Intersections of blogs and fiction

Fiction and hoaxes are

On a spectrum of truth, openness, and secrecy with no clear ethical line

On a spectrum of depth, thickness, messiness

• Original fiction blogged by author
  • Novel chapters, stories
  • Blog as your novel's main character
    • Plain Layne, Mirta Bertotti, La lesbiana argentina
  • RPG in-character group blogs
  • Personal blogging as fictionalized memoir

• Obvious lies
  • spiritrover LJ - beautiful, educational
  • Chaucer Hath a Blog
  • Fanfic
    • consider crossover fanfic

• Identity experiments
  • (in book publishing: JT Leroy, Nasidjj)
  • Wikipedia editor/ theology professor persona
  • Hoaxes
  • Satire (Kat Herding)
  • Mixtures of truth and fiction (Zellar, magical realism, alternate reality)
  • Infiltration (msscribe, sockpuppet complexes)
  • theater-like creations (lonelygirl15)
  • Benjamin Franklin's advice column

• Marketing
  • Product promotion (the infamous psp2 blog, purple cow)
  • Fake reviews. EU law against falsely representing as consumer
  • Publishers
  • Movies

*Fanfic

• Complexity, multiplicity, many diverging stories
• Intersections of fictional universes
• Developed its own literary conventions, techniques, criticism

• RPGs offline, online
  • fiction moving towards the ludic. Ludology. Play and interaction.
  • collaborative worldbuilding, fantasy/sf history
  • social contract between players. goal of play.
  • OOC <---> IC flow

Ideas to keep in mind:

Social contracts, consensuality, fanfic warnings

Authenticity violations

Postmodern construction of identity, authenticity

We are capable of deep relationships to fictional characters

Multiple instances of a persona or a character are possible and good

Depth of world-building

Lessons to learn from alternate reality, role-playing games, larps

Establish deep online presence. Sleepers and moles.

Networks of fictional, historical characters in relation to each other & us

Corporations, governments, are and will be doing this.

If you're [http://www.thenewpr.com/wiki/pmwiki.php?pagename=AntiAstroturfing.HomePageastroturfing] or a sockpuppet, you'll be caught eventually.

So keep it consensual.

And do it with artistry and style so you don't get mocked.

Hire novelists, role-playing gamers, and bloggers as professional identity-constructors and world-constructors.