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Just so we’re clear on the hierarchy of words….

One of the biggest mistakes traditional academics make is to take all words equally seriously. That is to say, academics who do not write for a non-scholarly audience tend to assume that it takes an equal length of time and effort to compose a journal article, an op-ed, or even a blog post. In reality, ...

By Daniel W. Drezner, a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

September 21, 2009, 12:55 PM

One of the biggest mistakes traditional academics make is to take all words equally seriously. That is to say, academics who do not write for a non-scholarly audience tend to assume that it takes an equal length of time and effort to compose a journal article, an op-ed, or even a blog post. In reality, it's kind of like circuit training -- each activity exercises a different set of writing muscles (that said, journal articles require way more reps than other forms of writing).

One of the biggest mistakes traditional academics make is to take all words equally seriously. That is to say, academics who do not write for a non-scholarly audience tend to assume that it takes an equal length of time and effort to compose a journal article, an op-ed, or even a blog post. In reality, it’s kind of like circuit training — each activity exercises a different set of writing muscles (that said, journal articles require way more reps than other forms of writing).

I bring this up because I have now joined Twitter, in a desperate, far-too-late-effort to catch up to my FP colleague Mark Lynch — who is securely ensconced in the FP Twitterati Top 100. Right now he’s crushing me in terms of followers, so I warmly encourage all my readers to start following me on Twitter — and then feel free to ignore my tweets.

Somewhat more seriously, my Twitter postings will mostly be on matters that are other off-topic for Foreign Policy or things I don’t have time to develop into the long, nuanced sentences required for blogging. So, just to clarify for those academics in the audience, here is the official Hierarchy of Drezner Publications — from highest degree of effort to lowest degree of effort:

University press books
Peer-refereed journal articles
University press book chapters
Editor-refereed essays
Non-university press books and chapters
Op-ed essays
Commentaries for Marketplace
Blog posts about Salma Hayek and zombies
Other, lesser blog posts about trade, finance, etc.
Twitter tweets/Facebook status updates
Comments on friend’s Facebook pages
Mutterings under my breath while waiting for airport security
Things I shout at the television during Red Sox-Yankee games
Things I say at the bar on the third day of the American Political Science Association annual meeting after I have three vodka tonics in me.
Things I say at the bar on the third day of the American Political Science Association annual meeting when completely sober.

Also, just an FYI — usually you can write off a technology the moment I embrace it. So if tech stocks go down today, that’s on me.

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner