After a year, it's still kind of strange for me to think of myself as an education blogger. I mean, my maternal grandfather was a steelworker, my mom was a chemical engineer, and I am a blogger. Doesn't sound quite right, does it?

Here is some of what I have learned over the course of the year about this "interesting" medium:

Long vs. short: Most bloggers have a preference for long or short posts. Those who prefer short posts seem to think you should just get to the point--short and pithy as they say--while those who favor long posts seem to think it is important to flesh out most of the details of an argument. My preference is for two to three paragraph posts, both for myself and those that I read. After three paragraphs, I feel like I am reading something that is more like an article, and I start to lose interest.

Silly vs. substantive: Some bloggers like to inject a little humor into their posts, while others seem to feel it debases the medium (if that's possible!). Me, I like the occasional silly post as long as it isn't too mean-spirited. It breaks the monotony and helps keep things lively. Plus, I don't think of blogging as journalism.  I think bloggers sometimes take themselves a bit too seriously.

Cross-blogging "gotchas": In the best case scenario, cross-blogging is done to show, "look, someone else said something interesting on this topic" or "I don't agree with this line of argument, but it's worth reading." The worst case--when it's used as a "gotcha" to deliberately misconstrue what you meant or back you into a corner. I think it's pretty easy to distinguish the best from the worst, but bloggers often are not honest with themselves about this trope.

What about me!: Some bloggers tend to be the first out of the box on any given issue. Maybe they get up early, can write faster, whatever--it happens. And, if they say something interesting or point to a source that I wouldn't have found on my own, I am happy to provide some "linky love." But, if they cite an article in the New York Times or another major publication that I would have read anyway and/or they don't add any cogent analysis, I don't feel obligated to link to the post. Sorry.

Advancing the debate: Do education blogs really advance the debate over the issues? Hmm. I'm not sure about this one. I think because of the "gotcha" nature of cross-blogging, it's hard to say that blogs move us forward in discussing the issues. But, I do think blogs provide an outlet for opinion and analysis that wouldn't necessarily make it into the MSM but is worth considering.  And in DC, a new education report is released almost every day, but not every report warrants an organizational press release.  Blogs provide an outlet for for commenting on reports.

I guess I will stop here, although I could say more about other aspects of blogging like nasty-grams or picking blog fights. If you are like me, you probably stopped reading after the third paragraph anyway! Maybe other education bloggers have something to add.