Just before that I fretted:
I think a problem with professional [blogs] & humor is that you have to be concerned about your reputation too much. I'd like to do one, but also worry about mixing the personal with the professional (in front of the whole world!).And, hearing of a quirky blog written by a sociology professor, I said:
It is exactly the sort of thing I'd love to do, but I'm too chicken to do it.
I felt that starting to blog was pretty far out of reach for me, but then, an hour later, I just did it.
Posts
8 comments:
I love emotional Althouse.
Caution, caution... oh just do it. The Blog world favors your bold and cautious mixture, like certain wine and cheese combinations or like watching the high wire Diva's act at a circus, always wondering when a fall could happen, and if so, how will you smile and recover. Good show Professor.
I'm glad you did; I have enjoyed your blog and your sense of humor over the years, Professor Althouse!
I wonder whether today the main fear of someone thinking about starting a blog would be the enormous commitment of time and energy it takes.
As for reputation, I suspect that concern today would be most relevant to anyone hankering after a high-level political appointment, such as a federal judgeship. If that's what you want, it probably makes sense to skip the impulse to blog. Dan Drezner wondered on his blog whether his blogging impacted on Chicago's decision to deny him tenure. I don't remember whether he thought that it did (as an alternative to thinking the decision was merit-based, it had its obvious attractions), but I doubt that being a well known blogger caused him any problem in getting tenure at the Fletcher School.
so that was near to your birthday right?
I'd love to know who you were writing to in that email! Who convinced you to try it? Glad you went along with it. I found your blog thru a Glenn Reynolds link a few years ago and have enjoyed it (well "enjoy" might not always be the word that applies!) ever since. Hope you, & Meade, & all the rest of your community of commenters, keep up the great work!
Was the quirky blog by a sociology professor Brad Wright's blog by any chance? I love Brad's blog!
Bradley Wright's Weblog
I wouldn't have guessed I started blogging before AA, but I see I did. (No, don't bother clicking through, there's nothing to see.) I haven't researched the path that led me to reading the blog called Althouse (probably Instapundit, of course), but as a UW grad, I'm sure it was the campus photography that attracted me, and the Althouse perspective that hooked me, so there ya go.
My own first post was "Let's see what happens when I press this little chromium switch...", a Firesign Theatre homage. (FWIW, the blog's title, Mobius Street, is an homage to Pearls Before Swine's song "If You Don't Want To, I Don't Mind".)
Post a Comment