Here's a neat article on scholarly blogs from 2003 in the Chronicle of Higher Education. It's outdated but excellent, framing the issue in real-world concerns of "academic posturing" vs. "realtime idea exchanges."
Here's what I mean:
"In their skeptical moments, academic bloggers worry that the medium smells faddish, ephemeral. But they also make a strong case for blogging's virtues, the foremost of which is freedom of tone. Blog entries can range from three-word bursts of sarcasm to carefully honed 5,000-word treatises. The sweet spot lies somewhere in between, where scholars tackle serious questions in a loose-limbed, vernacular mode."Read the article.