I find blogging to be a curious undertaking. It seems to me that one might blog for various reasons, but I am somewhat mystified by what happens once I hit “publish” after I have finished a composition. How many people will read it? Will anyone read it? Comments would seem to be the truest measure of any impact had by blogging.
I do get feedback once in a while, but what I have found in my completely unscientific analysis of the process, is that people are less likely to comment on a serious blog than one that is trivial. Here’s what I mean… I did a little experiment here on Nature Network Boston. I posted a blog called The New Valley of Death more than one and a half months ago. It is a serious posting that describes the difficulties stemming from starting one’s independent career on private research grants as opposed to federal funding. It has not been commented upon and I have no way to know if anyone has ever read it.
This is in contrast to a “fun” posting that I made only two days ago, What’s Your Starbucks Name which has already received five comments (thank you).
What does this mean, if anything, to what “science blogs” are doing in the world? I know that it is completely incorrect for me to assume that my own experiences as a blogger reflect the state-of-affairs in the wider science blogosphere. There are some very successful science blogs out there and it is entirely possible that mine is simply not up to snuff. I’m not complaining. I write because I enjoy it. That said, it seems a worthwhile question to ask if there is there something to the hypothesis that in blogs, as well as life in general, we want candy instead of broccoli? Hmmm? Please feel free to comment… or not.
A while ago I also proposed a hypothesis about blog commenting (in the Nature Methods blog Methagora)! Not quite the same, but in response to the same type of problem.
Most visitors do not comment, no matter how interesting they think your ideas are. I think that in order for a person to comment they have to have an idea/opinion that they want to express AND be confidant of their ability to use the subject-specific vocabulary/syntax correctly. Recently someone suggested to me that if a person has an idea that is ESPECIALLY good they also may not post it as a comment as they would prefer to keep it for themselves and develop it into something for their own blog or publication.
For your Valley of Death entry perhaps not enough people had an opinion or anything to add to what you said. Or maybe you were just unlucky regarding the timing of your post.
While Nature Network does have a lot of visitors, they are spread over a wide range of subject areas. Everybody understands “buying coffee” so perhaps that is the one of the “lowest common denominators”. The trick I suppose then is finding the balance-point between being serious-science and being understandable/interesting to a large enough number of people. Perhaps in the Nature Network, at least for the time being, the staple diet should be “steak-and-chips” or “fruit-salad”.
Blog to enable yourself to marshal your thoughts, for writing practice, to float ideas or to keep in touch with friends and colleagues. ie make sure you get something back for it. The overwhelming majority of blogs are only read by friends and acquaintances – at least here, there’s a chance that it will be read by people you don’t know that it might be nice to know.
Good thoughts and comments all (thank you). You know, I like fruit salad (adding carambolas, poppy seeds, and a splash of amaretto are nice touches).
When writing or speaking, it is important to know your audience. This blogging business is perhaps the only experience I have had where that is not possible. It’s different. I wonder about it and don’t know what to make of it thus far.
I did a little experiment of my own that I thought would fit nicely into this discussion, though it is a slight tangent and may indeed have little relevance.
I posted two topics on the Chemical Forums: One was to say that the Nature Protocols content was free this month and the other was for a Colour Changing Card Trick
As of September 27, 2007, 02:30:38 AM, these are the number of views that each post has received.
Nature Protocols:
Posted September 20, 2007, 11:33:31 PM
176 views
Card Trick:
Posted September 22, 2007, 06:43:19 AM
180 views
I am recording this now, as today was the day that I first noticed that the Card Trick had “overtaken”!
Check into the discussion of this little experiment.
http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2007/09/casual_fridays_does_it_pay_to_1.php