HONY

I love social media, not only for reconnecting or keeping in touch but for being exposed to new ideas and creations.  I use Instagram, FB, and Pinterest regularly.  A couple of my favorite pages include Word Porn, Dangerous Minds, Higher Thinking and HONY.  Of the four, HONY ties to storytelling as it shares the everyday lives, memories, and thoughts of the people of New York.

Blogger Brandon Stanton took candid photographs for three years showing people of all demographics.  He started in 2010 with 6, 000 portraits, posting them on FB. In his first year, he was only taking photos; however, as his project grew he started sharing stories with his subjects.  Today, there are photos of people alone, with their pets, with lovers, with friends and family.  Each picture tells a story, a “photographic census”.  Stanton focuses on focus on interesting people and their stories, demonstrating every emotion, condition, and magnificence of the human being.   Stanton’s  project has had numerous “copy cats”.  Many universities have started their own pages to tell the stories of their staff, faculty and students. 

Capturing FAU's stories might prove to be a cool idea for a service learning project/fundraiser.  Stanton has successfully raised money with both his blog and book.