research blogging ftw!
Lately it seems hard for me to find the time to blog, or the topics that seem bloggable. But I’m re-inspired by Jill’s announcement of her award for research dissemination via blogging—how exciting! And it reminded me of how valuable this blog has been for me as an academic.
In her post, Jill notes that she wouldn’t have won that award if she’d been blogging pseudonymously, like so many of the women writing great academic blogs. Like Jill, if I couldn’t write about the specifics of my life—the conferences I participate in, the research areas I’m exploring, the people around me—it wouldn’t really feel like my blog. While I recognize the risks inherent in blogging, my experience has been that the rewards greatly outweigh those risks. I wouldn’t be sitting in this office in Redmond if it weren’t for my blog. I wouldn’t be speaking at SXSW, or have travelled to Dubai. I wouldn’t have the worldwide network of friends and colleagues that I’ve acquired over the past 3.5 years. So yeah, it was worth any risks. And I need to remember that, and not neglect this fertile space that—when properly tended—has yielded such a bountiful harvest.
(The “ftw” is short for “for the win,” an expression I’ve acquired since starting to play World of Warcraft.)
source: research blogging ftw!
