Introduction to social media for researchers

Introduction to Social Media for researchers
How Social Media can benefit your research and career
1
Gilles Couzin
February 2014

About you
• In small groups, introduce yourself and say:
• Who you are and where you work.
• What your research interests are.
• What you hope to gain from this workshop.
• Share with everyone:
• What you hope to gain from this workshop.
• Any interesting or surprising facts you learnt about other
participants.
2

About this workshop
• What are Social Media?
• How are they relevant to you as a researcher?
• Key Social Media tools for researchers
• Risks and concerns
• Case studies:
• Prof. Alex Marsh from the School for Policy Studies
• Dr Matthew Brown from the School of Modern Languages
3

What are social media?
4
I wish
Twitter
had been
invented!

A cynic’s definition:
5
“A continuously evolving collection of time-wasting web-
based and mobile applications that demean
communication and collaboration between internet
trolls* and other social misfits, through the exchange,
creation and discussion of mostly irrelevant drivel.”
* Internet troll : a person who submits deliberately inflammatory articles to an internet
discussion (The Free Dictionary)

An evangelist’s definition:
6
“An umbrella term for a continuously evolving collection
of web-based and mobile applications that empower us
to interact, communicate, collaborate, connect and
learn, through the exchange, creation and discussion of
user-generated content.”

Tools of the trade
7
Categories
• Content aggregation and curation
(e.g. RSS feeds, social bookmarking)
• Collaborative writing (e.g. wikis,
Google Docs)
• Media sharing (e.g. video, photos,
presentations)
• Blogging & microblogging (e.g.
Blogger, Twitter)
• Social networking (e.g. Facebook,
LinkedIn)

Consuming vs. producing social media
Lurking is ok…
 a good way to get started and
learn the rules
 a good way to discover people
with similar interest
 can be more effective than
search engines to gather and
filter relevant information
8
Photo by Jean-François Chénier CC BY-NC

Consuming vs. producing social media
…but, making your own is
the goal!
 become a participant in a
community
 build your reputation
 start small (e.g. ‘like’, post a
comment on a blog)
9

10
A conversation space…
Illustration by Khalid Albaih CC BY

11
…rather than a broadcasting platform
Illustration by Khalid Albaih CC BY
Photo by ehnmark CC BY

How are they relevant to researchers?
12
I must
write a
blog
about
this!

Over to you
In pairs (or groups of 3 or 4):
• Discuss what you do in the course of your research.
• What do you do which is similar to other researchers in
other disciplines?
13

What you (collectively) do…
• Talk to colleagues and exchange ideas.
• Attend conferences, listen to speakers and discuss their ideas with them and
with your peers.
• Have an idea for a paper or project and discuss it with potential co-authors
and collaborators.
• Write the paper, project proposal or submission jointly with others.
• Listen to and ask questions of the stakeholders.
• Do the work with project partners and collaborators.
• Ensure that the outcome is known about by:
• your peers (who may cite you)
• others, including the general public, in order to enhance the impact of
your work.
14

The academic research cycle
15
From the Research Information Network’s Social Media: A guide for researchers
(http://www.rin.ac.uk/our-work/communicating-and-disseminating-research/social-media-guide-researchers)

1. Identification of knowledge
16
• The ability to find and filter
information is a key aspect of
research.
• Social Media enables you:
 to make the most of your
professional network…
 …to discover more relevant
information and filter it more
effectively.
• RSS feeds, social bookmarking and
social citation tools are particularly
useful for this function.
Flickr photo by zphaze CC BY-NC

2. Creation of knowledge
17
• Social media can help you:
 collaborate more effectively
 create opportunities to forge new
collaborations and benefit from
the experience of others
 draw in expertise to help you with
research processes (e.g.
techniques, methods)
 receive feedback as you go
 raise the profile of your work more
rapidly.
• Social networks, wikis, blogs, online office suites like Google Docs
are particularly useful.
Flickr photo by ragesoss CC BY-SA

3. Quality assurance of knowledge
18
• Social Media provide tools to:
 filter information
 share recommendations through
social bookmarking and social
citation sites
 review and discuss new ideas and
research
 get feedback on your ideas and
work
Flicker photo by olalindberg CC BY-NC-SA

4. Dissemination of knowledge
19
• Social Media allows you to:
 disseminate your work more
widely and more effectively
 enhance your online profile
 reach out to new audiences
 enhance ‘impact’ and maximise
dissemination
 enhance awareness of your
research activities
Flickr photo by an untrained eye CC BY-NC

Key social media tools for researchers
20
Flickr photo by Lukeroberts CC BY-SA
Maybe I
should
use a
different
brush!

Content aggregation and curation tools
Content aggregation:
An automated process that
uses software to pull
content from different
sources.
21
Content curation:
“The process of sorting
through the vast amounts of
content on the web and
presenting it in a meaningful
and organized way around a
specific theme.”
Beth Kanter - http://www.bethkanter.org/content-curation-101/

Content aggregation and curation
22
Rich Site Summary (RSS) feed
An RSS news feed is a format
for delivering regularly
changing web content.

23
Use an RSS news aggregator like Feedly (feedly.com)

Diigo: Social bookmarking and much more
24

Reference and citation managers
25
• Network and
Discover papers,
people and public
groups.
• Manage citations
and bibliographies.
• Read and annotate
PDFs.
• Import and
organise PDFs.
• Connect with
colleagues and
securely share
your papers, notes
and annotations.
• Access your
papers on the web,
iPhone or iPad.

Reference and citation managers
26
(www.mendeley.com)
(www.zotero.org)
(www.citeulike.org)

Writing collaboration tools
27
Google Docs / Drive
• Drive is a file
storage and
synchronization
service.
• Docs is a web-
based office suite
provided as part of
Drive.
• Easily create and
share your work
online.
• Access from
anywhere.
• Available with your
UoB Gmail account.

Writing collaboration tools
28
Confluence: the
University wiki
• Can be used as a
reflective space.
• A space for writing
drafts of papers
and reports.
• Building a
knowledge base.
• Collaborative
authoring of papers
and reports.
• A document
repository for
agendas and
minutes.
• Compiling a
manual or glossary
of useful terms.

Writing collaboration tools: Wikipedia
29
Dr Evan Jones is a Senior
Lecturer in Economic and
Social History in the
Department of History.

Writing collaboration tools: Wikipedia
30
Dr Evan Jones is a Senior
Lecturer in Economic and
Social History in the
Department of History.
“Given the great public interest in the exploits of John Cabot, millions of people
had followed the story in the media and many came forward with important
information. Some of this information has been used by Evan to update
the page on John Cabot in Wikipedia, using the page as an effective
way of sharing research findings with the public and as a tool to
garner further public contribution. All these developments have resulted in
the research becoming an international collaboration, encompassing academics
in Italy, Canada, Australia and the United States. It also led to him receiving
additional funding, of £120,000, from a private Canadian benefactor.”
http://www.bris.ac.uk/research/impact-stories/2012/john-cabot.html

Media sharing tools: videos
31
YouTube
• Good way to
publicise and
promote research.
• Helps promote
public
understanding.
• Easy to embed
videos in your
website or blog.
• Build a community
of researchers with
similar interests.
• Helps articulate
ideas clearly for a
range of audiences.
• Get feedback via
comments and
reviews.
http://www.youtube.com/user/BristolIG

Media sharing tools: photos
32
Flickr
• Good way to
publicise and
promote your
research.
• Easy to embed
images in your
website or blog.
• Provides a
photographic record
of your research.
• 1 terabyte of
storage for free!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/koehllab

Media sharing tools: presentations
33
SlideShare
• An online repository for
your presentations.
• Easy to embed
presentations in your
website or blog.
• Get feedback from
viewers.
• Join groups to connect
with members who
share your interests.
• View presentations by
other researchers and
comment on them.
• Good way to publicise
and promote your
research.
http://www.slideshare.net/SarahG_SS/using-impactstory-an-introduction

Blogging and micro-blogging: Blogs
34
• As a collaborative
space to keep a log
of ideas, resources,
events attended, etc.
• As a private space for
reflection and note-
taking (similar to a
personal diary).
• As a public-facing
website to:
 develop a personal voice
and presence
 receive early feedback
on research ideas
 record reflexions on
research or events
attended
 engage with a wider
audience
 tell stories related to your
research.

Blogging and micro-blogging
Blogging tools:
35
(http://www.blogger.com)
(http://wordpress.com)
(University hosted, can be UoB branded, including
UoB URL, e.g. mygroup.blogs.bris.ac.uk)
(http://blogs.ilrt.org)

Blogging and micro-blogging: Twitter
36
• Connect with people
who have similar
interests.
• Publicise events,
new blog post, etc.
• Filtering relevant
information.
• Participate in
discussions (e.g.
#ecrchat).
• Write short reflective
notes during an
event (using the
event #tag)
• Keep up-to-date with
funding opps, calls
for papers, etc.
A waste of time?
Yes, for those with time to waste…
…a valuable filtering, communication and
dissemination channel for everyone else!

Blogging and micro-blogging: Twitter
Twitter: anatomy of a “tweet”
37
@ identifies Twitter
username (handle)
Mention – when
you mention
someone
# (hashtag) used to
categorise tweets.
Similar to a keyword
Short URL
Number of
times this
tweet has
been
“retweeted”
People who have
“retweeted” or
“Favorited” the tweet
For further info on Twitter read the LSE guide guide “Using Twitter in university research, teaching, and
impact activities” (http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2011/09/29/twitter-guide/)

Social networking: Facebook
38
Facebook
• Allows the creation of a
personal profile, groups and
pages.
• A collaborative space to share
with fellow researchers.
• Create a conference or
workshop page (e.g. Chi2012).
• Create private or public spaces
for themed discussions.
• Promote and publicise your
research to a wider audience.
• Recruit research participants.
• Publish research news as they
happen.
• Receive early feedback for
research ideas.
http://www.facebook.com/CHI2012

Social networking: LinkedIn
39
LinkedIn
• A professional networking
site.
• Your online CV and more.
• Can include details of:
 research activities
 Publications
• Tend to be easily found by
Google.
• Join groups and engage in
discussions with peers.
• Build a professional
network beyond the
boundaries of academia.
• Promote visibility for jobs
& consulting opportunities.
• Network for funding and
employment opportunities.

Researcher-specific social networking services
40
Academia.edu
• Aimed at academics
across the world.
• Provide a list of papers.
• Upload open access
versions of papers.
• Discuss your research
and connect with other
researchers in your field.
• Join and participate in
research interest groups.

Researcher-specific social networking services
• ResearchGate (www.researchgate.net) – aimed at scientists and
other researchers
• MethodSpace (www.methodspace.com) – aimed at social
scientists, run by SAGE publishing
• Colwiz (www.colwiz.com) – research collaboration and
productivity platform to manage the entire research lifecycle
• ORCID (orcid.org) – an international standard for creating and
maintaining a registry of unique researcher IDs and a method of
linking research outputs to these identifiers.
41

Over to you
In pairs (or groups of 3 or 4) discuss:
• whether you think some of these tools might useful to
you;
• how you might be able to integrate them in your
research activities.
42

Risks and concerns
43
I don’t
like this
pigeon
sitting
on my
head!

Over to you:
In pairs (or groups of 3 or 4) discuss:
• What concerns do you have about using social media?
• What risks do you envisage?
• What limitations might social media have in your
research area?
44

Concerns, limitations and risks
• Information overload… or “filter failure”
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Ownership, IPR and copyright
• Work/life balance
• Stability of technology: here/free today, gone/paid
tomorrow (e.g. Nature Network)!
• Quality and authority: how to separate the wheat from
the chaff?
• Speed of change of social media technologies
45

Final thoughts
N 46
Flickr photo by Stefano Bussolon CC BY-NC

How to become alive: the case of Dr Bex Lewis
47
Her “official”
page on the
University of
Durham website.

48
Her personal
website.

49
Her LinkedIn
page.

50
Her Twitter
account.

51
…and finally, her
Academia.edu
profile!

Top 10 tips to get started
1. Explore online guides (start with delicious.com/uobittraining/social-media-for-researchers).
2. Do some “lurking” (look at examples of good practice).
3. Locate pertinent and relevant online sources (e.g. who to follow on Twitter,
interesting bloggers).
4. Start using content aggregation and curation tools (e.g. RSS, Diigo).
5. Identify a few key tools and start with those – know your limits!
6. Develop your network (e.g. LinkedIn, Twitter hashtags).
7. Join academic social network sites (e.g. ResearchGate, Mendeley).
8. Create your own website
9. Start blogging and twittering about your research (or whatever else takes
your fancy!).
10. Participate, join in the conversation!
52

Where to find more information
• List of social media accounts at the University
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/social-media
• Making use of social media and mobile applications at the University:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/web/guide/social-media
• Research Information Network – Social Media: A guide for researchers
http://www.rin.ac.uk/our-work/communicating-and-disseminating-
research/social-media-guide-researchers
• Vitae Innovate / Open University – Handbook of social media for researchers
and supervisors
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/policy-practice/567271/Handbook-of-social-media-
for-researchers-and-supervisors.html
• Links to social media resources for researchers on Delicious
http://delicious.com/uobittraining/social-media-for-researchers
53

Credits and licence
Some of the ideas in this presentation are based on Using Social Media to Enhance Your Research
Activities by Brian Kelly available at http://ukwebfocus.wordpress.com/2013/12/18/using-social-
media-to-enhance-your-research-activities-workshop/ under the Creative Commons Attribution
Unported 3.0 (CC BY 3.0) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
This presentation is licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).
55

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