For kicks, I decided to look on PubMed to see if there was any research done on blogging. There is. Actual research done on how docs blog. Cool. But it's Saturday, so I'm only going to look at 2 of them.
First of all, did you know about Web 2.0?? I sure didn't but I've been using it like a mad person for years. Web 2.0 describes web sites that use technology beyond the static pages of earlier web sites.
This article makes a point I've been considering for a while - making my blog searchable in a way that will make it easier to match experiences I've had with my progress in my training and any applicable social aspects. They propose that bloggers use the usual tags they use (my favourite seems to be 'note to self''), they call these folksonomy - plus a diagnostic code from the ICD-11. The blogs that the researchers suggest these tags be used include WebMD, Kevin MD, and CasesBlog. My blog has little to do with these blogs - it's just me, I'm trying to learn more about myself as a physician not necessarily educate others (though I hope that's a happy bonus), and, for the most part, I hide my patients' true diagnosis. If I choose to follow the proposed system in this paper, which frankly isn't terrible, it makes it more difficult to hide my patients' identity. Unless, I use the ICD codes only for my rants on specific topics like suicide and HIV, and ignore the diagnoses of the cases I dissect. Which certainly is something worth looking at. While I won't follow their algorithm to the letter, I will try to remember to tag liberally.
Another set of researchers looked specifically at learners' blogs. It's like they were looking over my shoulder. They found that learners used their blogs to reflect on their experiences. Their table 2 looks at the analysis of the blogs and what is covered and offers a few suggestions. My absolute favourite is the suggestion to share coping strategies with peers. Personally, I would have put it under "emotional distress" not "interaction with peers". I think that many learners are looking for other learners' blogs to find out how they deal with the big stuff in their lives - exams, residency matching, patient death... Having a fairly anonymous way of talking about things we are afraid of telling each other face to face would be helpful. There are many conversations taking place on twitter and in medical journals about burnout. It seems to me that using each other via the anonymity of Web 2.0 is one way to seek help without worrying about repercussions.
They also found that blogging learners were likely to preach the benefits both of collaborative learning and having a solid support system. Of course they do. Blogging learners rock.
Pinilla et al also makes some suggestions about how medical educators can use their students' blogs to enhance their learning. One suggestions is that the educators look for where their learners are having problems with exams, etc. This creeps me out. If I had any inkling that my teachers were looking at my blog I would have stopped writing. Or at least edited my posts to the point of ruining the point I was trying to make. Random, unknown educators would have been welcome to peruse, but not my own teachers. Looking at broad themes and concerns of the bloggers in general is a great idea. That it might even be an option makes me happy that I've stayed the Imposter.
So, to recap what I've learned:
1. Tag my blog liberally so that finding information in the future will be easy, both for me and for my readers.
2. Encourage the use of blogs as a way to share coping strategies.
3. Blogging learners rock.
4. Educators should not follow their own learners' blogs. It's creepy. But I'm all for qualitative research. Especially when it's done by someone else.
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