Comments on: Why Academics Should Blog

By: Jan Husdal

Jan Husdal — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:39:32 +0000

Thanks for an excellent post, and what a great discussion. I’ve been blogging or rather publishing my works online for many years now, but it’s only recently, nearing my PhD, that my blogging has turned serious. Some of your points are maybe a bit oversimplified, but, nonetheless, equally true, and definitely inspiring (or should I say: compelling) me to continue my blogging ventures.

By: jeremyywang.com » Blog Archive » Academic Blogging/Blogging Academics

jeremyywang.com » Blog Archive » Academic Blogging/Blogging Academics — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:20:07 +0000

[...] came across this post about why academics should blog (via Dy/Dan’s links), which confirmed a lot of my unpublished thoughts on the matter. To his [...]

By: hughmcguire.net · Why Academics Should Blog (Redux)

hughmcguire.net · Why Academics Should Blog (Redux) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:40:42 +0000

[...] blog, and it generated some intense debate and discussion, both on Huffington Post, and on my own weblog. I had nine points, which you can read, but the first two points were, er, indelicate critiques of [...]

By: Sarah Stewart

Sarah Stewart — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:25:29 +0000

Thank you all for a fascinating discussion. I am especially interested in the notion of blogging one’s research right from the beginning, when ideas are initially formulated. I hadn’t thought about it in terms of protecting one’s ideas. I am not 100% convinced it is a good idea, or at least, not initial funding is assured. But I am about to start this process on my blog and see how I go.

By: Blogging Academe « Disparate

Blogging Academe « Disparate — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:14:27 +0000

[...] Why Academics Should Blog [...]

By: rpg

rpg — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:34:18 +0000

Hi Hugh late to the discussion I know, but... I've been meaning to link to this article, just not had a round tuit. Anyway, your reasons (and I *have* linked here) tie in nicely with the challenge that came out of the London conference. If any readers of your readers are keen to take up that challenge (got to be science-related, mind) then they should let us know.

By: Why Academics Should Blog at Information Innovation Exchange

Why Academics Should Blog at Information Innovation Exchange — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:24:25 +0000

[...] Read the full article here [...]

By: Hugh

Hugh — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 03:51:36 +0000

Well, at least I could be more diplomatic about it than by telling them their ideas are dumb and they are terrible writers! ;-)

But beyond that, I actually *am* reconsidering the question altogether; and I think that academics should blog for reasons different than my original 9, or at least modified from.

My main interest is to enrich the public sphere with more knowledge from academia.

By: Alexandre

Alexandre — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:12:31 +0000

@Hugh
Fair enough, especially framed in this way. It might just be a bit hard to persuade academics to both blog and eschew obfuscation through the same arguments. But your interest in both issues is well-taken and makes a lot of sense in this context.

By: Hugh

Hugh — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:47:07 +0000

I understand that academic writing is not for the general public; of course not, and academese (the overall language & the specific dialects) are part of the language with which academics converse. But I make a distinction between necessary academese and unnecessary academese. You might say, “Who are you to say what is necessary and what is not?” And I’ll answer: I am nobody. But each academic is responsible for how he or she writes. And in aggregate, academics & their writings (along with conferences etc) constitute academia. If they are pouring over their words countless times, writing and rewriting, then they are evaluating those words on any number of criteria.

So: on an individual basis, I would plead with academics to consider clarity and elegance of writing as a laudable goal; perhaps to give it more weight in their analysis, as they pour over their work.

If they don’t wish to do that, then so be it. I still think they should.