diary
Each participant is given diary at the beginning of the study. They will also be given a pack of sticky labels (see image below)
instructions to participants on how to make diary entries
Use this diary to record your personal experiences when listening to your digital music either through your iPod or through iTunes on your computer.
Please be completely honest when recording your diary. Even if you think that your listening experiences are not that significant or memorable, your thoughts, your feelings, etc are still important for the study. However if you do encounter a moment of serendipity e.g. when an unexpected song underscores something that is happening in your life, or something you are thinking about; or the song happens to ‘fit in’ with where you are etc, please reflect a bit more about the experience in your diary entry.
- Make a diary entry at least once a day. If you happen to listen in different blocks of time during the day, please reflect each block with a separate entry in your diary.
- If you wish, you may write about your experiences as it unfolds – i.e. writing about the experience as you listen to your music.
- Start with a new page for each entry. Stick one of the labels given in the centre of this new page (see below).
- On the label, fill in the date on the dotted line ; tick the appropriate boxes on the label, and briefly write a few words extending out from the arrows on the label.
- Use the next blank page to write and reflect on your listening experience. Please write as clearly as you can.
- You may write as much as you wish. If you can’t fit everything into a page, continue on another page. While we hope that you can tell us as much as you can about your experiences, we also respect your privacy and your discretion if you wish not to disclose certain matters.
- If you encounter a significant or memorable event, or serendipity from your listening, try and put the entry in as soon as possible after it occurs. If you are on the move or if your diary is not accessible, you can always use your mobile phone to capture images, make an audio memo or even a video which you can use as memory triggers when you get to writing your entry later.
how to annotate the label
LOCATION: indicate where you were when you listening to your music. If you were travelling, give some details -e.g. what transportation mode? where from and where to?
LISTENING alone/with others: to indicate whether you were sharing your listening with others or just listening privately
GENERAL MOOD: indicate your overall mood when you were listening. Indicate also if there were changes in your mood.
SHUFFLE entire library/from selection : If you were listening in shuffle, was it shuffling from the iPod/iTunes' entire library or from a certain section of your library. If it is from a section, what is it? Is it a particular playlist? genre? artist? etc
MAIN ACTIVTIY listening/listening as accompaniment: indicate what you were doing when you were listening. For example, were you reading while listening? If so, then your listening is accompanying another activity. Or were you just lying on bed and listening to your music without doing something else? In this case, tick the top box as listening is your main activity.
* express yourself *
Apart from having to use the labels before you start each entry, you are free to record your thoughts, feelings, moods, experiences, emotions, etc in whatever ways, form, means, modes you choose.
You can:
- sketch, draw, paint, print, stamp, write a poem, etc
- glue/paste, staple or attach anything you feel that might help express yourself about your listening experiences.
- add internet links to your diary entries.
- If you used your camera phone to capture things to help jog your diary entries, you can print out the pictures and attach them to the entry, or transcribe the audio memo.
- write electronically, print it out and paste this to the diary. You can even complete parts of this dairy (or the entire diary) online – just as long as you still start the entry with the required fields on the sticky labels provided.
In short, be as creative as you wish (if you want), as long as you endeavour to keep daily entries which are honest reflections of your listening experiences.
helpful hint
You can create shortcuts on your mobile phone. So with just a push of a button, or a click of the toggle, you can activate the audio recorder or the camera or the text function. Check your phone's manual for instructions or check the internet for shortcuts relevant to your phone.
