*When I was a wee little sprout in Unincorporated Northeast Dade County (I swear – that was where some of our mail was addressed to), it got confusing sometimes what was “Public” and what was the local grocery store “Publix“. There were lots of things, I learned, that one wasn’t supposed to do or say in “Publix”. Don’t ask how many years it took me to figure out who “So-and-So” was.
In this short and early morning, I’ve finally listened to the audio (via TechPodcasts.com) of Julie Leung’s presentation at Gnomedex, and I’ve read the article at the Chronicle of Higher Education that’s been taking some damage via the blogosphere.
Julie talks about the lines between our public and private lives, as we choose which masks to wear on our blogs. How do I present myself? I’ve chosen to emphasize the convergence of Media, Technology, and Education because that’s the focus of my research in grad school, and it’s what interests me, but even more: The things I write in my blog are the practice field, the training ground, the dress rehearsal for all the writing I’ll do later in life, in work, in letters.
This is my public laboratory for thought.
The exchange of ideas, the collaboration with like-minded individuals, the search for others on the same mission; I’m getting all that out of blogging.
The recent misunderstanding between an SJSU staff member and management over what was “work” and what was “his life” brings up some examples of blurry lines: If I happen to be passionate enough in what I do for a living to pursue the ideas in my spare time, how strong does my disclaimer need to be?
More fun: An anonymous/pseudonymous writer in The Chronicle of Higher Education runs down several potential Anonymous Liberal Arts University hires, chastising one for having a “true passion” outside his potential department, one for blogging about their personal life, and one for having “misrepresented his research”. That last one was particularly given away by a “boasting friend” writing on a completely different blog.
Are you kidding?
Breaking NewsFlash to the writer of said article: Those who are not genuine online are probably not going to be genuine in real life either. On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog…unless you bark and whine and smell another dog’s butt.
More Fear/Uncertainty/Doubt being blown to the tune of “Blogging Will Ruin Your Future”:
AP: “Some are, however, finding that putting one’s life online can have a price.”
I hope some future possible employer finds this blog via search engine or when I tell them about it, sees it, reads it, and lets what I’ve written here act as a complement to whatever I manage to get across in C.V.s and cover letters and interviews, because I don’t bother to fake anything here.
So, POTENTIAL EMPLOYER: How am I doing so far? Too much barking? Whining? Dog-butt-interaction? Heh – could be – you be the judge – but if it’s all real, then it’s what I have to offer.
[UPDATE: Danah Boyd is an academic with a personality. She asks: “But seriously, what’s the point of telling a bunch of potential academics that they need to be homogenous, unquirky and unlikely to rock the boat?”]
[tags]gnomedex, julie leung, academia</tags[/tags]