Adventures in Science Blogging:

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Adventures in Science Blogging

• Conversations we need to have, and how blogging
  can help us have them.

Janet D. Stemwedel dr.freeride_at_gmail.com
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Community and communication as key ingredients
for human flourishing
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The spinach dip blow-off

• What exactly is it you do?
• I study the interaction of with , which we
  hope will give us insight to the mechanism for
• Oh. Hey, is that spinach dip?

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Real communication a conversation

• What do the other participants know already vs.
  what do I have to explain?
• What do they want to know, and why is it
  important to them?
• What do I want them to understand, and why is it
  important to me?
• What can they help me figure out?

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Traditional scientific communication

• Peer reviewed literature (back and forth, long
  timescale)
• Conference presentations (back and forth,
  ephemeral)
• Press releases, popular presentations (not much
  back and forth)

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Science is a process, not just a product!

• Knowledge production requires good communication
  with other scientists. (H.E. Longino, Science as
  Social Knowledge, 1990)
• Helping non-scientists understand what scientists
  know and how they come to know it is a good thing
  (and also requires good communication).

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Why blogs?

• Back and forth on a short timescale (through
  comments, discussions on other blogs).
• Less ephemeral than non-virtual conversations.
• Potential to involve people from many backgrounds
  and many places.

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Conversations in the blogosphere that might not
be happening otherwise
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Educational conversations

• Cool new findings
• Dispelling common misunderstandings
• Sharing of pedagogical strategies

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Political conversations

• How scientific knowledge bears on political
  choices
• How politics influences conditions for the
  practice and teaching of science

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Conversations about the scientific literature
(scholarly and popular)

• Scientist-to-scientist journal club
• Explanation of scholarly papers for
  non-scientists
• Commentary on science items in the news

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The virtual scientific meeting (or lab meeting)

• Discussion of projects in progress
• Commentary on recently presented results

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Conversations about the tribe

• What is it like to be a scientist in a particular
  field, work setting, career stage, geographical
  location, etc.?
• Is there anyone else like me?
• How could things be different?

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What makes blogging a different kind of
conversation?

• Ability to build a virtual community in the
  absence of critical mass for a real community.
• Audience of the willing.
• Option to control disclosure of personal details.

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What makes blogging a different kind of
conversation?

• How do I deal with my real environment?
• Wholl read this?
• Echo chamber vs. pitched battle
• Whos an authority?
• What if I get dooced?

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A real conversation gives you room to grow.

• Learn something new.
• Understand someone elses point of view.
• Change your mind.

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A real conversation gives you room to grow.

• Change how non-scientists understand science.
• Change how non-scientists understand scientists.
• Change how scientists understand their own tribe.
• Expand our sense of community.

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Get the ball rolling.

• Blog about something you know and are passionate
  about.
• Invite people you trust (from online or the
  meat-world) to read and comment.
• If youre not ready for your own blog,
  participate in the conversations on blogs in your
  area of interest.