit from different vantage points, the rapid change to writing and reading practices that the Internet and social networking have wrought.

    MLA tweeters on the whole conducted themselves with great self-consciousness: there was none of the tweckling that has marred other conferences. And those tweets that might seem simply amusing–like Mark Sample’s observation that he was scolded for clicking by another audience member at a panel–actually were exceedingly smart analyses of the ethoi that are frequently imputed to various writing technologies–see, e.g., Sample’s follow-up tweet that post-scolding he began handwriting REALLY LOUDLY.

    It would diminish and completely underestimate the current historical moment, and its impact upon all of us, to reduce the conversation to whether it is “safe” or not to tweet while you’re on a job search. If we don’t turn our attention to understanding this historical moment, there will be no more jobs to worry about blowing.

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  17. Erin Templeton’s avatar

    Erin Templeton on January 9, 2010 at 4:30 pm

    I had a longer comment here, but Nels has already made my point.

    I think that the anonymous contributor makes an important point–that is, the conference back channel is just like a conference bar when it comes to the job market. You just never know who is sitting next to you or behind you or reading your tweets.

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  18. Stéfan Sinclair’s avatar

    Stéfan Sinclair on January 9, 2010 at 9:15 pm

    Given that I (@sgsinclair) wasn’t at MLA in person, I’m extremely grateful to the intelligent and engaged tweeps (and other users of the #mla09 hashtag) who spent time and effort relaying nuggets of information and commentary (not to mention reactions and discussions that involved those of us who weren’t present). I’m under no illusions that my experience of the conference was anything like the experiences of those who were there; after all, many times I’ve experienced first-hand the deformations, enhancements, reductions and other transformations that Twitter imposes on (or offers to) conferences presentations and discussions (like a game of selective Chinese whispers). But I do believe that the Twitter counterpart of a conference is a fascinating and worthwhile event, for many of the same reasons as I value Twitter in general, including as an outstanding (though variable) source of information. (Don’t get wrong: I’m not an unconditional Twitter zealot, and I do spend a great deal of time scrolling quickly through tweets that I find entirely less captivating.)

    Quite a while back (relatively speaking), Clive Thompson made the point that the apparently trivial and banal chatter of Twitter can in fact “become, after weeks and weeks, a sort of philosophical act. It’s like the Greek dictum to ‘know thyself,’ or the therapeutic concept of mindfulness.” Although Thompson probably had in mind relatively personal tweeting rather than what might be called the predominantly professional tweeting of folks that I follow, I think what he’s saying applies just as well to the individuals tweeting as to communities of tweeters. In other words, I think one of the ways the Digital Humanities community is defining and understanding itself right now is through the chatter happing on Twitter. This doesn’t mean that we’re not continuing to define ourselves through in-person conferences, publications, listservs, and other venues, but that the particular characteristics of Twitter are facilitating a different kind of community engagement and self-awareness.

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  19. Larry Cebula’s avatar

    Larry Cebula on January 9, 2010 at 11:01 pm

    Anonymous one needs to look up the word “spurious” in a dictionary.

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  20. Ruth Ann Harnisch’s avatar

    Ruth Ann Harnisch on January 10, 2010 at 1:32 pm

    If you use social media, here’s the reality: You will be judged by what you post and what others post about you.I have indeed disqualified candidates for employment based on a single FB photo, a single tweet, a single revealed fact. “When people tell you who they are, believe them the FIRST time.” As my mother asked exasperatedly after being castigated for an insensitive remark, “Do I have to watch every single word I say?” Yes. Yes, you do, if you care what other people think.However, staying away from social media isnt the answer.Some employers – and I am one – will expect you to be social-media-literate (if not fluent).I applaud the MLA for the bold moves into new territory where language is being used in new ways, where communities are being created, where relationships are being formed, and where the future is being forged.

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  21. Chris Forster’s avatar

    Chris Forster on January 10, 2010 at 11:44 pm

    While I attended MLA (it was my first), and tried to keep an eye on the twitter stream (as best as I could with spotty wifi), I largely maintained twitter silence. In part this is because, as a graduate student on the job market, I am skeptical about the benefits of being a present on twitter. While, as the comments of “Anonymous #1″ suggest, it is possible to lose a job because of what one says on twitter, it seems very unlikely that one would lose a job for not being sufficiently active on twitter (you might call this the coward’s position). That and I’m not especially witty.

    More seriously, however, I tend to assume that only folks whose primary scholarly interest is “digital humanities” follow the twitter stream. And, in general, I think is true. (I didn’t tweet about the many panels I attended; but I didn’t see anyone else tweeting there either.) But, as Janine’s contribution suggests, this isn’t the case. If there was a “whistling void” where tweets about the many great modernism panels should have been, that is at least in part because I was sitting with pad and pencil, taking notes that I assumed no one on twitter cared about. Thanks to Janine for pointing out that there are, indeed, plenty of folks out there who are looking for such tweets. I’ve tried to make amends by writing up some of my notes. Having read this post though, next time I’m at a conference I’ll try to be a better scholarly twitter citizen.

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  22. Nels’s avatar

    Nels on January 11, 2010 at 7:38 am

    Obviously, I agree with everything Ruth Ann has said here. I just want to emphasize that it goes both ways. With one person we’ve interviewed, I looked at his/her Twitter feed and read something that made me think, “I want to know more about this person.” Can one tweet knock you out in such an intense job market where everything matters? Sure. Can one tweet put you ahead of others in such an intense job market where everything matters? Sure. The answer is not to dismiss social media or to celebrate it. The point is to use it consciously and thoughtfully.

    And the point is to use it to present yourself as you want to be represented. Mark says, “I come across online as the perpetual class clown.” And I’m sure he knows that such clowning will appeal to some and repeal others. Any of us who have been online for a while knows what it is like to post one little thing and have some people come down on you hard for it while others praise you for it. That happens to me fairly regularly. Do I wish everyone would see me as I want to be seen? Sure, but it ain’t gonna happen. I’m just happy that, so far, whenever I say something that upsets some people, I also find out that it makes others connect to me more deeply, and those who like what I say are usually people I respect.

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