Really interesting post. This issue is also pertinent to peer review, whether in the case of conference submissions, journal papers or grant applications. Even when submissions are anonymised it’s often possible to identify the authors, particularly in small subject domains or communities. I’m not sure if there’s anything that can really be done about this but it does raise issues about the alleged impartiality of peer review.

I think the issue of co-authoring is also really interesting. Beyond the confines of my blog, the majority of my written output is co authored. I’ve written with some of my co authors for years and we’ve developed a seamless writing and editing style. However writing with new co authors always involved a process of learning and tacit negotiation to settle on a style that works for all. I’m always curious to see how my written voice changes depending on who I’m co authoring with.