Academic Blogging - To Contribute or not to Contribute?

How can one assess his or her contributions to the public sphere when it's so damn big? Just ask Adam Brickley who, through his incredibly successful blogging campaign influenced U.S. Presidential Candidate John McCain's pick for running mate. Mr. Brickley wrote his blogs out of his mother's basement and had an impact that will greatly affect the entire world through the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

However, on a more personal level, I have yet to fully comprehend my impact on the public sphere. That is, in part, why I feel inclined to pursue a career in journalism; in order to see my affect on the public as a member of said public. I have always been a somewhat reserved person with big thoughts and opinions and I am eager to see what others might draw from those thoughts.

That said, I have done blogging before and have found it to be a somewhat niche medium. That, in particular, is why I felt it necessary to begin with Mr. Brickley's story, because he did something I feel to be extraordinary. He harnessed the power of free thought and free speech and, through what I believe to be a relatively unexplored medium, he affected the masses. Showing me, first hand, that one person can affect millions through blogging.

I have yet to experience my role in the public sphere come to fruition and affect something or someone. However, with that being my personal goal regarding my role in the public eye, I feel that that is not the motivation behind one's contributions to the public sphere. I believe that it is the feeling of togetherness that playing a role in the world entails rather than your affect on said world that really drives the public as a whole to contribute.

I would like to thank Mr. Brickley for his hard work and I would urge you all to visit his blog at http://palinforvp.blogspot.com/