by the editors 15/04/2013
A spring, a summer, a fall and a winter has passed – and Exploring Rurality has turned one year old as the ICRPS Summer Institute turns ten.
This blog was launched one year ago this month, as Katja and Kjersti (Eric joined the editors team later on) had a wish to create a low-maintenance yet high-yielding, online meeting place and network arena for ICRPS alumni. The idea was to out source the job of writing the posts to alumni and faculty, and having the editors be the initiators and technical administrators behind it.
The reason we chose the blog medium is very simple. The blog is open to read for anyone, at any time. There is no username and password to remember, and membership in a social media platform is not necessary. People can read, comment and contribute on their own terms, at a time that is good for them. At the same time, old posts remain in the archive, also accessible months and years after they were first published, so its easy to go back and look it up again.
Some post authors have e-mailed their contributions to us on their own initiative, and in other cases we have addressed certain alumni and faculty, asking them to contribute with a text on a specific topic. For the most part, people have been very willing to contribute to the blog. Thank you very much, all of you!
Like most one-year-olds, this blog has developed certain traits and a bit of personality of its own, but has not yet reached it´s full potential. The blog should be both a meeting point for all alumni graduating from ICRPS during the last ten years, and also perhaps show new applicants a little of the range of topics that fall under the ICRPS umbrella.
We want the blog to be a place for discussions and debate, to be a bulletin board for job vacancies and interesting study and career opportunities. We hope alumni will use the space we are offering to promote themselves and the research they do, and shed light on whatever rural topic they have taken a special interest in. New perspectives and added value will surge as comments are added by others.
Feel free to keep sending us texts, and to participate as a writer, as a commenter or as a reader also in the year in front of us!
Best,
Katja, Eric and Kjersti