Blogging for Researchers
Terese BirdLearning Technologist
Graduate School Media Zoo23 November 2011
With thanks to Emma Kimberley for prior work
What’ll we talk about?
•Digital Profile: why?•Blogging•Case study: Museum Studies•Scoop.it•Slideshare•Twitter
Digital Profile: why bother?
• You already have one• You need to be in control• You need to promote yourself and your workHow to maximise the following:• Facebook – friends and family plus…• Twitter – professional development• LinkedIn – professional• Academia.edu – academic• Blogging – online researcher’s diary
• A web log• Regular entries• Maintained by an individual or a team• Can contain links, graphics or video• Often provides commentary on a theme• Or functions as an online diary
Blogs are good digital scholarship
• Disseminate from Day One
• Attracts other experts
• “Open” is king
• Your digital profile established
Photo by 46137 on Flickr
What kind of blog?
Public•Publicity – Digital profile•Networking•Discussion•Reflection•Motivation•Progress tracking
Private•Reflection•Motivation•Progress tracking
Public blogs
• Often have a social function• Stimulate discussion on a theme• Bring attention to your publications• Share information among peers• Blog to a community• Team blogging• Recreational as well as academic• Link to departmental website
Private blogs
• Keeping track of research progress• Research diary• Can be set to private so that no-one else can
see it• Keeping links – reminding yourself of what
you found and when by using tags• A motivational tool
Research councils
Libraries
Student organisations
Research institutions
Academics
Archives
Museums
Projects
Other postgraduates
Who to read?
Some useful blogs to read• The GSRR bloghttp://gradschoolreadingroom.blogspot.com• Postgrad student blogging communities at Leicesterhttp://attic-museumstudies.blogspot.com/http://www.newhistorylab.org/• PhD blogshttp://thethesiswhisperer.wordpress.com/http://findsandfeatures.wordpress.com/http://malenel.wordpress.com/http://www.jobs.ac.uk/blogs/real-life/http://www.prospects.ac.uk/p/articles/phd_blog_43.jsp
Some useful blogs to read• Blogs by academics at Leicesterhttp://www.microbiologybytes.com/blog/http://constantinakatsari.wordpress.comhttp://spider-project.blogspot.com/http://beyonddistance.wordpress.com/
• …and elsewherehttp://mat.gsia.cmu.edu/blog/http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/
Why would you blog?
What kind of blog would you have?
What would you blog about? - brainstorm
Creating a blog
• Look at other blogs• Decide what you want• Choose a platform• Create and customise• Private or public?• Start posting!
Good blogging tipsUpdate regularly – once a week Keep entries short – 300 words
Use pictures
Think before you write!
Link to previous posts
Respond to comments
Remember: anyone could read your post/comment…so never blog anything you wouldn’t be prepared to say in public!
Link to departmental website
Tag your posts
• Automatic cataloguing• Enables you to select
relevant posts• Good for organising
notes• Lets readers know the
main topics on your blog
• Everything you write in a public blog can be seen by anyone
• Think carefully about what information you want in the public domain
• Does the information you are sharing belong to you?
• Ask advice of your supervisor / team / collaborators before blogging
Think about your academic profile
Copyright and intellectual property
Some blog sites make you sign away your copyright
• Read the terms and conditions before you sign up
• You can use 3rd party content as long as you comment on it
• Any questions? Email: [email protected]
Any questions?
Your turn!
• posterous.com• blogger.com• wordpress.com
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