Two years ago today, I started the Cocoon. My aim in starting it was simple. As a recent grad student and new faculty member, I knew first-hand how difficult navigating graduate school, dissertations, teaching, work-life balance, publishing, etc., can be. I also knew just how difficult it can be for people in these precarious, early career-stages to reach out of help and guidance, and how few resources there were for this. "How nice it would have been", I thought to myself, "if there were some kind of supportive online forum for discussing these things when I was in grad school." And so, I thought to myself, "What the heck - maybe someone else would like such a forum too!" And so, the Cocoon came to be.
Now, just two years later, the Cocoon is flourishing. We are averaging between 1,200-1,500 site visits a day, and more importantly, we have great people, and great discussions. We've discussed everything from the job market to trends in the profession, to our discipline's climate, to teaching, research, publishing, and many other things to boot. Oh, and did I mention we also discuss philosophy? We also have an annual conference, and an annual party at the Eastern APA (the "Non-Smoker"). Am I forgetting anything?
Anyway, I'd like to thank all of you -- the Cocoon's contributors and readers -- for making the blog such a great place to be!
It's a great community, Marcus. Glad to be a part of it.
Posted by: Justin Caouette | 05/05/2014 at 11:58 AM
Thanks Justin - glad to have you a part of it! :)
Posted by: Marcus Arvan | 05/06/2014 at 08:03 PM