Thursday, October 8, 2009

fieldwork blog? (reposted from fb)

So, still trying to decide if this blogging thing is for me, especially me in the field. I used to keep a blog (via livejournal), back when I lived in Halifax for my MA. Mostly I commented on news items I found interesting, including those that related to my research topic, and watched a few forums (one on anthropology, another broadly academic, and a third on Canadian politics), occasionally posting or commenting. For the most part though, I didn't write about my own research. So this is new for me, and a little bit strange... sounds like fieldwork?

The following bit has been reposted from Facebook, a more extensive pondering over whether or not a fieldwork blog is a good idea, or asking for trouble...

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Blogs seem to be pretty common things to keep when people travel, used to keep kind of a public journal of one's experiences and to share and receive comment on ideas. So, what about a fieldwork blog?

I've been thinking about this since I found a one of a friend. She uses it to kind of relate the things that she's done/ seen, as well as musings, anxieties and goals. It seems a little tricky though, since it can make the anonymity of those you interact with daily, people within the scope of the researcher's practice of participant-oberservation,
a little precarious. Is it productive, then? Or a wise choice? Pen and ink can be, if necessary, edited/ destroyed/ secreted away, but I kind of feel that cyber-space is forever.

At the same time, if people (friends, colleagues, loved ones) actually read the thing, it might be a way of getting useful feedback: critiques, comments, reassurances, support. It may also be a useful node for connecting to potential research sites and participants, in a way that traditional notebooks are not. I'm not talking about giving up on my little blue fieldnotebook, but wondering if we, as researchers, should be making the most out of the technological possibilities at our fingertips?

So, what about the fieldwork blog? Is it worthwhile? Is it something that more of us should be doing? If you knew people who were writing them, would you bother to read? Do you keep one (or are you a blogger in general)? Ideas? Comments? Discussions??

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If anyone else has a fieldwork or any other kind of blog they would like to share, please send me a link.

1 comment:

megan kinch said...

As I said on the facebook, my fieldwork blog is at http://megantron.blogspot.com/ : the Guatemala parts are the fieldwork. I've also found that if I repost blog entries to facebook I get more comments. I like having my own blog though.

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