SWJ: praise given and reviews (merged)

[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.

[PhilR]

I think that the SWJ site (the collective whole of the Journal, Blog, Discussion Forum and reference areas) is a good way to actually structure a matrixed and dispersed (maybe virtual) organization.
In the military, there is a plethora of "Centers of Excellence" being created. Beyond the usual jokes about the name, the attempt is being made to gather the threads of some critical warfighting mission, capability, aspect, etc. and create a focal point to facilitate organizing the knowledge in hopes of better dissemination (education and training) and being the advocate for new/better ideas and systems.
I've heard a couple of business presentations and one thing that sticks out is the contention that it is easier to organize around the software than to make the software adapt to a pre-determined organization. I think that the SWJ site could be a model for similar official sites to provide a focal point to discuss and assist in knowledge dissemination, etc. Sort of like what COEs are attempting to do.
As to blogging specifically, as a planner (experience at MEF, JTF, MNF-I and Fleet levels), I think that the discussion board and blog are a great model for managing deliberate planning efforts. Current Ops folks use chat rooms to coordinate in real time. Planners, especially at the higher echelons, don't need that immediate real time response, but need to handle and track multiple issues over the course of time. I could easily see an effort involving multiple HQs organzing the planning around a discussion board type organization.
The problem I have had in trying to implement this is that the military is more comfortable in trying to use email for this purpose, or to just post things in folders on websites. I think this idea will take off more as the younger generation who are growing up with it "come of age" into the field grade ranks (if they choose to stay past Captain).

[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.]

[selil]

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.

It may not be critical to be considered of academic value to everybody, but as a body SWJ/C has always reached out to a larger audience and to those who are academics it can be overtly, extremely, limiting, but critical the value of the information and how it is considered in academia.

A view into the world of academia and how an institution might consider blogging and web forum participation.

1) A dilution of academic time toward trivial pursuits
2) Possible exposure of University intellectual property (every thing I do)
3) Violations of internal and external disclousure agreements for grants and contracts
4) Exposure of intellectual capital in competitive grants processes
5) Diminution of the academic enterprise
6) Fraternization
7) Exposure to censure for unprofessional conduct
8) Lack of focus or taking the academic pursuit seriously

Those outside of academia may not recognize the above as issues but just about any junior academic in a research or state University is going to have heard them. Though those who may be affiliated with military programs or established military Universities likely have an edge those of us who have anti-military or peace activists on campus take a real chance even participating.

I am a technologist and I have a couple really good papers on technology mediated communication for education. I have presented web 2.0 and web 3.0 to the entire faculty and facilitated several programs brining that type of collaboration to their organization. My penchant for web forums is ignored if not formally recognized.

There were some pretty severe fights up to and including me going to the University Relations Vice Chancellor and explaining my position. I have a formal agreement in place that allows me to participate on web forums and blog (required to shut down my new boss). That gives you an idea of how serious they take this stuff. Now a lot of faculty blog with no agreements. For all of the above reasons they can only claim academic freedom for so long.

What does my blog and participation on web forums mean?

1) My ability to cognitively address issues and make them applicable is greatly enhanced
2) My world views are polished by the abrasion of reality daily
3) I filled have my available grad student slots in one day based on my blog
4) My writing is getting better as I am able to narrate rather than dictate as academics so willfully do
5) I might expect a couple hundred readers of a journal or conference proceeding. I get thousands of a blog entry in days. That is "idea" real estate
6) When i post on a web forum I might be talking to a high school student or a multiple PhD that kind of audience is almost impossible to generate

There are a lot of good reason to participate but it likely comes at a cost for us academics. Some may say "so what", but it can be as severe as not getting the next job or worse celebrating "pass over" as a major. All of trying to use the Internet as the engine of collaboration that it was originally designed to facilitate.