Thursday 9 April 2009

Boettke on blogging

Peter Boettke at The Austrian Economists blog has this to say about blogging
One final thing, I have repeatedly asked that all post on this particular blog be named, and not anonymous. I think anonymous blogging is "cheap talk" and in many ways cowardly and doesn't produce an honest discourse. That is my opinion, I have let it be known. My colleague Steve Horwitz has repeatedly told me I don't understand blogging. I admit, I don't. In fact, I actually think blogging is a very little value except for two things: (1) easy way to communicate information to an interested audience, and (2) a new form to engage in popularization of the teachings of economics. I think blogging fails miserably as a tool in science/scholarship except in the limited role of informing the community of where the REAL scientific/scholarly conversation is taking place.
I agree with him on the "cheap talk" bit. If you are not willing to put your name to your views then I not sure what credibility can be attached to those views. He is also right about points (1) and (2) and I think these are important activities. But may be it's that I don't understand blogging either.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Privacy is a good reason.We live in a digital age where everything that you write on the internet can be archived and accessed forever. It could easily influence potential employers or maybe radical views held in youth could haunt you in later years. A criticism of a particular section of society could well be held against you or a throwaway remark could have unexpected repercussions. Just because your opinion is anonymous doesn't make it any less valid.

Paul Walker said...

Not sure I agree. Blogs are by their very nature public. Its not clear to me that you can be private is such a place. If you really want to be private, don't blog. Its the only way to guarantee that what you think can't cause problems later on. Hopefully having to put your name to what you write will help make you think about what you are saying before you push the publish button.

Peter Cresswell said...

Agree with you and PB 100%, PW.

But then maybe I don't understand blogging either.

Paul Walker said...

I'm beginning to think no one understands blogging! If you are not willing to put your name on what you say, don't say it.