Welcome, Chronicle Readers!
Thanks for stopping by! If you're interested in reading a History Carnival, here's the most recent. Joanna at TigerLily is hosting Carnival XX tomorrow; I'll include the links when it's up. You should also visit the most recent Early Modern Carnivalesque--a feast of early mod historical delights.
I'd also like to recommend some excellent meditations on academic blogging to those who are interested in reading more about it. Manan at Chapati Mystery wrote this last week in anticipation of his attendance at the Future of the Book conference, and Rob MacDougall wrote this response to Ivan Tribble.
If you'd like to see an example of how bloggers blog about teaching, check out New Kid's How do we get students to do the work?
And, if you're one of my loyal non-academic readers, this post is intended to welcome and guide readers of my column on academic blogging, out in today's Chronicle of Higher Education!
posted by Rebecca @ 10:02 AM
20 comments
20 Comments:
I loved your CoHE piece! Nice counterpoint to the whole "Tribble" thing. (And nice for it to appear during the recent Info Theory/B. PhD lawsuit/counter suit troubles...but perhaps that is a different issue...)
As of this moment, you are number 6 in the 20 most emailed articles of the day. Did you ever?! And to think it all began when you were four years old, writing your own articles when we went on interviews together. My, my.
I showed the argument to my b/f, a philo PhD candidate (ABD) - his response is that the *issue* is almost a "non-argument" ... basically b/c you're right. Professional exposure is a good thing; mixed blogs like yours go even further in giving the reader (possibly a prospective employer) a sense of the person. I assume that most people responsible for hiring appreciate having more thorough mechanisms of predicting the "fit" between hiree and the work environment.
The cautions are obvious: If your blog advocates overthrowing the government, you probably want to avoid sending your resume to a federal agency, that sort of thing. Then, of course, there are the very personal, even X-rated blogs (the story about the uncle who googled his recently-graduated niece is probably an internet myth -- the legend is that the "bigwig" uncle wanted to help his niece find employment with his successful, conservative, Fortune500 company, but prior to putting in his recommendation, he googled her ... and ran across her Party College blog, where she detailed everything from escapades to dorm *experiments*.
The reason I showed the article to my b/f is that I'd never heard of the "topic carnivals" you mentioned. Turned out it's new to him, too, and he's intrigued. He's always looking for new academic resources, so on his behalf, I'd like to thank you for this one.
Yvette--the kerfuffle between Paul and BitchPhD happened after this column went to press, but it's been troubling me too. I'm inclined to think (hopefully) that it's an anomaly fueled by one man's determination to discredit liberals. Seems to me he's got a political axe to grind and picked an incredibly inappropriate way to do the grinding.
Kimberly--you can tell your b/f there's a philosophy carnival! http://philosophycarnival.blogspot.com/
I had a feeling you would be the one writing an anti-Tribble piece. Thank you - this is a wonderful article, as well as a real service to the community.
You can learn more about carnivals here and see many of them listed here.
As for Deignan, I am having a great time watching the Sitemeter. I have listed links to almost evryone commenting on the whole sordid affair, then Frogs And Ravens linked to my post, than Kos, Atrios, Heretik, Steve Gilliard and some others linked to her....
great article! I'd hire you in a second on one condition. I want my Origins of the New South back ( at some time!!!)
Guess Who
Rebecca, great article, great blog. I'm a big fan of the Carnival, myself and plan on using them to work with tech resistant faculty. I'll add your CHE piece to my arsenal.
Rebecca, thanks for addressing some of the fears out there about academic blogging in your Chronicle article. I hope we will both some day be able to tell our students (you long before I) that we were of that first generation.
I had the same fears as others when I read the earlier articles of caution to bloggers.
Thanks,
Roland Allen
http://www.rolandallen.com
Great article, Rebecca. Keep up the great work.
Just wanted to say I appreciate that article too.
The "Tribble" articles were troubling. It's hard to believe that some of the most engaged scholars who share their work and present themselves as people would be seriously damaged by this. Thanks for the article.
Just cruising by to say that I also enjoyed your Chronicle article. Like you, I think it's clear that cademic blogging can facilitate social networks that can only advance our careers and our scholarship.
I know that I've made some valuable contacts through blogging and Tribble's misguided articles were furustrating for that very reason.
Nicely done, as I said before. I was wondering, though, if you're planning to do any more with the data you collected? A good hard look at that stuff, as well, perhaps, at the "why I blog" meme that ran across the academic internet a little while back, would be a most welcome snapshot of the state of the field.
I am in the process of doing something with it...but the job market and my dissertation keep interrupting! Hopefully I'll be able to finish it over Thanksgiving so y'all can have a look at it.
The column has just the right tone, with the touching comment about the family following along. That is how many blogs start, with gentle coaxing and encouragement from colleagues and friends, not to mention family. I have forwarded your column around to some fellow bloggers. Good job!
Thanks for your great article!
Rebecca,
I loved your article in The Chronicle! You summed up many of my own feelings on pseudo-professional blogging. I've been including my blog on my resume/website since graduate school, and I think it's helped me immeasurably. Right along with scholarly publications and profesional websites, reviewing a candidate's blog posts is an excellent way for a prospective employer to obtain an understanding of one's professional philosophies. Blog's serve as pre-interview primers, and (in my experience) can set the tone for a successful face-to-face interview.
-Dan Hood
www.danielrhood.com
I just finished reading your article in The Chronicle --
http://chronicle.com/jobs/2005/11/2005111401c.htm
I thinking you're missing two major points. One is that hiring committees are afraid of bloggers because ADMINISTRFATORS don't want bloggers to write about job experiences in the blog, and many people have in fact been fired for doing so out there in the private sector. Consequently, your "advice" that job seekers are "thoughtful" people is just as frightening to these committees.
Also, another point you did not address in your otherwise enjoyable essay was this one: for many longtime bloggers (and I count myself among them, as I have been online since 1998), there is no joy in revealing one's identity as a blogger. Instead, being anonymous is part of the process that makes blogging so inviting to all.
Thus, while you choose to disclose your identity, and that's of course your right to do so, you can't also be surprised if people on hiring committees then know who you are.
You want it three ways - your name out there, a blog, and hiring on a level field.
But you can only really have it two ways - your anonymous blog, and hiring on a level playing field.
That's life!
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