I just checked, and it's available!
[I'm actually pretty irked, because I already wrote this darn entry, but then I lost it because I got confused by the "tab" function in Camino and shut the browser and lost everything I'd written! I blame my husband. I don't really, I just wanted to refer to my husband. OK -- now I'll try to recreate the spontaneous fun of my first entry.]
The idea would be that you would post your dissertation ideas to this website and people would rate them. Most of the dissertation ideas would be ones that you didn't have time to write yourself, or weren't qualified to do, or what have you. This way, people who needed a dissertation idea could come to the website to get one.
People who want to look at ideas for actual dissertations that have actually been written can go to dissertation abstracts online at most libraries, but you can't rate them, and it's not as much fun.
So eventually I might want to put up my disseration idea on this website, and my first idea for a dissertation (now supposed to be my second book) but I'm still feeling to proprietary about those. But here's an idea I'm not feeling proprietary about:
"How Other Couple's Do It: Money and Romance in American Society, 1776-present." (Well, that time period is maybe your first sign that this is a dissertation "idea" and not the real thing.) This might go in American Culture or maybe economics or maybe sociology. It would look at the history of how different kinds of couples divided their money, look at different socio-ethnic-economic groups did it, conclude with the kind of thing I discussed in my August 5 entry. This could totally be a great dissertation! It needs some polishing, but hey, it's not my problem because I'm not writing it and that's the whole point --
"ratemydisserationidea.com" would give me an outlet for things like this. I think a lot of people have more ideas for dissertations than actual dissertations, but I'm told that some people have more stick-to-itiveness than ideas, so this could help them, too. People could also post abstracts for dissertations they'd actally written if they wanted feedback that maybe they hadn't gotten from their advisors, etc. This might not compete with ratemypoo.com or ratemypuppy.com but it would have a select audience.
Do you think it would be better as just plain "ratemydissertation" or "ratemydisserrationidea"? And don't bother telling me that this idea is SO 2001 or whatever.
Glad to see you back on line "Mary" (if that IS your real name.) While ratemypoo.com does pack quite a wallop, your idea has potential. How about adding a section where you have to guess if the topics are real or fabricated? Academics, I hear, study a lot of silly stuff.
That's a great idea! "fact or fiction" section: consider it added.
ack that maybe they hadn't gotten from their advisors, etc. This might not compete with ratemypoo.com or ratemypuppy.com but it would have a select audience.