Aetiology

So, this "why do you blog> meme is apparently making the rounds here at Scienceblogs and elsewhere. Reading the other responses, I realized this is something I've discussed in interviews and with friends and others, but I can't recall writing about here. So, in case anyone is interested in the whole sordid tale, I'll put a bit about how and why I got into blogging after the jump.

After I graduated college, I moved back to Ohio for awhile. At this time, the Discovery Institute was just starting to ramp up their campaign to get "intelligent design" taught in schools there. Being only vaguely familiar with ID and not much better versed in other forms of creationism, I started to read everything I could on the topic, which led to a lot of internet sites. Sometimes I just lurked and read, other times I participated. Long story short, that eventually led to an invitation to write for the Panda's Thumb, starting in early 2005, I believe. After blogging there exclusively for about 6 months, I realized I kept coming across a lot of stories and papers I'd like to write about, but they didn't really fit into typical PT territory. So Evil Monkey nagged me into starting my own site on blogger, where I proceeded to ramble about, well, the general scope of topics I still do here.

So, why do it exactly? Like most people here, I really consider myself a nerd at heart. There's so many interesting things going on in biology, microbiology, infectious disease, public health, etc., and many of them are things I wouldn't necessarily get to write or talk about otherwise. Therefore, blogging gives me a platform to discuss these issues with people who are actually interested (as opposed to my poor long-suffering family, who know more about infectious disease than they ever wanted to. EVER). So, first and foremost, it's a hobby. It entertains me, it's a way to wind down. But second, it's a way to relax that, potentially, has some use to other like-minded folk, so it's also a bit of a round table discussion (or, sometimes, a bar room brawl, depending on the topic) and hopefully a public service. Third, I don't think any blogger can honestly say that there's not a bit of ego involved. Yes, I write for myself, covering topics that interest me. But I enjoy the discussion, and to have that discussion, people must first read what you write, and then respond to it. So the blog is also a way for me to get up on my soapbox and shout to the world about what is important to me--and occasionally, to have people listen and take action. Finally, and this is one I'd not really given much consideration to before I dipped my toe into the blogging world, but it's been a good networking tool. I've met a lot of other bloggers in person, had a variety of scientists and journalists contact me because of the blog, and just gotten in contact with a host of interesting people that I'd probably not have met otherwise. It's been a fun trip so far, I have to say...