The Blogging Journalist

What's to Be Gained by Academic Blogging?

Scholar and blogger Mary Kate Hurley, writing in a January 18, 2008, post at In the Middle, a medieval studies group blog, addresses the question of what's to be gained by academic blogging. She writes:

As everyone knows, blogging isn't really academic blogging unless somewhere along the line, you start "meta-blogging": indulging in that art of writing blog posts which theorize about blogging. Recently, I was asked to write an essay for the Old English Newsletter about blogging and Old English -- more specifically, perhaps, about what is to be gained through academic blogging. Although the essay itself has not yet been published, I wanted to post a bit of it on ITM and Old English in New York -- both to get some reactions, as well as to share what has kept me away from blogging so often in the past few weeks.

"Of course," Hurley adds, "we all know that this particular issue has been done -- some might argue to near-death -- on the blogs. However, I do think I managed to get somewhere when it came to defining my blog-work in terms non-bloggers or those new to the blogosphere might understand."

If you want to read more, see "Old English, New Media: or, Friday Night Meta-Blogging." I recommend it. It's one of more sobering perspectives on blogging I've encountered.

Technorati Tags: Mary kate Hurley,In the Middle,Academic Blogging

Salon: "What's the Difference Between Bloggers and Illegal Immigrants?'

Andrew Leonard of Salon.com contends that, "Of all the bonafide economists who blog regularly, Harvard's George Borjas gets the award for Most Single-minded Focus. Borjas' issue is immigration, especially illegal immigration. If you're looking for academic support for the thesis that immigration depresses the wages of native-born American workers, he's your man," Leonard opines. I found Leanard's post quite revealing and timely in the wake of the on-going national debate over immigration. If you're interest in reading it, see "What's the difference between bloggers and illegal immigrants?

Steven J. Bell: 'Rules of Engagement Dominate Library Blogs'

Steven J. Bell, "associate university librarian for research and instructional services at Temple University" in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, observes in an April 27, 2007, post at Inside Higher Ed:

As one explores and delves into the world of library blogs it soon becomes apparent that the rules of disengagement dominate the landscape. There one is likely to see a repetitious flood of posts exclaiming “What a great post by so-and-so” or “She’s got a must read post today”. Rarely does one see a post that starts with “I have to disagree” or “Boy, does he have it wrong.” Most commenting is no better. It’s mostly gratuitous back patting. But why bother anyway? Comments are secondary to actual posts and they reach a much smaller audience. One exception might be ACRLog, a blog for which I write. Geared specifically to academic librarians it still allows fairly unrestrictive commenting, and on occasion comments may offer brilliant opposing views. But these are few and far between; the overall dearth of comments, even for posts that make controversial statements, is shockingly surprising for this profession.

To read more, please see "Good at Reviewing Books But Not Each Other."

Some Blogging Teachers Just Want To Be Heard

"Teachers, initially slow to try out the medium, are publishing blogs at rapidly increasing rates — partly because they see the online journals as a way to have their opinions heard, experts say," according to a January 29, 2007, article in The Houston Chronicle.

Chronicle staff writer Jennifer Radcliffe said, "Educators who have already embraced the technology — called blogs (short for web logs) — find themselves walking a fine, virtual line of conduct. They strive to entertain and inform, but can't violate their school districts' ethics policies or federal laws designed to protect students' confidentiality," she added.

Radcliffe said, "Most teachers who blog have opted to do so underground — refusing to cite their names, workplaces or other identifying details — to avoid potential professional pitfalls." 

To read more, please see "A new school of bloggers."

LA Times Introduces A Few Blogging Economists

On November 23, 2006, the Los Angeles Times published an informative article on economists who blog about their work and theories.

Standing out are George Mason University faculty members Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok's blog Marginal Revolution. It has "had more than 6 million visitors" since its debut three-years ago, according to Times reporter Alana Semuels. "Cowen has become something he didn't even know existed: an economics celebrity." she wrote.

After reading  about them and other blogging economists, I found myself wishing blogging was around when I took three economics course at Chicago State University and East-West University in the late 1980s. Although I passed them, they were boring. With a blog, I could have engaged others interested in the subject and perhaps gotten a better understanding of what I was studying.

To read The Times post, see "Now online: slide-rule celebrities. Also see "Faculty and Grad Student Economics Weblogs"
at George Mason.

Technorati tags: Now online: slide-rule celebrities, Los Angeles Times, Marginal Revolution, George Mason University Economics Blogs, Economist Tyler Cohen, Economist Alex Tabarrok.

Teacher Blogs: Reporting From The Trenches

 I did not discover USA TODAY reporter Greg Toppo's September 17, 2006, post headlined "Teachers speak out of turn" until today. However, I think his observation that "hundreds of teachers" are blogging "these days, uploading details from their daily lives for a firsthand look at the maddening, exhilarating, often heartbreaking world of the modern public school" deserves mention.

He said these blogs "are finding an audience,"  and are "often written anonymously for fear of reprisal." They are finding an audience, Toppo said, "perhaps because they are so raw and unscripted."

He also gives evidence of teachers in Illinois and Arkansas who've been fired or resigned for blogging about their schools. Others have had their blogs blocked, while some teacher blogs are viewed by parents and students as a public service.

I recommend Toppo's article for the glimpse it provides into what "Alexander Russo, a former teacher and congressional education adviser who tracks the trend in his own blog, This Week in Education," told Toppo was "the equivalent of a dispatch from the front lines or a letter written in a foxhole."

Former Harvard President To Start Blogging

Harvard Crimson staff writer Javier C. Hernandez reported September 11, 2006, that "The next time campus controversy sets the media ablaze, former [Harvard] University President Lawrence H. Summers may find himself blogging rather than simmering in the spotlight."

Hernandez said, "The president-turned-professor is one of 21 prominent academics—18 men and three women—from across the country who will offer thoughts on campus life and current events on “Open University,” a new blog launched by The New Republic in late August.

"Summers enters the blogosphere along with his wife, English professor Elisa New, Friendly Professor of Law William J. Stuntz, and Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology Steven Pinker, a close ally of Summers throughout his tumultuous stint as Harvard’s 27th president," Hernandez reported.

To read the entire article, see "Summers To Have Say in Cyberspace.