Recent replies to "Is professional blogging a lethal form of science writing?"

Reply from Helen Jaques

Helen Jaques — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:52:55 -0000

Wow, something like Twhirl would actually send me into total information overload!

I’ve stayed pretty clear of sites like this and Twitter, as, to be honest, I don’t really want to read what my friends are up to every minute of the day. I can just imagine how mine might read:
09.39 Laments over adding too much milk to morning coffee
09.41 Sips coffee and stares vacantly at pile of documents in it-tray
09.43 Shifts gaze to staring vacantly at wall…
You get the idea – it would be deathly boring!

It’s less the ‘noise’ I have a problem with, more the accumulation of interesting articles to read. RSS readers have made it a lot easier to keep on top of it all.

Reply from Eva Amsen

Eva Amsen — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:50:01 -0000

I know a few professional bloggers, but they were all “for fun” bloggers before and just turned their hobby into their job. But with all jobs there’ll always be people who work way too hard at it.

Reply from Henry Gee

Henry Gee — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:56:52 -0000

@Martin – how horrifying. Makes one hanker for the good old days of small pieces of paper carried around in cleft sticks.

Reply from Maxine Clarke

Maxine Clarke — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:02:39 -0000

Fascinating, but scary, link, Martin. Explains rather well why I lasted one day on Twitter “way back when”.

Reply from Martin Fenner

Martin Fenner — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:58:56 -0000

Helen, you will be happy to hear that Web 3.0 will be about reducing the Noise.

Reply from Maxine Clarke

Maxine Clarke — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:50:36 -0000

It was lethal for this Washington Post writer.

Reply from Helen Jaques

Helen Jaques — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:02:04 -0000

Never mind blogging, what about even keeping up with reading the “constant stream of news and comment”?! I daily feel pangs of guilt at all the ‘unread’ articles on my RSS reader and save more articles on Connotea than I ever have any hope of reading.

We need recognition of “web information exhaustion”! How about as a subclause to the proposed DSM-VI entry on internet addiction?!

Reply from Kyrsten Jensen

Kyrsten Jensen — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:23:55 -0000

Heather Anderson actually turned blogging into a full time job for herself, and now for her husband. It all started when she blogged about her job, and then work found it. Needless to say, when they read about themselves (like the guy in the office who feels the need to congratulate himself on every sale), she was fired. She promptly got an interview on ABC news interview and a wikipedia entry.

Reply from Cath Ennis

Cath Ennis — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:41:30 -0000

Give me millions a year in advertising revenue and I’ll willingly blog exactly what it’s like to be so stressed.

Reply from Henry Gee

Henry Gee — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:58:50 -0000

You mean to say, people do this for a living?. Oy.