2014 Blogging Archaeology eBook

EngagementWhilst the preceding section has highlighted the degree of diversityobservable in the archaeological blogosphere, the desire to makeinformation, news, analysis and interpretation available online for freecan be seen as a universal factor. Raising awareness of the discipline isalso a common theme, whether through formal discussion on the payand conditions of professional archaeologists xxviii or by using a popularvideogame series to facilitate and inspire education about the past xxix(Rocks-Macqueen 2013a; McGuire 2013-2014). Some authors even feelas though it is something of a public duty xxx to effect a greater publicengagement with the past and increase awareness of the work ofarchaeologists:‘I am increasingly reassured by a number of us PhD/ECRs [Early-Career Researchers] who see this as a sort of public duty… asopposed to REF [Research Excellence Framework]/institutionalpromotion. True PE [Public Engagement].’- (O’Hagan 2014)It is argued here that blogging represents the perfect medium forsuch endeavours. This is due to two principle reasons; accessibility andinteractivity. Blogs are free to access by anyone with an internetconnection. Unlike the more traditional forms of media, such asnewspapers, magazines and books, there is no associated paywall withblogging and readers need never purchase or donate anything inreturn. In addition to this, readers can engage directly with the contentof a blog, and its author, through various mechanisms such ascommenting, liking and reblogging. For some bloggers, this two-wayprocess of engagement is explicitly mentioned xxxi :‘I openly encourage people to contact me with resources andalternative viewpoints... In fact- this is one of the most important partsof blogging. Blogs are a way of opening the dialogue to the greaterworld.’- (Meyers 2013)For reasons of accessibility and interactivity, then, it is argued thatarchaeological blogging should be seen as an effective medium inBlogging Archaeology Page 13