Blogs as Virtual Third Space

Informal scholarly writing to reach new readers and make a difference

Find your place with a new publication strategy.

This Academic Writing Month we’re exploring ways to find our place as a scholar.

In today’s complex, messy, interdisciplinary milieu it can be challenging to find the place where our work fits (and where we fit). How can we find collaborative partners or interested readers? How can we find communication channels that allow us to reach those who could benefit from what we discovered through our research, where we can make an authentic contribution? How do we connect with aspiring or experienced scholars who can learn from and build on our work, policy makers or professionals who can put our findings into practice? Where can we offer clear explanations to members of the public who need trustworthy writing that counters pervasive misinformation and AI slop?

I contend that scholars need virtual third places. We need places that are not in the formal peer-reviewed domain of journals, books, and monographs, and not in the domain of academic or work-related assignments. We need places that allow us to share timely, informal, creative writing and media tailored to specific audiences. We need interactive third places where we can find friends, encouragement, and community

The primary colors of scholarly writing

The term third place was introduced by American Sociologist Ray Oldenburg in a 1989 book, The Great Good Place. He observed:

The third place is not home and not work, but instead one of the physical settings that have throughout history encouraged a sense of warmth, conviviality, and that special kind of human sustenance we call community. These [are] settings … where people from different walks of life gather to hang out in an informal atmosphere.

Oldenburg explained the origin and significance of the idea behind third spaces:

The concept derives from the advent of the industrial revolution that put considerable distance between the home (the first place) and the workplace (the second place) both in terms of physical and social separation. Both the home and the workplace are relatively small worlds and both constrain individuals to play the social roles those settings require. Those two settings may be said to anchor our lives. Taken together, however, they are adequate neither to the development of community nor to the broadening of the individual. Toward those ends a third place is needed, one in which people from a diversity of backgrounds combine to expand one another’s understanding of the world and, out of the bonds formed there, community takes root.

Naturally, Oldenburg discussed in-person spaces such as cafés, taverns, or libraries. We can make virtual third spaces. Online communities and social media offer options for mixing writing, media, and interaction. Blogs are an essential third space. I was a convert after reading the LSE post by Patrick Dunleavy: “Shorter, better, faster, free: Blogging changes the nature of academic research, not just how it is communicated.” This point was particularly stunning:

At the end of [the lengthy peer review] process any published paper is no more than a tombstone marking where happening debate and knowledge used to be, four or five years earlier.

Yikes! All that time and effort to design and conduct research, write the article, work through peer review to create a tombstone? In contrast, Dunleavy suggested that “academic blogging gets your work and research out to a potentially massive audience at very, very low cost and relative amount of effort.” Clearly we have a dilemma because we need the oversight and verification provided by editors and reviewers, yet we need to get emerging ideas and recommendations out while the issue is current. This month we’ll look at how to do both.

Blogs and/or social media?

When social media companies initially offered free platforms where users could find and engage with others, blogs and email lists were regarded as outdated. However, with increased concern about privacy issues, intrusive advertising, format and length limitations, and ethical dilemmas associated with social media, earlier ways of sharing and networking online have re-emerged. Writers can choose a stand-alone blog or website, or post on a community-oriented platform. Flexible hybrid options are emerging, including here on Substack. Blog/website/email newsletters make written or video posts, short articles or essays available on an app, browser, or as email deliveries to subscribers. We can also create private, members-only areas for sharing and conversation.

It is not either/or binary; bloggers often use social media in order to network and find interested readers. We can create short posts that fit within the constraints of the social media platforms, but link back to the blog site where we have the freedom to present more substantial material in the length, style and format we prefer. The blog site offers the ability to archive posts so we can continue to build on and reference earlier work.

This AcWriMo let’s take an expansive view about the potential for virtual third spaces and include video and written blogs, online communities and social media groups, discussion groups, email lists, or webinars. Again, I am not suggesting that we abandon writing for places that might be central to our livelihoods. Writing and sharing our work in virtual third spaces complements, rather than replaces, the formal writing we do for publications or assigned projects. With a thoughtful strategy, flexible, interactive communication options can help us achieve our first and second place research and career goals.

Choose the type(s) blog or community that fits your project and writing style

Patrick Dunleavy distinguished between blog types according to the number and type of author: solo, collaborative, or multi-author. I’ve adapted and updated his model:

• Solo: You create, manage, and provide content. The blog or other online space is associated with your own identity, project, or activities. As blog owner you are responsible for the design and direction of the blog and you write and edit posts, with occasional guest contributions. Your identity is key to the brand.

• Collaborative: You join with a group of co-researchers, co-authors, colleagues or others with a common interest, area of inquiry, methodology or discipline. Editorial roles may be rotated or shared. You share the responsibility of managing the blog or community and keeping it up to date. Topic or disciplinary identities define the brand.

• Institutional or Professional: A business, university, professional or scientific association, journal or publisher hosts the blog or community. There is an editor, editorial team, and/or a community manager. The editor or team commissions or collates contributions from many authors. Posts are reviewed or edited, and the site has strong production values and design. This type will have some level of management, technical, and design support. Branding is linked to the host entity.

Choose the approach that will reach your target audience.

This AcWriMo we’ll look at ideas and examples that allow us to connect with people within and outside of academia. Hopefully, once you’ve explored the options you will be prepared to re-evaluate your publication strategy:

Week of November 10. Communicate scholar-to-scholar: How can we reach and build community with researchers, academics, and/or students in our field(s) of study or discipline(s)?

Week of November 17. Communicate scholar-to-professional: How can we reach and influence people in policymaking or practice?

Week of November 24. Communicate scholar-to-public: How can we reach the public with credible, trustworthy, usable explanations and recommendations? How can our research help address social problems and make the world a better place?

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