Physicists Uses of Blogs

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Physicists Uses of Blogs

• Christina K. Pikas
• SLA PAM Physics Roundtable
• June 5, 2007

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Note No faculty liaison talk!

• Report from the first Science Blogging Conference
• State of the Physics Blogosphere
• Pre-2005
• Post-2005
• My upcoming study

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Science Blogging Conference

• January 20, 2007 in Chapel Hill, NC
• Topics
• Blogging for the benefit of teachers
• Promoting public understanding of science
• How to blog
• Blogging controversies in science

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Results

• Series of primers/basic reviews
• Suitable for undergrads?
• Suitable for us?
• http//tinyurl.com/yvhrca
• How k-12 teachers use blogs
• Targeting content to requirements

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Next Year

• Saturday, January 19, 2008
• Topics
• Teaching Science
• Science Journalism
• Doing science on blogs

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Physics Blogosphere Pre-2005

• Maybe fewer than 10 active bloggers using
  blogging software
• Many still blogging
• Distler (2002- )
• The Quantum Pontiff (2003- )
• Not Even Wrong (2004- )

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2005

• Quantum Diaries Project
• Bloggers wanted to continue
• Others wanted to comment?
• Cosmic Variance
• Critical Mass?

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After 2005

• Maybe 300 physicist bloggers?
• Trackbacks on Arxiv (http//arxiv.org/tb/recent)
• Many, many comments

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My study

• How and why do scientists blog?
• Qualitative
• Content analysis
• Interviews
• Finishing by 1/08

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Contact Information

• Christina K. Pikas, BS, MLS R.E. Gibson Library
  Information CenterThe Johns Hopkins University
• Applied Physics Laboratory
• Voice  443.778.4812 (Baltimore)
• 240.228.4812 (Washington)
• E-mail Christina.Pikas_at_jhuapl.edu