Reviewing the Blog Situation

One of the things I wondered in my last post before I started maternity leave was - what would the status of the blogosphere be when I got back to work, a year later.

Unsurprisingly, it's still here.

I've been thinking if there is a place for this blog, and how things have changed over the past few years. There's no doubt that a lot of the things I used to do here - post links to good online resources, make short comments - have been trumphed by twitter, and I'll continue to hang out over there. But I still have use for a place where I post, every now and then, something more than 140 characters. I've had comments in the past that some regular readers (or at least, regular before I took a hiatus) like to know what its like to be an academic, so I'll continue to post on what I'm up to. I'll park the text of plenary lectures and invited speeches here (they are quite a lot of intellectual work, and its good to be able to share them to a wider audience). Its also on my to do list to sort out my UCL web presence - more on that soon - so whilst I was doing that I thought I would chat on here about the work I've done previously, as I need to trawl through my personal archive over the next couple of months to get things ship-shape.

I'm not too keen to share too much personal information beyond my academic role (hey, that's for facebook, right?) and I was reminded of this with a review of my blog, posted online last year. It contains the genius line that made me smile

It's tough to evaluate Melissa Terras' Blog; I can't make fun of it, because I don't understand most of what she posts

but also liberally lifts my picture, and that of my newborn twins from here. You live by the sword, etc.... but it was a (non-threatening) reality check for me. At the moment, I dont have the personal need to address too much about non-work stuff up here, so I wont. I had me some babies. Everyone is doing fine, thanks. I am now back to work.

All this to say - normal service is resumed! and perhaps shall be even more organised on here than previously.