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December 12, 2004
What's in a name?
This blog is still really in the experimental stage. I have a few readers, but it's far from the readership of some of the big blogs. At least for now.
Anyway, in the last day or so, I have been doing a lot of thinking about Alan's most recent post, and thinking about the future of this blog. That's hard to do. You never know where the future will lead. But thinking about it is good exercise for the mind.
I've been thinking about what the "permanent" title of this blog will be. Academic Scribbler has been a perfect name to get things started, but I'm not sure it will fit with what I see as the long run mission of this blog. For one, it's not just about policy, economics, or academics. When Final 4 time comes around, I will blog more about basketball. I blog about math once in a while (and should do more). I blog about things that just strike me as funny, and on and on. Remember, I've only been doing this for a couple months. Most blogs I read are at least 2 or 3 years old. I'm a relative latecomer, but as we all know, blogs are springing up like dandelions on my lawn in April. I would like to stake my ground before all the good spots are taken.
Among economics blogs, some have clever economic related names: ArgMax, Marginal Revolution, Truck and Barter, and Voluntary Xchange. These are just some of the better known ones. Then there are the econ blogs with non-economic related, but clever, names: Knowledge Problem, Cold Spring Shops, and AtlanticBlog, just to name a few. Then there are those who put their name on their blog: Newmark's Door, Daniel Drezner, and Brad DeLong make my short list.
Some of the clever names are run by more than one person (Marginal Revolution and Truck and Barter, for example). They tend to be very focused. Those who take a multi-pronged approach often use their names or come up with something clever but non economic.
I find myself wanting to morph this blog just a little. I think about how it relates to what I do for a living. Everything else I write has my name on it first and foremost. I want that to be the case here too.
When I made my first few posts, I wondered if it would last. I don't know if any statistics are kept on this sort of thing, but I wonder how many blogs start out for a few weeks and then quit. When I started, I thought I might be one of those. I never figured I would enjoy it as much as I do or find it as useful as I do. But it is useful, and there is a relationship between blogging and scholarship (see here for an excellent summary). For me it helps me clarify my thoughts on certain things. I've gotten a couple ideas from blogging that may make their way into a paper someday. Plus, when you blog, you have to READ what others are writing about. That keeps you connected. There are liberal blogs and conservative blogs and middle of the roaders too. Quite frankly, the give and take in the blogosphere is better than it is on the cable news talk shows. Most of it is at a higher level too.
Finally, I am also toying with the idea of running more than one blog. I'm still giving full attention to this at first, but stay tuned.
The experiment continues, it takes new steps, it grows, and it comes of age. As a reflection of who I am and what I want this blog to be, a change is coming. To be continued...
Posted by William Polley at December 12, 2004 6:42 PM
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