Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Meme of the day

I picked this up from Pharyngula, but it's been popping up in a number of different locations. Most of what follows is quoted text, with my responses inserted:

Overview:
The following survey is for bloggers who are actual or aspiring academics (thus including students). It takes the form of a go-meme to provide bloggers a strong incentive to join in: the 'Link List' means that you will receive links from all those who pick up the survey 'downstream' from you. The aim is to create open-source data about academic blogs that is publicly available for further analysis. Analysts can find the data by searching for the tracking identifier-code: "acb109m3m3". Further details, and eventual updates with results, can be found on the original posting:

http://pixnaps.blogspot.com/2005/09/academic-blog-survey.html

Instructions:
Simply copy and paste this post to your own blog, replacing my survey answers with your own, as appropriate, and adding your blog to the Link List.

Important (1) Your post must include the four sections: Overview, Instructions, Link List, and Survey. (2) Remember to link to every blog in the Link List. (3) For tracking purposes, your post must include the following code: acb109m3m3

Link List (or 'extended hat-tip'):
1. Philosophy, et cetera
2. Pharyngula
3. Halfway There
4. Add a link to your blog here

Survey:

Demographics
Age - 54
Gender - Male
Location - Northern California
Religion - Thoroughly lapsed Roman Catholic
Began blogging - August 2005
Academic field - Mathematics
Academic position [tenured?] - Professor [yes]

Approximate blog stats
Rate of posting - weekly
Average no. hits - beats me
Average no. comments - 0.5/day
Blog content - Miscellaneous, including math, teaching, and politics

Other Questions
1) Do you blog under your real name? Why / why not?
- No. If I talk about colleagues or students, I'd like to maintain a smidgen of pseudonymous discretion.
2) Do colleagues or others in your department know that you blog? If so, has anyone reacted positively or negatively?
- A few do. Their reactions are mostly positive. So far, anyway.
3) Are you on the job market?
- No.
4) Do you mention your blog on your CV or other job application material?
- No. What's a CV? ;-)
5) Has your blog been mentioned at all in interviews, tenure reviews, etc.? If so, provide details.
- Halfway There is too darned new for anyone to be talking about it anywhere. I am, however, in the blogroll at Tall, Dark, & Mysterious. Are you?
6) Why do you blog?
- Beats me. Perhaps I think everyone is entitled to my opinion. One of my friends (yes, I can honestly use the plural) says I'm blogging to fill the gap left by the completion of my graduate program. Interesting theory, but I hope it's not true. I spend so little time on blogging that so far it's a bad reflection on my recent studies.

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