[i won a PRIZE for RESEARCH BLOGGING!!!!]
Now that most phone calls at the office are official, not private, I’ve been practising answering my office phone with a serious, deep-voiced “Jill Walker” rather than my habitual, informal “Hei det er Jill!” I forgot last Wednesday though. The man on the other end had to ask me: “Jill Walker?” Yes, I told him. “This is Sigmund Grønmo,” he said. “You might know who I am?” Uh, yes. He’s our university’s rektor, the top boss of Bergen academia. We’re quite a large university, with 16000 students and over 2000 employees, so I’ve never actually met our current rektor, though I briefly met the previous one. The rektor doesn’t ring you every day.
“I’ve got great news for you,” he said. “You’ve won one of the Meltzer Foundation’s prizes for excellence in research dissemination!”
I yelped a TAZ DINGO (or words to that effect) and then fell silent.
“Are you sure this is really Sigmund Grønmo?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not some Nigeria spammer?”
“No, you can ring me back if you want to check,” he said with a chuckle in his voice.
“No, no, I believe you! But you’re really sure about this prize?”
“Yes! And there’s a hundred thousand kroner for you and we want you to come to the dinner, of course, next Wednesday. You’re not busy? I don’t supposed you’ve been to the Meltzer dinner before, have you?”
“No…”
“All the professors go. And of course we’ll want you there. Oh, and don’t tell anyone until the press release is out!”
“OK… And, my goodness, thank you!”
The internal university newspaper announced it this morning, so I guess he must have been telling the truth.
I’ve been very ambivalent about blogging in the last months. I suppose this sounds a little, well, obvious, but seeing that the university officially, publically and financially are saying that this blogging is great stuff and we’re glad you’ve been doing it, well, that’s astounding. It’s incredibly motivating and validating. And while I’m still not exactly sure how a somewhat established, young, female, head-of-small-department academic in new media blogs, I’m sure I’ll find a way I’m comfortable with and that’s mine. I had the PhD student blog, the newbie university teacher and the brand new head-of-small-department blog down pat, after all).
And hey, you know, if I’d had a pseudonymous academic blog like my almost daily reads Bitch PhD, See Jane Compute, Dr. Crazy, See Jane in the Academy, Profgrrrrl, Learning Curves or Confessions of a Community College Dean (the thought of which has appealed more and more to me) I couldn’t blog this! And would that blog be mine if I couldn’t blog something like this?
Somebody must have nominated me for this prize. If they’re reading this: thank you. I had absolutely no idea, and sudden official university recognition of research blogging as important for the university as a whole is amazing and just extremely motivating.
(Also, I have this sudden urge to email Ivan Tribble, who famously claimed in The Chronicle of Higher Education that blogging would guarantee you not getting an academic job, and tell him the news. Heh.)
March 6th, 2006 at 09:57
Giant leap for visible knowledge
This is more than surprising news, but so much more welcome: Dr. Jill Walker has won a prize of no less than NOK 100.000 for the work she’s doing in disseminating her research through her popular blog. The Bergen-based Meltzer…
March 6th, 2006 at 10:13
Wow - fantastic! And inspiring. And I really enjoy your blog by the way.
March 6th, 2006 at 10:26
Congratulations, Jill!
It seems to me that every time my blog is starving for food, something happens in life - good or bad - that keeps me from letting it die. Just last week something good arrived in my inbox thanks to you. We’ll see how it works out, but thank you no matter :)
March 6th, 2006 at 10:47
Gratulerer!
March 6th, 2006 at 10:55
Thanks! And hey, Kristin, excellent - I think I know what you’re talking about and I think you’d be great at it. Hope that works out!
March 6th, 2006 at 11:24
Congratulations!
March 6th, 2006 at 11:44
Jill that’s just great news. TAZ DINGO!!
March 6th, 2006 at 12:05
Congratulations, Jill, well deserved. The committee’s arguments are spot on; your blog is and has always been an interesting place to hang out. I hope you get over your ambivalence about blogging!
March 6th, 2006 at 12:31
Great! Congratulations! Hope this help this could help to work more on blogs and (maybe) to solve your doubts about blogs.
March 6th, 2006 at 13:15
Gratulerer sjef! :)
March 6th, 2006 at 13:24
Congratulations! :)
Great to hear; you certainly deserve it.
March 6th, 2006 at 14:25
Tillykke!
March 6th, 2006 at 14:40
Herzlichen Glückwunsch, wie geil ist das denn? :-)
March 6th, 2006 at 14:54
Wow!!! Congratulations!! That is fabulous news!!
March 6th, 2006 at 15:00
Hooray! But, um, Knud, I can read the Herzlichen Glückwunsch (thanks!), but what does wie geil mean? Sigh. One really should know German…
March 6th, 2006 at 15:03
Dear Jill Walker,
I am Barrister Tunde Ajayi, Principal Attorney to Late Engr. Michael Satterwhite, who used to work with a Multi-National oil Firm in Nigeria. Who is my client, but unfortunately lost his life on car accident along sabama express road last year 16th August 2004.
Since then I have made several inquiries to locate any of my client
sextended Relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to contact you since my client is a foreigner, it shall proved you as his relative and the bank will transfer the money left behind by my client to your account as his next of kin without suspicious.
Therefore I need your assist in receiving the money before they
getconfiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank where these huge
deposits were lodged.The Credit Coporation Bank{CCB} where the deceased had an account valued at about ($10.857.060.00(Ten Million Eight Hundred and Fifty Seven Thousand Sixty united State Dollars) has Issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or relative to apply for the claim before the account will be declare unserviceable or be closed within the next fourteen official working days.
I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin/relative of the
deceased so that the proceeds of this account valued at ($10.857.060.00(Ten Million Eight Hundred and Fifty Seven Thousand Sixty united State Dollars) can be paid into your account and then you and me Can share the Funds 45/45,while the remening 10% will be put for any expenses for our mutual benefit 45% for me and 45% to you.
All I require is your full name, address your telephone and Fax number for effective comunication, your occupation and date of birth to enable me apply for the release of the money through Federal High Court of Nigeria. Your honest co-operation will enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you and I from any breach of the law.
Best regards
Barrister Tunde Ajayi.
March 6th, 2006 at 15:26
Sure, Christian ;)
March 6th, 2006 at 15:29
WoW! Congratulations!
March 6th, 2006 at 15:42
Heh, thanks Martin. And LOOK at this nice article Tord wrote for the Norwegian Librarians’ Association!
March 6th, 2006 at 15:54
Congratulations, Jill, well deserved! (and, uh, no, you ain’t getting no prizes for playing World of Warcraft…!)
March 6th, 2006 at 15:58
(”Geil”=horny, lustful, prurient - OR: cool, great, Yabba-Dabba-Doo!)
Congratulations, Glückwünsche, ein dreifaches Hoch!!!
Think that I got interviewed by a young researcher from our Department of Economics only last friday, who asked thousand questions about the use of blogs as marketing instruments. He seemed quite taken aback when I told him that blogs also make wonderful objects of humanistic research and can act as wonderful tools for academic teaching - of course I recommended him to take a look at your site …
March 6th, 2006 at 16:35
Congratulations! I read your blog often and am inspired. Academic recognition and now money, woo-hoo!
March 6th, 2006 at 16:42
congratulation once more, jill! hope to see you tomorrow!
March 6th, 2006 at 18:37
Woohoo! Gratz, Jill! I’m with you on the value of non-pseudonymous academic blogging. While I understand the concerns that motivate the pseudonymous bloggers, the rewards I’ve gotten from blogging as myself far, far outweigh any risks I’ve incurred.
Can’t wait to hear about the dinner!
March 6th, 2006 at 18:41
And I just did the currency conversion–that’s a pretty nice financial prize!! I think you should use some of it to bring yourself and Aurora back to the states for a visit. You’d love Seattle! :D
March 6th, 2006 at 19:27
Congratulations! That’s wonderful :)
March 6th, 2006 at 19:29
one more remark about the “geil” - here it means “cool, great, Yabba-Dabba-Doo!”
March 6th, 2006 at 19:33
Gratulere! :)
March 6th, 2006 at 20:10
Congratulations, Jill! I’m very happy for you.
March 6th, 2006 at 20:39
GRATTIS från Sverige!
It’s always nice when blogs you read are awarded prizes. :)
March 6th, 2006 at 22:18
Congratulations!
March 6th, 2006 at 22:27
research blogging ftw!
Lately it seems hard for me to find the time to blog, or the topics that seem bloggable. But I’m re-inspired by Jill’s announcement of her award for research dissemination via blogging—how exciting! And it reminded me of how valuable …
March 7th, 2006 at 00:33
wow, jill, congratulations. here’s to making blogging popular in Norway, despite it being a severely un-Norwegian concept…
March 7th, 2006 at 01:03
Jill, this is excellent. And very deserved. xo
March 7th, 2006 at 01:36
congrats jill! how fun!
March 7th, 2006 at 03:26
Well done! Congratulations!
March 7th, 2006 at 07:57
Gratulerer, Jill! Veldig hyggelig og fortjent!
March 7th, 2006 at 08:38
*Beam* Thanks everyone! Marius, is blogging really un-Norwegian? I suppose it doesn’t match Jante, huh?
March 7th, 2006 at 08:50
Hey! Congratulations, this is certainly well deserved. This prize restores my faith in the university system where they really can recognize a good thing and reward it. You should probably get an award for kickstarting the whole blogging in academia in Norway as well.
March 7th, 2006 at 10:14
fantastico; splendido; fantastico!
March 7th, 2006 at 10:56
Gratulerer Jill! Dette er jammen vel fortjent :)
March 7th, 2006 at 11:13
Fantastic and well-deserved, what a recognition and achievement for you personally and for blogging in general. Bergen bloggers are proud. Hurray for what Olav Anders calls visible knowledge.
March 7th, 2006 at 12:32
Gratulerer!
March 7th, 2006 at 13:29
Well, I would say it’s becoming Norwegian, but it certainly doesn’t match the stereotype, the Laws of Jante etc. But even with the rise of the Norwegian bloggers, doesn’t your own surprise at winning this award and getting recognition from your own uiversity suggest that you sometimes worry that blogging is a dead-end? You point to profgrrl and other anonymous blogs, which are anonymous (at least partly) out of a fear of professional backlash.
These aspects only makes this award even more important, so congratulations again!
March 7th, 2006 at 14:19
Hey Jill, thats fantastic news! Now that “everyone” is blogging I remember a radio interview some years back with you (the unofficial blogger ambassador in Norway) promoting the concept, and I remember it being… kinda “cute”. Boy, have I learned something since then both about blog power, not to mention Jill power!! Congratulations!!
March 7th, 2006 at 14:31
That is fantastic and well deserved, girl!
March 7th, 2006 at 16:13
Excellent, Jill! You rock, and inspire too. I speak from personal experience.
March 7th, 2006 at 19:35
Congratulations!! You definitely desserve it! And so inspiring!!! I feel an inkling of hope for UiB, when your work is recognised in such a way!
March 7th, 2006 at 20:18
Congratulations! and no doubt very well deserved. Hope this gives you loads of new energy.
best,
Ton
March 7th, 2006 at 23:54
Jill, this is great news! I’m so happy for you.
March 8th, 2006 at 08:47
I think you’re right, Marius. And YAY! Again.
March 8th, 2006 at 21:27
WoW, this is increadably Jill. Gratualtions to you, you deserve it very much. You are a great insperation for the student at UiB, and specialy at Huminf.
March 9th, 2006 at 02:26
Congratulation Jill! Well done!Bravo!
March 10th, 2006 at 20:58
Congratulations Jill! I am very happy for you!
March 11th, 2006 at 16:12
Great news, Jill. Sounds like the story is/has been a great ride for you! -mg
March 12th, 2006 at 13:50
Congratulations Jill!
Well done!
Your blogg has proved very useful and informative especially for someone like myself who is working with web development at the University of Oslo. We’ve just started to implement blogs into a few of our programs at the Faculty of Education….I sure wish you were on our staff.
Keep up the good work!
March 12th, 2006 at 14:01
Sorry to bother you again….but Jill, your table on the left hand side where you have your “Quick links”; it is obscuring the comment text. Well, at least in IE 6. I think it is because your link “NewPR Wiki - Resources.ThesesAndDissertations” isn’t wrapping correctly. Ok, anyhow, I just thought I would point that out.
Thank you!
March 13th, 2006 at 17:33
Yeah, I know Shane - it’s because there’s a long URL and Explorer doesn’t break them. It’ll disappear when I’ve added a few more links. Great to know the blog has been useful to you! And nice to know I could get other jobs if I wanted to ;)
June 5th, 2007 at 17:04
[…] 3. jill/txt - Jill won a prize for her research blogging! […]
November 30th, 2007 at 20:39
[…] Lafeuille: Un blog académique est récompensé en Norvège Annotated Très récemment, ce blog a reçu un prix de la Fondation Meltzer, pour avoir contribué à la dissémination des connaissances scientifiques. Elle raconte l’événement dans…son blog évidemment et fait à ce propos une remarque judicieuse : l’écriture d’un blog dans un contexte professionnel comme celui de la recherche ou de l’enseignement ne va pas sans problème. […]