Benefits of Blogging for Grad Students

Over at Getting Genetics Done, Stephen Turner highlights a recent post by blogger Drew Conway, in which he outlines "ten reasons why grad students should blog." In his post, Conway says that blogging can help grad students to establish their identity, network outside of academia, hone their craft, and sharpen their critical eye — and no, Conway adds, "the faculty in your department will not think less of you." Notably, blogging to establish one's identity is one way to get a "[proverbial] foot in the door for a job talk at a university" and "is a critical first step. … If you are in graduate school to be the 'best kept secret in academia,' you are making a fatal mistake," the blogger writes. Furthermore, "having a blog provides you an independent beacon upon which you can broadcast your own ideas," and qualifications — Conway says that in the last year his CV has been downloaded by more than 875 unique visitors to his blog.