william couch

This past fall, I started up a blog called Professor Quotes structured in the style of Overheard in New York. It began when some friends and I decided to make our own “Overheard” for Ann Arbor, now (the fairly lackluster and originally named) Overheard in Ann Arbor. Inspired by this and the crazy quotes from one of my professors, I decided to make a blog where students could submit quotes from their professors that they found funny or entertaining. It started out pretty well and I got an email submission every once in a while. But, a few weeks after its inception, the GSI from the class taught by said professor approached me after class one day and said, “I saw your blog.”

I was a little uneasy that word had spread so quickly to my GSI, but that’s the nature of the Internet. My GSI continued, telling me that she had heard of the Professor Quotes blog and had seen the numerous quotes from the professor of the class. She said she didn’t have a problem with it as she found that what some of the professor said was crazy and often funny. What was interesting, however, was that she had heard of the site from another one of my professors who had but one quote on the site. Now this made me nervous. I might be in a little over my head, I thought. Especially if professors were starting to find out about it, as inevitable as that may have been. I didn’t think much of it after that however, as nothing really developed, and the site went on a bit of a hiatus after academics and work demanded more of my time.

But I probably should have.

In March, I met with my film advisor to discuss the classes I should take my Senior year. We came to talking about a class she could potentially be teaching the following Winter semester that would take a look at how blogs can serve as “portraits,” whether of an individual or a topic. I told her I was big into blogging and she replied with a somewhat sly, “I know.”

OK, maybe now I should be taking note.

She continued to explain, telling me she had heard of my name/blogs on the Internet. I asked her if she was referring specifically to Professor Quotes and she gave a nod. I asked her how she’d found out about it and she basically replied with a response that again suggested, “It is the Internet, after all” - that and while professors are not often Googling themselves, when they do, the site comes up. Oh, and apparently some other students had “ratted” me out either to her or other professors who told her, which, I’m not sure. At this point, I was both nervous, but deep down, slightly entertained - solely for the fact that the site had made the rounds among students, and professors. She stated that while there are 100+ students to whom they’re usually lecturing, their departments (the Film department especially) are comparatively small, and subsequently, the word does get around.

After talking for a little bit, she (and more or less I) came to the consensus that the site should be taken down. Upon leaving the meeting, however, I was torn. I want to respect my professors, but at the same time, I felt as though other students should be able to partake in the humor our professors (un)intentionally deal out. But, when discussing the matter with others, the point was raised that should there be a quote that is incriminating toward the professor, whether on his/her beliefs, or solely for expressing attitudes that are not in line with the University’s, their job could be endangered.

Now, they’ve got my attention.

I continued to mull it over. It’s no different than Overheard in New York, or even Overheard in Ann Arbor. Or is it? Where do does one draw the line between what belongs to the public, and what belongs in the classroom? I had another class this past semester where we came to an agreement that mimicked that of Las Vegas’, “What happens here, stays here.” There the line was drawn explicitly. And the classroom isn’t the only place where this seperation between public and private gets muddy. The New York Times just reported on the issue of blogs and the workplace, especially among inherently tech-savvy interns who are flooding businesses at this time of year. The article stated that, “only 8 percent of the 404 human resource professionals it polled had blogging policies, while 85 percent did not.” It is surprising that the numbers are this low, but as is the issue with most technology, organizations are only beginning to grasp the necessity of acknowledging it as a formidable component to their operations.

That doesn’t go with saying, however, that the people who are blurring these lines should be overlooked. I’d certainly hold myself responsible if a professor were to get in trouble with the University because of material on the site. The issue gets even trickier when legitimacy of the quotes comes into question. I had a problem last fall with Overheard in Ann Arbor when someone submitted a quote that was actually posted intially to Overheard in New York. Validating that quotes are legitimate and indeed accurate becomes an entirely different problem and one that takes the fun out of the sites’ original purposes. Moreover, it brings to mind a popular critique of blogs in the publishing industry, “where are the editors?” The information being put out by the vast majority of blog(ger)s does not see a second set of eyes before it is published for the world to see. This is a matter that deserves debate, and Jack Schafer and David Shaw [LA Times article via Crooks and Liars] have already started. For this matter however, let it stand that reputability comes from validated information.

In light of all of this then, and to ensure no altercations ensue between myself, professors or the University, I have removed any potentially damaging quotes from Professor Quotes (should it be determined however, that I can safely publish these quotes, I am still maintaining a private copy of them so that they may be easily reposted), and intend to ensure the validity of quotes submitted to either Professor Quotes or Overheard in Ann Arbor. But I’m still curious what others (i.e. you) think. Where does one draw the line? Who (if anyone) has the right to publish these quotes? Should bloggers get the same rights as journalists?

Until there is clear resolve on this matter of public vs. private however, the sites will remain, and I encourage people to send in (legitimate) quotes.

UPDATE 27 May 2006: A California appeals court has announced that online reporters are covered by the First Amendment. So do you think this would cover posting quotes from people online?

Article from Wired [via Boing Boing]
Article from The New York Times