The Indian science journal Current Science carried a special section on science writing in India in its latest edition. I was invited to share my views on the science blogging scene in India.

Here’s an excerpt of my take on the subject:

Six years back, when I made the switch from reporting science for the mainstream media (newspapers, magazines, news agencies) to an on-line medium, I was inundated with questions from well meaning peers. Must I renounce the glamour of the printed world to embrace the vastness and click-or-miss anonymity of the cyber world? Does not a story read in black and white with the morning cuppa have a more lasting impact than one read on an android phone or tablet on the go? Concerned colleagues advised helpfully: on-line is the future, yes, but the romance of print will never fade. And one science journalist of repute gave me a clear disapproval: ‘You are going to blog too? That’s not journalism!’

Having swum in on-line waters and having passionately peeped into the crevices, I am happy to report I have survived. And blogged my head-off too. Which is one of the points of this note – what has the journey been like, is blogging journalism after all, should scientists blog and where this enormous information explosion in science communication headed for?

Before I get into these mind-boggling details, I have to admit: If there were no science bloggers, science would not be as glamorous and widespread as it has become in the last few years. Hats off to this informed, funny, adorable and quirky brood which has made life on the internet worth living.

Why blog?

The evidence is clear: science sections in Indian newspapers (and globally) are shrinking. Television wakes up to science only during a nuclear disaster, a satellite lift-off or a Higgs boson. There are very few widely read science magazines simply because they do not make great commerce. Science coverage in mainstream Indian media, like many other issues of merit, has traditionally been minimal, primarily because of advertorial pressures and the space crunch. The obvious SOS route: go on-line. Report, comment, give opinion, analyse or put all that together and just blog. The number of journalists using a blog to replace or supplement their print avatars has grown phenomenally. They might chose to be objective, sticking to the traditional mandate of journalism, or to be opinionated trying to justify a point of view.

However, an eye-catching trend is that of scientists blogging on science and scientific issues. The growth in this tribe of on-line busybees is instantly apparent at international conferences on science communication where journalist bloggers are a minority! The reason more and more scientists are debuting in the blogosphere is apparent – it gives them and their research a lot more exposure, helps them find grants or new collaborators and enhances career opportunities. It is also an intimate social-networking tool where feedback is instant, candid and ever-flowing. A newspaper story is like a movie that you might adore or abhor, but the maker might not know how you felt about it instantly. A blog piece is like live theatre, where the adulation or booing by the audience is instant. Also, a blog is an online resource that continues to receive comments years after it is posted. By contrast, comments on on-line news stories taper out within a couple of days.

Is blogging journalism?

Blogging, however, cannot and must not replace reporting on science issues. A blog is a personal viewpoint, very often informal and not bound by the classic writing structure that journalism school teaches us. It could be as free-flowing or structured as its author chooses it to be.

The best science blogs, however, retain the classical structure – answering all questions the reader might have, explaining the scientific concept in layman’s language while adopting a conversational approach and looking at the implication of the research/study at hand. They exceed the remit of a news piece by becoming invaluable on-line resources, pooling in supplementary data on the topic by way of hyperlinks, pictures, diagrams and references. Most times, space constraint and format do not allow everything to be tucked into a news article. A blog is an ideal place to accommodate such interesting asides. In that sense, blogging is not strictly journalism but supplements serious and consistent reportage.

For the rest of the article please see Current Science here.

The special section on science writing in India can be found here for the next few days.