Blogging Science

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Blogging Science

• The Spin
• And What We Can Do About It

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What is a blog anyway?
A weblog, web log or simply a blog, is a web
application which contains periodic time-stamped
posts on a common webpage. These posts are often
but not necessarily in reverse chronological
order. Such a website would typically be
accessible to any Internet user. (from the
Wikipedia)
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Typical Blog
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Blog Audience Stats

• 27 of all internet users read blogs
• Most blog readers (75.3) read blogs for more
  in-depth news
• About 15 of blog readers are in the education
  field, the highest represented field
• About 39 have a college or graduate degree.

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Science Blog Audience

• General Public/Lay Audience
• Other scientists
• Not passive--they talk back
• Some science blog stats
• Pharyngula6,000/day
• Pandas Thumb2,500/day

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The Politics of Science

• Science blogs refocus on the science
• Reveal politics behind science policy

• Intelligent Design
• Terri Schiavo
• Peak Oil

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Anatomy of a Conversation
Post on Pharyngula
Washington Post article
P.P 2
NYT
CBS
WaPo
Post on Pandas Thumb
Washington Monthly post
P.T 2
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When a blog beats the news
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How Science Blogs Fit

• Passive vs. Active audience (tv, newspaper,
  magazine, online news/mags, blogs)
• Aspects of authority and trust (tv news vs.
  newspaper vs. journal vs. blog) Who do you trust?
  And how?
• Volume of data (scarce/concise and easily
  digestible vs. plentiful/unverifiable but
  problematic vs. plentiful/verifiable but not
  easily digestible

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What is the scientists role?
One scientist writes I've been thinking lately
about the role blogging might play (either
already or sometime in the future) as a
scientific communication, whether
scientist-to-scientist or scientist-to-layperson.
. . . I suspect that in the long run keeping such
a blog will help the scientists communicate more
effectively with the public in other
contexts. --from Adventures in Ethics and Science
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Questions for Discussion

• Is science blogging a service?
• How does/should it relate to scholarship?
• Can it count as service/research?
• Can science blogs affect the political discussion
  or research issues?
• Can science blogs counterbalance bad science
  journalism?

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• Return to Summary of Brown Bag Discussion