Dec 19 2007
My 1 Year Blogiversary
This blog entry concludes exactly one year of the Neurologica blog. I wanted to take the time to look back at my first year of science blogging.
It has been a wonderful experience overall. First, I am proud that I managed to maintain 4-5 posts per week for the entire year. Statistics vary, but about 80% of all new blogs are abandoned within a month. The average blog has the life expectancy of a red blood cell – about 120 days. There are now an estimated 12 millions blogs in America alone, but most are not maintained and/or have few readers. I have been averaging several thousand readers per post, so by all measures I think my first foray into blogging has been a success.
I also have come to appreciate more deeply the role of science blogging in the new media. In a recent editorial for Time Magazine, Michael Lemonick laments (tongue-in-cheek):
Now look what’s happened. Go to the Science Blogs website and you’ll find dozens of actual scientists, commenting in real time on every aspect of science you can imagine. It wouldn’t be so bad if they were inarticulate-but most of them aren’t! They’re eloquent, funny, sarcastic and really smart (the last kind of goes without saying). No sooner does a paper appear in a major (or even a minor journal) than they jump in with knowledgeable reaction.
The mainstream media are getting it – blogging has made it practical for scientists interested in sharing their research or just explaining science to the public to have a quick and accessible forum.
This is all part of the internet as a social and commercial force working itself out in the free-market of ideas and innovation. The internet is not best for everything, but it is best for some things and as new ideas are tried out those that work best will stick. Well, science blogging has worked extremely well and I predict that it will stick.
Like many new technologies it does not have to replace existing venues (just like the microwave did not replace the stove) but will become a complement to them. Blogging seems ideal for fast news, for working scientists who want to teach science part time, and for the community expressing multiple opinions on a hot topic. It also allows for a limited conversation between the reader and the writer.
Science journalists should not fear science bloggers, rather they should think about how best they can use and complement bloggers. They can benefit from our expertise, experience, and enthusiasm. Likewise, we can benefit from their journalism training and experience and from the fact that they are doing this full-time as their profession. Journalists and bloggers therefore are positioned to engage in a cooperative symbiotic relationship that benefits both – and most importantly benefits the public. (Just like we can use the microwave to defrost food, then cook it over a conventional stove, and then go back to the microwave to reheat leftovers.)
A similar relationship between online and print media is also evolving. For example, I blogged often this year about the vaccines and autism debate. I was able to grapple with specific news items as they came about and also respond to proponents of the “other side.” Then, in the October/November issue of the Skeptical Inquirer I authored an in-depth review of the entire topic. The print article was more crafted, more thoroughly referenced, and broader in scope than my typical blog entries. It was a nice capper to my blogging on the issue over the year.
And that, I feel, is the new niche of print science journalism – in depth reporting bringing together disparate information about a complex topic. News and opinions are best handled by blogs and the new media of the internet. Now, when I crack open a science magazine I often recognize all the news stories from what I read online 1-2 months prior. They are worthless to me. But the interviews and in-depth summaries can be highly interesting. I also value their thoroughness – something that the hit or miss world of blogging often does not have.
Upon reflection, I am very happy with my decision to dive into the world of science blogging. It was a bit of an experiment on my part, but it paid off. I plan to continue my blog as long as my time and energy holds up, and I am anxious to see how the world of science blogging and science journalism itself evolves. We are headed for a brave new world, and it’s fun to be a small part of it.
Finally, thanks to all of my readers and all those who took the time to leave such thoughtful and informative comments on my blog. The feedback I get from comments are a critical part of the process and one of the real strengths of the blogging venue. Cheers!
22 Responses to “My 1 Year Blogiversary”
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Congratulations! Its been a pleasure reading Neurologica.
Happy 1st birthday, I look forward to many more posts
always enjoy reading your posts. never stop!
Well done Steve… you have a fantastic blog.
Congrats on your 1st year, Steve and may it be the first of many.
Congrats! Your blog is one of my absolute favourite science blogs. I always enjoy the subjects you pick and your style of writing. Phil the “Lousy Astronomer” has nothing on you!
One year! Woohoo! And this blogiversary is a perfect time to say to you how grateful your readers are for your outstanding efforts. Thank you.
Here’s to looking forward to another exciting year, and to a great science and skepticism blog with few warmed-up leftovers.
Congratulations!
I’ve been following your blog and the SGU for about six months now and I’ve really, really enjoyed both. They’ve truly given me a new way of looking at the world.
I suspect that there are a lot of people out there who listen and read everything you guys put out but never actually write in to say thanks. So, from just one of us: thanks very much!
Cheers,
-Tim
(Sydney, Australia)
Congrats Steve! Neurologica is the first blog I check when I get to work in the morning. I’ve learned a great deal from your entries and look forward to reading more in your second year.
I also have to say that I REALLY like the theme and layout you use for the blog. Much better than the old one.
Steve,
As print media is fading from my life, I find the “newspaper at breakfast” has turned into cnn.com, reuters.com and various blogs over coffee, and podcasts during drive time.
Neurologica is a daily read for me. SGU is a must-listen. I appreciate the time and energy you put into this, I assume you will give it up eventually, but we in your reading public should never let that day come about as a result of you not knowing how much we appreciate it.
Sincere thanks.
Matt Dick
Steven, your thoughts and visions are of the elite. Thanks for giving us this great gift.
I must say I’m enormously impressed and grateful that you have managed to make it through a year of this blog.
My own blogging efforts have not been so successful yet but you have been and inspiration and I echo the other sentiments here that I check this blog every morning and have the SGU as one of the top 3 podcasts I listen to every week.
Thanks for all the great work, keep it up for as long as you can.
Darcy Cowan, NZ
Congratulations Dr. Novella! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and expertise. I don’t know how you have the time to do all you do, but we all appreciate your efforts.
Herr Doktor; or Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve, as Your song goes. Many thanks for your time and diligence. I found your blog and the SGU podcast about 6 months ago; at 75 I still find them both stimulating. I teach adult classes in Continuing Ed at UAH so I have a concept of your commitment. Hang in there, you are much appreciated.
Glenn Nettleton
Congratulations on your excellent web log. Your writing style is very accessible. Your topics are interesting. Sometimes it seems like you’re working out your thoughts while writing the blog. That’s interesting to me as well as your solid opinions. I hope you will keep posting. The length is perfect to read during a break at work or to stimulate the mind before leaving home for the day.
Thanks for a great year of blogging, podcasting, and skeptical activism. Also, thanks to your family for supporting you in these endeavors.
Thanks again for your great lecture here in NYC last month and we’re all looking forward to your continued work in 2008.
–Matt
Indeed, you write a good blog, worth the effort to read.
Generally, I take most other blogs with a huge grain of salt, especially the “news” or political blogs. You and the other science and skepticism blogs I read have shown that there is a useful function to what I initially considered a waste of time.
Thanks.
Thanks for one of my favorite blogs Steve, I’ll keep reading as long as you keep posting.
Kudos!
Thanks for writing a very interesting blog. I haven’t read all the posts, but I have probebly read most of them.
But before we get too excited about bloggers replacing the old media, remember that there is one thing that distinguishes you from most of the rest of humanity – you know how to write very well.
Quote of the Moment…
Steve Novella offers an observation which could make the ideal jumping-off point for a metaphysical conceit:
The average blog has the life expectancy of a red blood cell — about 120 days.
In other news, I think I just used a vocabulary word from …
Finding the SGU and Neurologica blogs has been the single most stimulating thing that has happened to me this year. I started getting into podcasts as a way of avoiding listening to the marathon election campaign here in Australia during my long drives to work, and I can happily say that even though the election has long gone I am still not listening much to the radio as i still have quite a few back episodes of the SGU to get through. As a fellow medical professional, I congratulate you Steve on your integrity, clarity and idealism. One often hears skeptics confused with cynics, and you are definitely not a cynic “who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing” as Oscar Wilde put it so well.
I have started giving my residents clear thinking exercises and teaching them about logical fallacies and critical thinking. Well done on your first year of Neurologica and I for one hope it will kepp rolling on !
Congratulations! And thanks for helping to open a whole new world for me!