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RESEARCH PRODUCT

The poetry of the web : online ethnography of ordinary poets

subject

description

Through the observation of blogs, online reviews and accounts and profiles on Facebook and Twitter, this research is devoted to the online poetic activities of French-speaking poets (Belgium, France, Quebec, Switzerland). This research work is guided by a simple and general question: how do poets invent their own ways of making poetry with the web? I was interested in poetry being done empirically by focusing on observation, data collection and encounters with poets in an approach inspired by ethnographyGoing beyond the separation between amateurs and professionals, the analysis follows the interactions between these ordinary poets and the tools of the web. During learning, settling into the activity or even constructing their presentations, poets find in this social and participatory web both the resources and the motivations for their practices. The description of the poetry with Twitter then the reconstitution of sequences highlight the particular methods of use of the platform as well as the different ways of interacting between poets : the diffusion of poems verse by verse, poetic conversations where benevolence dominates, collective writing experiences.Observation of a forum questions the notion of a community of poets. The establishment of common rules, constant technological adaptations and the proposal of creative and editorial actions help to keep the members of this collective together.Hosted by committed poets, online reviews support the dissemination of poetry through digital word of mouth, at the risk of dreaded confidentiality. In these connected activities, the paper book remains attractive. Alongside the traditional relationship with the publisher, poets are turning to new online services (augmented printers, publishers without books) promoting the emergence of the figure of the self-employed poet.