SWJ: praise given and reviews (merged)

[William F. Owen]

I also think it's important to remember the distinction between the actual Journal and the Council. The forum itself is pretty freewheeling (less than many, but better than some), and that's where reaction to articles often surfaces. The Journal itself is something different, as is the blog. They do form a united whole, but you need to remember the different aspects of each part of that whole.

Concur. In that regard, my previous comments were perhaps unfair. I still the "whole" is a wonderful thing.

[Rob Thornton]

Rex may have hit the bottom line to some degree with

"At the moment, they usually count for somewhere between "very little" and "nothing" for salary and promotion purposes."

However, does that risk being relevant to only a contained community? Its not just academics, it could be any community that has perhaps intentionally or unitentionally isolated itself.

Best, Rob

[Entropy]

Rex may have hit the bottom line to some degree with



However, does that risk being relevant to only a contained community? Its not just academics, it could be any community that has perhaps intentionally or unitentionally isolated itself.

Best, Rob

Just look at journalism, which scoffed and laughed at blogs and the online community. I agree with Rex for the here-and-now, but my sense is that academia is going to change, whether it wants to or not.

[marct]

Just look at journalism, which scoffed and laughed at blogs and the online community. I agree with Rex for the here-and-now, but my sense is that academia is going to change, whether it wants to or not.

Academia, as with all dinosaurs, is changing, just slowly. A lot of the reason, I suspect, why blogs are not de rigeur with academia is that it is relatively hard to place specific status on them.

[selil]

Academia, as with all dinosaurs, is changing, just slowly. A lot of the reason, I suspect, why blogs are not de rigeur with academia is that it is relatively hard to place specific status on them.

My University this year invested in a Wordpress blog server (not-insubstantial) and we stumbled across some intellectual property issues. After that I think blogging will become more mainstream. They really want to figure out what it means and are coming around. The door opening came not from the academic units but from the public relations people.

[marct]

Well, here was an interesting post over at open anthropology on Anthropology blogs in Canada. One of the things that comes out n the comments is the role of the blog - personal, w/academic hat on; or "academic".

At my university, I am the only Anthropologist blogging as an Anthropologist. My Dean blogs on the university server, but I have a suspicion that it is solely in the role of floating ideas before implementing policies (okay, I'm suspicious ). No one else in my Institute blogs, although I really wish they would (some truly amazing work being done there!). But, currently, here is no recognition of blogging as "real" academic work.

[jcustis]

Let's not forget that the SWC underwent a not so insignificant realignment a while back that brought it to the degree of detail that it offers now. SWCADMIN likes to refer to the content as "containers" on occasion. He realized that those containers had to change a bit, and we arguably saw a broadening of membership and discussion participants as a result.

I think the mods spent a considerable amount of time shifting threads, both old and new, in the ensuing months. Everyone caught on very quickly and I don't think I've heard a comment bout layout or flow in quite a while.

[Adam L]

No one else in my Institute blogs, although I really wish they would (some truly amazing work being done there!). But, currently, here is no recognition of blogging as "real" academic work.

Does it matter if it is "academic work" of any kind? The forum is a great place to test and refine ideas. It's a good place to spit ball concepts with a group of people whose backgrounds are extremely varied. I think the media and academia are seeing these new online formats for discussion as something far more alien than they are. SWJ is merely a technologically enchanced discussion group, coffee house or bar. We need to stop being so concerned with form rather than substance.

My point is that whether it is, "- personal, w/academic hat on; or "academic", is not relevent.

Adam L

[Note: When I refer to SWJ I am refering to the discussion board and the blog rather than the magazine.]