Andrew Jaffe: Leaves on the Line

The Chronicle of Higher Education has an offensive article on the pseudonymous Ivan Tribble's experience on a (reactionary, shortsighted, but perhaps not unusual) faculty search committee which rejected all the bloggers who applied. Aside from the obvious "don't blog", the lessons don't seem to be restricted to the internet:

• Don't have any interests outside of academia.
• Don't ever mention your personal life where anyone might overhear.
• Don't ever talk about your research unless it's been refereed.
• Don't ever talk about your department or university. At least, only say nice things (i.e., lie).
• In fact, it's better never to talk at all. Just publish.
• Unless, like Ivan, it's anonymous.

Scoble -- not an academic -- doesn't get it when he says "It sounds like blogs helped keep him from making a bad hiring decision": they were using the blogs to reject candidates for reasons having nothing to do with their suitability for the job.

That the Chronicle titled this drivel "Bloggers Need Not Apply" implies that perhaps they understood its ridiculousness; I hope they will solicit a response from the academic blogging community. But you can already find much more commentary here, here, here, here, here, here, here and everywhere else in the blogosphere.

P.S. It turns out that yesterday was the first anniversary of this blog. Should I celebrate, or just take Ivan's advice and shut down?