August | 2013 | jbrittholbrook

I think Jeffrey Beall has got this wrong. He claims that altmetrics are an “Ill-conceived and Meretricious Idea.”

On the other hand, I think Euan Adie has got this right. Here is his measured response (sorry, couldn’t resist) to Beall.

So, I come down on the meritorious side. Of course, none of this is to say that altmetrics are without flaws. But one thing they are decidedly good for is connecting academic researchers to those who read their research. That’s what scholarly communication is all about, in my book (sorry again).

So, I walked into my first class on Monday morning around 8:30am. The class doesn’t start until 9:05am; but it’s in the same building as my office, and I wanted to figure out the computer, screen, lights, etc. before students arrived.

I’m going to have to start getting up earlier if I’m going to beat them into class. There were already 7-10 students present. More than half an hour early. For a philosophy class.

“Y’all are here early,” I remarked casually, trying to hide my surprise. “Yes sir,” they replied, very nearly in unison.

Think I’m exaggerating? Take a look at this from freshman convocation (thanks to @ReplyCollective for pointing this out to me).