In one way at least this development might seem sad — in the past you’ve talked about the need for academics to break out of only writing within their narrow subspecialties (and I’ve agreed with you), and this new emphasis might suggest that people aren’t doing that as much. But what’s notable about those two blogs at least is that their authors aren’t limiting themselves at all to narrow discussions. And they’re actually pretty exciting to read.

Perhaps academic blogging has moved past the “I’m rebelling against mind-deadening disciplinarity” to a new kind of space. It’s more conventional in some ways, but I find I’m learning from my blog-colleagues more now that I’m arguing with them less about fundamentals.

BTW I think pop culture is definitely a good release from hyper-blogo-self-importance-itis. Your review of “Hellboy,” for instance, made me go see it — I would have skipped it otherwise — and I haven’t seen as much of that here lately. (Maybe it’s just been a down year for quirky “B” action flicks based on comics and/or video games)

I do feel a bit constrained here not to shoot my mouth off about every single thing that catches my eye, partly because on some issues I don’t have opinions that are in any way different than the norm. I don’t think the world needs one more blogger repeating the conventional wisdom on Nancy Pelosi’s latest plan or what have you.

One thing I think I will write about more here is popular culture, though.

My own solution to the “getting locked into a voice/persona” thing is to have different blogs for different purposes. One to get a wider audience for dueling columns I (used to) do in the local paper with a colleague on a two-week cycle; one for primary-specialization work that I try to write every day on; and one for fun that I contribute to whenever I feel like.

I think people have come to expect you to always be the voice of reason here, so why not create a pseudonymous blog for fun and for yourself? If it’s good, people will read it. And if they figure out it’s you, the pseudonym should encourage them to keep it to themselves. Bitch Ph.D. semi-outed herself at MLA, but she’s still asking bloggers to stick with the pseudonym.

Or, if you like the audience you’ve built, let ’em know your more professional blogging is headed elsewhere, and those who stay should expect the blog to live up to its title more….

What I’m trying to say is, don’t you go stopping too!

Unless this medication finally kicks in.

I ask because it seems like that would enlarge the room, and because IMO that’s when you were at your best. I could almost see the wheels turning, slipping then gripping. It was the process that was most valuable and it is when engaging new material or navigating uncertain terrain that the process was most visible.

I know that was a private, protected place. A less threatening environment in many ways since there were rules to limit exposure to the world. But I think that you could publish every word you ever said there and not diminish yourself.

For me, the blogosphere is still a good balance of known and unknown, metropolitan and cosmopolitan — possibly because I have a very mongrel readership. I wonder if I achieve that by giving no one entirely what they’re looking for. Similarly, my RSS feeds are a dog’s dinner of high, low, and no culture.

Community vs. clique: that what it’s all about (cue the Hokey-Pokey).