Warning: an f-bomb lurks in this story. Probably NSFW for that reason.
Now’s your chance to go to prestigious Duke University to study blogging. Catch is, you kinda, sorta ought to be female and write about feminism.
So then, it’s a new academic program straight outta Duke University: “Write(H)ers,” which will, according to the Duke Chronicle, “create a community of feminist-oriented writers,” by, you know, teaching women how to blog. Specifically—direct quote—”The 23 members of the program will participate in personal blogging.” This new program is officially sponsored by the Women’s Center at Duke University, a school with a tuition of $43,623 per year.
Doing some fast math here… Google pays out a few cents per click if/when your readers click an ad. Divide 44k by those cents equals how many clicks to recoup the investment? Hmmmm…
Gawker feels this program could be a scam. In fact, the author’s exact words are:
… this is a total fucking scam.
Here’s their explanation.
One way to look at this program—the way that Duke University would like you to look at it—is, “Hey, I support feminism, and I like the idea of blogging, therefore, because one plus one equals two, I think this program is a great thing, and, by the way, go Blue Devils!” Another, more accurate way to look at this program is, “Hey, here is a great example of a very expensive private university creating a pseudoacademic program out of an activity that can most effectively be learned absolutely free outside of the bounds of academia. Though it superficially gives the impression of benefiting women, it will, in fact, mostly benefit Duke University itself.”
I agree. As someone who has freelanced since ’95, formed a publishing company in ’01, blogged for years, I can unequivocally state that academia did little to nothing to prepare me for the realities of writing, publishing, and/or blogging. In fact, I worked with a copywriting mentor for two long years, unlearning my academic writing habits to make my work fit for paying clients. It’s one thing to study the theories of persuasion, it’s another to actually persuade someone to open their wallet and purchase your client’s product.
It’s a harsh reality and in no way minimizes the benefits of a good education. However, I feel there are fields where academics can hinder the kind of communication needed to effectively convey your message.
But that’s just me.
I do not mean to mock the goals of the students who have enrolled in this program. On the contrary. I wish to help them. I cannot, in good conscience, be said to be an expert in virtually any field on the face of this earth, except for professional blogging. I am a professional blogger. (And a feminist! Though this advice goes for anyone.) In fact, I guarantee you, the 23 students in the Duke University Write(H)ers program, that my credentials as a professional blogger exceed those of your professor. And now, for the spectacularly low price of free, I am going to tell you, based upon my experience in the heart of the professional blog world, what the reaction will be when we read on your job application that you are qualified to be a blogger because you graduated from the Duke University Write(H)ers program:
1. We will laugh at you.
Too funny! At my office, we often do the same thing when a potential author says they “graduated” from a particular correspondence writing program. The “school” makes the big bucks, but the “students” often don’t benefit from their investment.
After all, writing isn’t always easy. Neither is blogging.
But it’s always interesting. 🙂
