To Edit or Not to Edit; Birds the Word Podcast Blog #3

To Edit or Not to Edit; That is the Question; Birds the Word Blog Post #3

Going into this internship I thought making a podcast was going to be a breeze, all you need is a microphone and a computer, right?  Well that’s only part of the story.  You need to decide where your going to host your podcast, do you put it up on iTunes? Spotify? Stitcher?  Does your podcast get a website?  Are you going to pay for a software to help edit the show or just release it into the wild after you finish recording?  Technologically speaking, all you need is a microphone and a computer, but if you really want the show to do well and sound good there is a lot more too that. 

               Looking beyond the technology, there is also your content.  How do you decide what your show is going to be about?  Who are you going to have on the show?  Once you figure out who you want, how are you going to get them?  Do your guests have any restrictions, or things they can’t/won’t talk about on the record?  Because remember, your podcast is on the record for all to hear.  I ran into this issue a couple times during the recording of my first season.  One of my guests, a team official who was an intern like myself but whose job put him in constant contact with Major League Scouts, the people who decide the fate of the careers of the players I was reporting on.  One of the segments we did on every show was highlighting our three stars of the week and explaining how and why we chose them.  Because of this persons relationship with MLB scouts, he declined to be part of this segment saying that if he did the segment and said something that would be part of the players official record that MLB teams would look at, and may potentially have an impact on their futures.  I can’t blame him for not wanting to take part in this segment, the impact of what I said on the show was something that weighed on me as well and I tried to stay away from making negative comments on the record just for that reason. 

               This gets to the other thing about recording a show that no one tells you.  Unless your show is live on the radio, there will come a time when you have to decide how to edit the show, and if you want to edit something someone on the show said.  This happened to be two main times during the first season of the show, once early in the year, and once during the recording of the last show.  The first time was when a guest I brought on went off the handle and started insulting one of the other teams in the league.  This team was not performing well at all at the time and off the record had been the butt of many a joke, but its one thing to say this in the relative privacy of the press box and quite another to saying on a show that reached all corners of what is really a small community.  The second incident also had to do with another guest on the show.  Between the interns there is always talk about who isn’t putting in the work, who is doing this or that, or who is just an insufferable person to be around.  This isn’t unique to the intern experience, but when the entire staff are college aged interns this conversation can come up a lot.  This guest that came on the show went on the record saying some of these things that we had said in private, and the decision came down to me and my judgement to edit what I was hearing after the show had finished recording.  After consulting with the guest, we edited that part out and deleted that part of the tape. 

               All in all, recording and producing this show was a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow in the medium.  It provided me hands on experience in podcasting and journalism, and I am now much better able to communicate my thoughts and tell stories.  Now that I have some experience I can go back to the drawing board and revamp the show so it tells more historical stories in addition to the story of the team on the field that year.  Like everything in life podcasting takes practice, and now that I have one season under my belt, and a “contract” of sorts to bring the show back for several more years, I have everything I need to continue to build the show, its community, and make sure it and myself keep growing well into the future.

End of Semester thoughts: Digital Internship at the VA

Jennifer here, back to update you on my takeaways from my time as a digital Writing and Editing Intern with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. I must say that this has been an overall positive experience so far- and I say “so far” because my internship technically extends to the end of May 2019. Although I am graduating this week, I will continue to fulfill my obligations to them through the end of next semester.

This internship has given me invaluable experience with my writing and editing skills. Having now written and published many pieces for the VA’s blog, I have tangible evidence of my capabilities and can showcase my skills to employers more easily. Along the way, I was able to work on some other skills which surprised me, such as graphic design and document formatting. Although I don’t envision myself becoming a graphic designer anytime soon (or ever), I won’t be as hesitant if ever something is thrown my way.

The most valuable takeaway from this internship, and really any internship you do, is the relationships you build. I have developed working relationships with not only other interns, but several employees from the VA that will continue to be a critical part of my network moving forward. In fact, I began applying for post-graduate jobs last month and was given a strong recommendation by my internship supervisor, which resulted in a prompt job offer. Thanks to my work at this internship and the connections I have made, I will be continuing my work for veterans as a paralegal in Bethesda following my graduation!

When the semester began, I was apprehensive about the time commitment and skill set required for my internship, but am grateful I stuck it out and put in the work. With any internship and job, you get out of it what you put into it. If you are willing to learn, ask questions, and take risks learning new skills, it will pay off in your development of new abilities and positive relationships. If you like the sounds of my digital internship with the VA, they will be hiring another round of interns in Summer 2019! Best of luck!

Digital History in Academia and Wrap Up

I cannot understate the importance of learning digital humanities methods at an early level in our education. I hope that I’ve been able to get across the necessity of digital skills needed in the world for many of our future careers. Today’s world will only continue to bring in new technologies in order to facilitate certain methods as well as providing opportunities for new ways of scholarship. Furthermore, as much of the software that is currently being developed is open source, there is a massive increase in availability of free software for digital history projects. This not only means that employers will begin using them, but it also allows for universities to learn them and teach them to students. This is particularly important at an undergraduate level because many students seek employment after graduation. Not everyone chooses to seek out a graduate degree and by only teaching digital software to graduate students does a disservice to undergrads.

As students, we should place a heavy importance into what we’re being taught and how it will help us in the future. As history students, we need to make sure we’re being taught the necessary tools so that we can thrive in the workforce. These tools are becoming increasingly digital and the universities tend to lag behind in terms of teaching this. UMBC itself recently received a grant to teach digital humanities and we must ensure that we begin to be taught its tools and methods as soon as possible.

This internship has allowed me to see the importance of the digital aspects of academia. It also has made me passionate about ensuring that these aspects are put into place for future generations. Having spent hours on research, I have a much better understanding of what it entails, and I’m hoping to be able to take that knowledge to improve the current academic situation.

Remembering those who fought at Monocacy

            General John B. Gordon would write after the war that, “The battle of Monocacy…was

short, decisive, and bloody.”[1] His division saw some of the heaviest action in the battle while

fighting Union Veteran Troops of the 6^th Corps (Army of the Potomac) on the Thomas Farm. He 

notes that, “Nearly one half of my men and large numbers of the Federals fell there. Many of my 

officers went down, and General Clement A. Evens, the trusted leader of my largest brigade, was 

severely wounded.”[2] He goes on to say that, “The Confederate victory was won at fearful cost and 

by practically a single division, but it was complete, and the way to Washington was opened for

General Early’s march.”[3] It was his division through heavy fighting that broken the 6^th Corps line

and as he notes helped General Early’s Army win the battle. Sergeant Tirrell of the 14^th New

Jersey would write of the battle, “Every drop of blood shed at Monocacy, every life lost, was

sacrificed in a noble cause. Those fallen heroes…if they could only know that their lives saved

our National Capital from destruction, would willingly exclaim: ‘I die content, I gave my life to

my country.”[4] Private George Nichols would remember that, “The Sixty-first Georgia Regiment

went into battle with nearly one hundred and fifty men, and after the battle was over we could

only stack but fifty-two guns by actual count.”[5] All these soldiers vividly remembered this battle

despite that fact that Monocacy was a small battle when considered to fights like Antietam and

Gettysburg. But this does not mean that it was not impactful  since it was the battle that helped

save Washington. 

         Like any battle in the Civil War the soldiers who fought at Monocacy would remember what 

they did and saw on July 9^th 1864. During my internship here at Monocacy it has been a joy for me 

to be to learn who these soldiers were. This has come through the writings they left behind and 

through artifacts in the visitor center museum. It is a very powerful experience and shows the human 

side of the battle that is sometimes lost when talking about the overall strategies and tactics of the 

battle. One must always remember that the soldiers who fought this battle were people with hopes, 

joys, and fears who fought for  principles they believed in. The stories that these soldiers tell are 

quite powerful and by hearing them the battle becomes more humanized and one that people can 

connect to. My  greatest joy for this internship has been being able to tell visitors the story of some 

of the those soldiers who fought at Monocacy. I have found it an honor to tell what the battle was 

like for them to the public who come to visit the battlefield find it the best way to honor their 

memory for the brave actions they did, for both the Blue and the Gray.        

                                                              Bibliography

Gordon B. John. Reminiscences of the Civil War. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons,1903.

Worthington H. Glen.  Fighting For Time The Battle of Monocacy. Baltimore, MD: Day Printing Company, 1932.           

---

[1] John Gordon B, Reminiscences of the Civil War (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons,1903), 309.

[2] Ibid, 312.

[3] Ibid, 313.

[4] Glen Worthington H, Fighting For Time The Battle of Monocacy

(Baltimore, MD: Day Printing Company, 1932),6.

[5] Ibid, 139.