The Chronicle has an article on blogging and its possibly deleterious effects on job seeking. The author didn't say anything that anybody familiar with blogging or journaling hasn't heard before, but it's good to think about how this kind of writing can appear to those who don't like/understand/approve of it. While I am currently looking for a permanent professional position, I'm not too worried about this. I thought about blogging for a long time before taking the plunge. I definitely considered going the anonymous route but ultimately decided not to delay the inevitable and just be myself. While I might feel freer to vent if my identity were hidden, I think there's something to be said for taking ownership of my words and standing behind them.

For that reason, I won't be dishing dirt about students at the university library where I work, nor about coworkers (even though they're pretty awesome), or other professional colleagues. I figure that if I wouldn't feel comfortable saying something at work, it's probably not a good idea to broadcast it widely. That's not to say I don't have opinions about my profession, causes I champion, or people I disagree with. I just think there are better ways to talk about that stuff than to drag other people into it.

That said, there's no way of knowing if search committees will find this and what they'll think if they do. I'm going to keep blogging until I get tired of it, and will just have to live with the consequences. I think it's worth it.