Earlier today I reflected on my start as a Blogger™ over on Twitter, which is basically where I blog now (hashtag blogging is dead or something). Stephen Heard (who has his own blog) suggested I post it here too, and I figured for old time sake (and so I don’t forget my login information) that that sounded like a great idea.
Today marks the 7th anniversary of the greatest career decision I've made: I hit "Publish" for the first time on my blog.
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
You can read that first introductory post here if you want. The first “real” post is here (which I’m pleasantly surprised to admit stands up pretty well 7 years later).
I'd say "started a blog 7 years ago" but in reality I bought the domain & installed WordPress almost 8 years ago, then timidly sat on it
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
At the time, significantly more so than now, it was a crazy idea to write sciency words for free that didn't "count" academically
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
My friends & advisors all questioned my spending time blogging rather than focusing on research, but I thought it might pay off longterm
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
Luckily, I think it has. Blogging and other social media activity, have provided countless professional & personal opportunities
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
This is a major upcoming thing that I can draw a straight line between my starting a blog to getting an invite to become involved with https://t.co/Pl051mzyI5
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
I don't publish on my blog as often as I used to, but it's always there if I need a place to share my thoughts or opinions in longer form
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
And it's also something I can point to and say Look! I did a thing that I'm proud of, that has affected people, and that has helped me grow
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
And I'm even more excited that my blog was one of those selected to help researchers understand how readers use & view science blogging https://t.co/ZGWj2SUn9t
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
The blogosphere has evolved remarkably since I started, but the community that has evolved with it remains my #1 source of inspiration
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
While I'm in a reflective mood, here are 3 blog posts I wrote which you may not have read but which I really like:
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
1. A phylogeny of early-days insect blogs based on behavioural & morphological characters https://t.co/WoG1PVuVjo
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
2. A biography of Willi Hennig, taxonomist and father of phylogenetics who's place in science history is undervalued https://t.co/QZaYH2Mzfi
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
3. A look into the extreme gender imbalance present in taxonomy, particularly among journal editorial boards https://t.co/4AAlMDIYKd
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017
This is all to say thanks for sticking with me, for reading what I wrote, and for sharing your own thoughts in response. It's been great
— Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) January 12, 2017