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 to blog as a somewhat established, young, female, head-of-small-department academic in new media, 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.)
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Undercurrent
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…
Beverly Trayner
Wow – fantastic! And inspiring. And I really enjoy your blog by the way.
Kristin
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 🙂
Solveig
Gratulerer!
Jill
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!
Sandra
Congratulations!
Esther
Jill that’s just great news. TAZ DINGO!!
Arne Olav
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!
Luca
Great! Congratulations! Hope this help this could help to work more on blogs and (maybe) to solve your doubts about blogs.
Hilde
Gratulerer sjef! 🙂
tormodh
Congratulations! 🙂
Great to hear; you certainly deserve it.
CYF
Tillykke!
Knud
Herzlichen Gl¸ckwunsch, wie geil ist das denn? 🙂
Anya
Wow!!! Congratulations!! That is fabulous news!!
Jill
Hooray! But, um, Knud, I can read the Herzlichen Gl¸ckwunsch (thanks!), but what does wie geil mean? Sigh. One really should know German…
Christian
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.
Jill
Sure, Christian 😉
Martin
WoW! Congratulations!
Jill
Heh, thanks Martin. And LOOK at this nice article Tord wrote for the Norwegian Librarians’ Association!
JosÈ Angel
Congratulations, Jill, well deserved! (and, uh, no, you ain’t getting no prizes for playing World of Warcraft…!)
Cornelia
(“Geil”=horny, lustful, prurient – OR: cool, great, Yabba-Dabba-Doo!)
Congratulations, Gl¸ckw¸nsche, 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 …
Jim LaMee
Congratulations! I read your blog often and am inspired. Academic recognition and now money, woo-hoo!
gro
congratulation once more, jill! hope to see you tomorrow!
Liz Lawley
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!
Liz Lawley
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! 😀
profgrrrrl
Congratulations! That’s wonderful 🙂
Knud
one more remark about the “geil” – here it means “cool, great, Yabba-Dabba-Doo!”
Jorunn
Gratulere! 🙂
Bill
Congratulations, Jill! I’m very happy for you.
Krizz
GRATTIS frÂn Sverige!
It’s always nice when blogs you read are awarded prizes. 🙂
Jason
Congratulations!
mamamusings
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 …
Marius Watz
wow, jill, congratulations. here’s to making blogging popular in Norway, despite it being a severely un-Norwegian concept…
Lisa
Jill, this is excellent. And very deserved. xo
jane
congrats jill! how fun!
Kelly in Kansas
Well done! Congratulations!
trond
Gratulerer, Jill! Veldig hyggelig og fortjent!
Jill
*Beam* Thanks everyone! Marius, is blogging really un-Norwegian? I suppose it doesn’t match Jante, huh?
Thomas
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.
nicholas mollerhaug
fantastico; splendido; fantastico!
torill
Gratulerer Jill! Dette er jammen vel fortjent 🙂
i1277
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.
Roar
Gratulerer!
Marius Watz
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!
Per Platou
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!!
weez
That is fantastic and well deserved, girl!
vika
Excellent, Jill! You rock, and inspire too. I speak from personal experience.
Linn
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!
Ton Zijlstra
Congratulations! and no doubt very well deserved. Hope this gives you loads of new energy.
best,
Ton
Bente
Jill, this is great news! I’m so happy for you.
Jill
I think you’re right, Marius. And YAY! Again.
Erik
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.
Perla
Congratulation Jill! Well done!Bravo!
James
Congratulations Jill! I am very happy for you!
Mary Godwin
Great news, Jill. Sounds like the story is/has been a great ride for you! -mg
Shane Colvin
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!
Shane Colvin
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!
Jill
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 😉
Random 10 from the Bogroll « Qulog 2.0
[…] 3. jill/txt – Jill won a prize for her research blogging! […]
en vrac sur diigo 11/30/2007 « biblioth?©caire
[…] Lafeuille: Un blog acad?©mique est r?©compens?© en Norv?®ge Annotated Tr?®s r?©cemment, ce blog a re?ßu un prix de la Fondation Meltzer, pour avoir contribu?© ?† la diss?©mination des connaissances scientifiques. Elle raconte l’?©v?©nement dans…son blog ?©videmment et fait ?† ce propos une remarque judicieuse : l’?©criture d’un blog dans un contexte professionnel comme celui de la recherche ou de l’enseignement ne va pas sans probl?®me. […]