Speaking of tallies and traffic ….. in a “comments” stream…..have you ever tallied the “Comments” on a blog or news report? The more controversial the larger the job. I wrote a paper on the case of a pregnant high school volleyball player who decided to keep her child (I always found the term “keep the child” somehow culturally and linguistically interesting.) and wanted to continue to compete as long as she felt it was safe (with the advice of her doctor). Issues of privacy, women’s rights, pro-life, abortion to name a few made this a supercharged scenario not only locally but nationally as well. Using web accounts from several broadcast sources I tallied over 650 comments under several “types”. It became a very telling exercise on our attitudes about pregnancy in general, teen pregnancy and the contradictory reasoning between the pro-life and women’s rights advocates.

We are leaving a tremendous quantity of artifacts in the digital form. Who will find them useful? Shall we see them as mirrors of our current state? Will anthropologist of the future find them useful excavations?

Your blog has inspired and enlightened one “back-sliding” anthropologist. As many, including myself, have replied to the question, “Why anthropology?” with the very trite but very true, “I use it in everything I do, everyday.” The problem is using it with a viable methodology for “everyday.” While the qualitative, ethnographic value of anthropology is now being realized outside the academic world, those “everyday” uses can benefit from a focus that reveals insight, information, problems, solutions.

As a music promotion/marketing manager (25+ years) and at present youth sports coach and administrator I found my anthropology education the basis of my work endeavors. What is more anthropological than researching music behavior (which lead me to a self-taught expertise in marketing) and unravelling the confusing “culture” of parental and coaching behavior and its effects on child learning through sports?

This story goes on, but to get to the point, there is a need to communicate from this point of reference as most people do not think in these terms. Much of todays training and experience leads people to think in linear reasoning and argument. Not necessarily to solve a concern or problem but to justify a position.

While sitting on the soccer fields, (we have as many as 5 matches going on at a time, from 4-12 years of age), I have culled many an observation and a few potential solutions. What has been most beneficial is my physical observation point. As well, my movement through the park changes my observation (Einstein’s theory of relativity?).

While I keep notes and try to formulate my ideas, there is a lack of connect with my peers and colleagues. This was a case with my music biz brethren and now my youth sports colleagues. The concepts of Tallying (why didn’t it dawn on me, I’ve used it before) and Rapid Research have inspired my search for more by Mr Youngblood and like thinkers. This could move me from a totally qualitative approach (which assumes a certain amount of faith if you will) to an easier communicated point aided by some quantitative “evidence.”

Very nice work here, and some good tips for me to keep in mind. I am on a team with Sasol here in South Africa; we have been commissioned to carry out some research for a report on social small and medium enterprises in Sasolburg and Secunda, here in RSA. I will borrow some of your tips and let you know how they work

Great blog post! Really liked the pictures. Was that an alley way the cookie factory was in? I’m from Florida and I think the citrus juicer analogy is valid. We’re making product so why not let buyers look at how we do it. Did the cookie factory charge to come in?