Every morning I wake up and refresh my Facebook feed, anxious for the new posts from Humans of New York. I have been obsessed with this blog for as long as I can remember. These pictures and quotes can make me laugh, cry, smile, inspire insane outfit-envy, etc. So when I came to Dickinson, I thought of starting a spin-off of HONY. Students and faculty here come from all over the country and world. We have more Bulgarians than West Virginians. (obscure and quite random facts brought you to by your local tour guide) These stories need to be told. This is my chance to pick faculties brain. Talk to the woman who makes delicious and kosher food at the Kove everyday. Get to know students who I may never cross paths with. I’m excited.
And then one day I had a little bit of a setback. I checked my Facebook this night in the library and to my surprise there it was. A “Humans of Dickinson” page, completely blowing up my newsfeed. And boy was it popular. Up to 500 likes in a day’s time. I was crushed. I immediately messaged the page and found it to be started by two of my good friends. They agreed to start a collaboration. Once I started up my blog, we agreed that our two blogs would sync up. Phew. (thanks Carley and Nick) But still, I was feeling a little bit discouraged. Would people take my blog seriously? Would they still read it? Would people assume I was copying their page? I didn’t want to be a piggyback. I had to figure a way to make it different.
Thus, “Humans of Carlisle” was born. Having spent two summers in Carlisle, I feel like I’ve started to learn the ins and outs of the community. There are so many things to love about Carlisle. The farmer’s market. Miss Ruth’s Time Bomb, where you can find well-worn t-shirts and fabulous vintage gems. Endless Belgian frites at Bruges. I mean, we have a falafel food cart, what more does one need? I wanted to add these stories into my blog. I may know more about Carlisle than the average Dickinson student, but I have a feeling I’m just scratching the surface.
I wanted to figure out a way to make my blog a little different than Humans of New York. Granted, Carlisle isn’t a huge metropolis so it definitely won’t be a matter of place comparison. So, I decided to take my life long obssession with printing out pictures for my walls and put it to good use. Humans of Carlisle will be strictly old school. We’re talking disposable cameras, ya’ll. (Sorry the southerner in me refuses to put that word to rest) This will help keep the blog honest. These are real people with real stories and no editing will be done. I can’t wait to start this photo collection. By the end of this class, who knows where this blog will end up. I know that it will change and transform as I go and it’s going to be quite a journey. If you are still with me, I thank you and please check back for the first stories of “Humans of Carlisle.”
Humans Of Carlisle 
I am really excited to see where you take this. This idea seems like a timeless thing to write about and the possibilities are endless (even though carlisle seems small at times). This could be something great to bring the community together in a way that is engaging and fun. I have personally always wanted to know a faculty or staff’s life story but have been too afraid to ask. I think by bridging this gap, you can enhance your own writing and photography skills and help connect this community at the same time. Just a suggestion- I know with a lot of these types of blogs and facebook pages, some groups of people are represented more than others. Maybe just try to focus on as many diverse posts as possible so that it really is a wholesome look inside the community. Good luck and I cant wait to see what you come up with!
This first post is a great set up for your blog. It does a good job of explaining what makes your blog unique even if the concept is common. I also like the spin you put on your idea with the disposable camera. Its going to be cool to see this project come together!
I’m truly excited to see where this goes! I also love HONY and look forward to seeing your take on it. I especially like the idea of doing it with disposable cameras. I think this detail adds so much uniqueness and character to your project (along with the idea of doing it in a place like Carlisle). From the tone of your post, I can tell you are passionate about the project and the new possibilities it brings. Because at times Carlisle can seem like a college town, I would encourage you to talk with members outside of the campus community and maybe more of the long-term residents. I feel like these are the voices we never really hear at all. I look forward to hearing more of your voice and the stories of other members in the Carlisle community!