I wonder...

I've been blogging for close to five years now, and I am starting to wonder if it is worth my while. Originally, I intended to use my blog as an opportunity to keep my writing sharp while I prepared for seminary. I do think it was helpful in that regard. However, now that I'm in a PhD program, I find myself having less time and less of a desire to blog.

My thinking on this is threefold:

First, blogging in general is dangerous. It is easy to publish stuff without a great deal of thought. This really came home to me this past week. I watched people publish inappropriate material and have it hurt them or other people. Inappropriate material comes in all forms and types. It is not just the "rants" that I am thinking of right now. I am also thinking of sandbagging other scholars without reading their books, publishing material that was not intended to be public, etc. Because there is no peer review process, it is simply too easy to do this sort of thing, and once it is out there with your name on it, it's out there.

Imagine a future employer googling your name and discovering one of your less careful posts. I've seen this sort of thing happen.

Second, academic blogging can also be dangerous. Once you have put your ideas out there, anyone can pick them up and claim them as their own. This is why I have become more and more reticent about publishing my thoughts on the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, etc. I may want to use some of my work in my dissertation, but if I put it out there ahead of time, it is possible that someone might steal my idea. I know I sound paranoid, but I think caution is in order.

Third, I have become somewhat cynical about blogging. Many bloggers (myself included) can easily develop an inflated sense of scholarly worth based on sub-par work ("Hey everyone! Look how many hits I got on that post! I must be amazing!"). Similarly, much that passes as blogging is basically a modified form of academic narcissism ("I did this today... I read this..."). I wonder how many people really want to know what I've been reading.

Perhaps I am being too hard on the medium, but I am seriously considering putting my blog to bed. If anyone has any thoughts/arguments on why I should continue blogging, feel free to comment. I haven't officially decided yet, but I am leaning towards stopping.