So you want to blog

There are two parts to publishing anything successfully: the act of publication itself and the critical reaction to the published work. Both parts matter. Peer reviewers, editors, and other gatekeepers can erect formidable barriers between the author and the printing press. Surmounting those barriers is an accomplishment in and of itself. How the intended audience reacts to the publication, however, is equally important. Is a journal article or university press book widely cited in the ensuing literature? Does a textbook become widely assigned? Does an op-ed move the policy agenda? This distinction matters when thinking about how to write a “successful ” political science weblog. Compared to all of the other publication venues discussed in this volume, blogs are unique. There are no editorial gatekeepers in blogging. Technical or economic barriers to entry are essentially zero; anyone with access to the Internet can create a blog, for free, in under 10 minutes.1 The moment a political scientist sets up a blog, he or she has achieved the first component of success. The second component of success—positive audience reaction—is altogether trickier. An academic political scientist who decides to blog must consider three audiences: colleagues, students, and everyone else. The key to success is to earn positive feedback from as many readers as possible while not triggering a negative reaction from the first two groups. If successful, a political scientist’s blog can serve as a valuable complemen