** My Intellectual Flakes **

Blogs have been regarded as a combination of both a public and private processes. Mortensen & Walker (2002) might be the pioneers in putting the relationships of these two into perspective.

The image encompasses the seemingly paradoxical mixture of private and public that is evident in weblogs. They are enclosed and private spaces that allow the writer to cultivate an autonomous voice, And yet they are visible, open spaces that encourage linking and conversations.

Thus there exists a tension between what’s private and what’s public. However it is still not clear how these two dimensions affect each other, and more importantly, how the interplay between the private and public spheres affect the thinking and writing process.

They also pointed out that compared to formal academic work, blogs are concise, spontaneous and timely. They usually presenting half-thought, naked ideas without thought-out arguments or structure. However, blogs can serve as a great writing tool since they could “elucidate the constant flow of thought”, capture and store the fleeting sparkles of thoughts otherwise might be lost. I can’t agree more on this one. That’s why I name my blog “intellectual flakes”. To me, these blog entries are fragmented and light-weight.