Why do doctoral researchers blog?

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PhD student blogging: an analysis of genre, audience and purposeProfessor Pat Thomson, Nottingham UniversityAssociate Professor Inger Mewburn, Australian National University

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Date Created: Sunday, July 05, 2015

279Total Responses

Complete Responses: 254

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Bio Demographics of respondents

Age:

Slightly younger than the Australian Cohort

Gender:

Majority female – in line with usual participation in ‘extras’

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When did you start blogging?Answered: 272 Skipped: 7

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At the moment, do you intend to continue blogging?Answered: 273 Skipped: 6

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How often do you blog? (or how often did you blog, if you have now stopped)Answered: 273 Skipped: 6

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Do you use social media to promote your blog? If so, how?Answered: 257

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Why did you start blogging?Answered: 249

To showcase myself and my abilities/researchTo talk to the world / combat isolation / for my mum to readInterested in blogging as a mediumIt’s a good medium for thinkingIt keeps me on track / focused / keep a recordIt’s therapy / relaxing To help othersTo have funTo practice writingIt’s a group thingSomeone suggested it to meTo disseminate my research / recruit participantsSo I can start discussions on my topic

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What do you blog about? Most common answers Answered: 266 Skipped: 13

Reflect on the experience of studyTo tell my storyCreate opportunity to discuss ideasRecord ideasTo discuss issues raised by my researchShare what I have learned about doing a research degreeKeep a record of readingTo talk about academic life

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What do you blog about? Least common answers Answered: 266 Skipped: 13

Discuss the impact of study on my private lifeCreate an opportunity for advice or feedbackShare tips and techniques from othersTo discuss the writing processTo discuss policyTo discuss impact of study on healthTo discuss bloggingTo share progress with my academic supervisors and mentors

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What do you blog about? Additional responsesAnswered: 266 Skipped: 13

Additional reasons:

To promote myselfTo help myself learn something newTo share my passionTo experiment with writing in a different formatFor my own sanityTo escape the limitations of academic writing conventionsAn outlet for my other interestsAs a political/religious/public education project

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Why are you uncertain about continuing?Answered: 273 Skipped: 6

Finding it hard to find time and ‘headspace’There’s no clear reason to blog Not sure what to write about or what the blog is forStarted the blog for a specific purpose – which is now done.Worried others (supervisors) might see it and think I am wasting time Not sure if people will be interested “shouting into the void”Worried about publicityWorried about the quality of my writing

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Have your reasons changed since you started blogging?Answered: 266 Skipped: 13

Many said no. Of those who said yes:

• Realised the blog is a ‘business card on the internet’ and can create opportunities

• The opposite – personal stuff started coming out. Offered an unexpected ‘escape from academia’.

• Addictive: “It sucked me in” / “ego stroke” OR I lost interest because no one was listening.

• Discovered blogging was a flexible and useful medium for soliciting feedback, writing productivity and writing for an ‘imagined audience’

• I have changed, so my blog changed (text work / identity work)• My academic panel shut it down / I feel guilty doing ‘non academic’ writing

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Q15: Have you ever been actively discouraged from blogging by other academics or students?Answered: 260 Skipped: 19

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If you have been actively discouraged, what did people say?Answered: 102

• Putting your novel ideas at risk / give them away ‘for nothing’• Takes too much time / Other people might think you aren’t working hard enough• Makes you look self important / pretentious• It makes you look silly / naïve because the ideas are not developed or wrong• It’s not professional / relevant• Others might not like the ideas you put out there, which will limit opportunities• Don’t show others that you struggle with anything / be personal• It will get you in trouble with the university• It encourages ‘bad writing habits’• No direct criticism, but social learning from others who were• Just told that it is not allowed

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We have some beginning questions

Why is blogging not seen as academic writing?Why might people experience blogging as either front stage or back stage (or both)? Why is the context ‘out of focus’?Why is blogging not used as research method? How is blogging a gendered practice (or not)?