New working paper on the impact of economics blogs

Somewhat offtopic, but on the subject of economics blogs:

When I visit MR, the “34 comments” link at the bottom of posts shows up before the facebook and twitter widgets, and when the widgets appear the comments link moves. So quite often I try to click on the comments link, but it moves out of the way and is replaced by the twitter link which I click by accident. It’s very annoying

Does this happen to other people or is it just me? Would it be hard to rearrange things so it doesn’t happen?

[sorry if this is double-posted. I think a submission didn't go through]

From the intro:

…blogging raises the profile of the blogger (and his or her institution) and boosts their reputation above economists with similar publication records.

Any nominations? I imagine George Mason’s gaggle of bloggers has raised its popularity. When will universities captured this leakage of intellectual output by requiring their employees to blog on university owned sites? After all, they pay salary less for teaching than for intellectual production.

Finally, a blog can transform attitudes about some of the topics it covers.

Broad exposure through blogs has reduced the profession’s stature, I suspect. A reader exposed to persistent, fundamental (and some catty infighting) rejects the authoritative phrase “Economists say…” and know that some do, some don’t. And, we find econo-bloggers polarized into familiar political grouping, into, if you will, “mutual belief in the same fallacies, mountebanks, hobgoblins and imbecilities” as every other op-ed writer, which undermines science-y objectivity claims. (To be fair, the cutesy “…a-nomics” phase trivialized the profession, too.)

I take this as positive, economists have dominated the discussion before to the country’s regret; let them have a seat at the political table no higher or lower than any group (except be-throned lawyers, of course).