I am thinking of starting yet another blog. (The grammatically incorrect Geografica Polska is also mine.)
This would be for keeping track of my dissertation ideas. Uncertainty Distribution says it well (scroll down to the March 22 entry to read the whole thing):
1. Keep a record of all the meetings with adviser and committee members;
2. List the tasks or next step we've agreed on and record why those decisions were made;
3. Keep track of administerial timelines, like all the paperwork I need to file with the Graduate School, when each piece was filed, etc.; and
4. Record ideas and musings that may prove useful in the future.
Trouble is, I am torn between the convenience of having a UThink blog (available anytime, anywhere), and my feeling that I might want to write openly about my insecurities about research and my potential frustrations with people (committee members, advisor, interview subjects, etc.) in ways that I wouldn't want to have available on the web.
Anyway - that's a decision for another time. Right now: loads of Polish homework. Professor P. is really heaping it on lately.
Sno-cones, I can certainly understand why you wouldn't want to share EVERYTHING about the dissertation process with your readers. On the other hand, I can also understand why you would want to chronicle those things (sometimes it's reassuring to look back and see what what seemed insurmountable two weeks ago was, in fact, a mere bump in the path). And, although there ARE some pay-for-service blog sites (such as TypePad) that have the ability to limit access, I vote for writing most, but not EVERYTHING, on UThink. I really appreciate the community of grad students on UThink...maybe we'll all meet at graduation.
Posted by: Winter in the Cities at March 29, 2005 04:42 PMI vote for UThink too! It is the best!
Posted by: Shane at March 31, 2005 07:42 AM