Social Media, Networks and Impact

A couple of years ago Nadine Muller, a cultural historian and English literature researcher at Liverpool John Moores University, visited the University of Kent to talk about how she used social media in her work. One thing that stood out was how much of her efforts were based around creating a virtual community.

Muller studies the cultural understanding of widowhood. By engaging with widows’ groups on Twitter, she has gained access to a more personal well of experience. She has also connected with people beyond academia who might benefit from or be interested in her research, including policymakers, teachers and informed lay people.

Research, especially in the humanities and some areas of the social sciences, can be solitary work. Social media, Muller said, allowed her to discuss her work and interact with people without leaving her desk. It also gave her a chance to think aloud, and to run a rough draft of a paper or a research project past people before taking it further.

The same goes for those of us who support academics. At the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (Earma) Conference this year, I am linking up with colleagues from the universities of Ghent and Coventry, and University College Dublin, to deliver a session on using social media. 

Using Social Media to Support your Research

I’ve written before about social media, and about some of the sessions we’ve run on research and social media (such as those led by Nadine Muller and Becky Higgitt), but there seems to be an insatiable appetite amongst academics to understand them better, to participate fully and - in time - benefit from them.

The Early Career Researcher Network session in Medway on Wednesday went some way towards satisfying this demand. It was led by three academics from very diverse disciplines, who together gave an overview of the way in which social media can be used to talk about your research and engage with others beyond your School, to recruit research participants and manage a project, and to disseminate research, track impact, and improve citations.

Using Social Media to Support your Research

30 November, 2pm

Medway Campus, Room TBC

Technology is changing the way we access information, and how we communicate. Nowhere is this more apparent than in academia. Social media sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and blogging platforms such as Blogger and Wordpress, are increasingly being used to raise profiles, to disseminate research, and to make links with potential collaborators and participants.

The latest ECR Network session will look at how we can make best use of social media tools to support our own research. Presented by three experienced researchers, the workshop will focus on:

•  Using Twitter to talk about your research and engage with others beyond your School – Dr Mark Burnley, Sports & Exercise Sciences

• Using Facebook to recruit research participants and manage a project – Dr Kate Bradley, SSPSSR

• Using a range of tools, including Kudos, ResearchGate and Impactstory, to disseminate your research, track your impact, and improve citations – Dr Nigel Temperton, Medway School of Pharmacy.

The event is free and open to all, and refreshments will be provided. However, places are limited, so do let me know if you wish to come along.

Tips on Using Twitter in Academia

Dr Rebekah Higgitt

Yesterday I took part in a presentation with Rebekah Higgitt on 'using social media to promote your research'. I gave an overview, and touched on some of the issues I'd picked up from Nadine Muller and Andy Miah. Rebekah followed up by focussing on Twitter, and I thought it would be worth noting some of the points she made as a long term user.

Modern Balboas

Balboa. But not the Rocky one

Last week I gave a talk on using social media to support research development at an Association of Research Managers and Administrators training event. The keynote speaker was Andy Miah, professor of science communication and digital media at the University of Salford. His talk was inspiring, exhilarating—and terrifying. He made us all feel like Vasco Balboa, the first European to see the Pacific. The ocean's vast, uncharted waters lay before us, and its huge, untapped potential was awe-inspiring as it glistened in the sunlight.

Most of us have only paddled in the shallows of social media, but Miah exhorted us to cast off from the safety of the shore and head to the deeps. To feel the terror of drowning, before bobbing to the surface and enjoying the freedom of the medium. "If you’re not overwhelmed, you haven’t been paying attention," said Miah. It will be overwhelming and it will be terrifying, but ultimately we all have to take the plunge. The world is changing.

2 Forthcoming Grants Factory & ECR Network Events

The following Grants Factory and ECR Network sessions are coming up at the end of the month. Both events are free and all Kent staff are welcome, but do let me know if you intend to come along. Tea/coffee will be available, and there’ll be lunch for the Essential Elements session.

The Dangers of Blogging

Last month, I gave a talk to a group of research administrators at my university. My focus was the use of social media, and the potential for it to raise our research profile, increase citations and engage the public. The talk was well received, but the discussion afterwards highlighted a clear nervousness in the room.

ECR Network: Social Media and Academia

19 Feb, 2:30pm-4:30pm

Darwin LT3

Dr Nadine Muller

Technology is changing the way we access information, and how we communicate. Nowhere is this more apparent than in academia. Social media sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and blogging platforms such as Blogger and Wordpress, are increasingly being used to raise profiles, to disseminate research, and to make links with potential collaborators.

Is it possible to embrace the new technology without compromising your integrity or short-selling your research? Dr Nadine Muller is a Lecturer in English Literature and Cultural History at Liverpool John Moores University, and has demonstrated how to use social media and blogs effectively. She has written on life as a New Academic, as well as highlighting her own research, and is followed widely on Twitter.

The event is free and open to all staff, and there'll be tea/coffee. Whilst this session is intended primarily for early career researchers (ECRs), more senior staff who are new to social media are also welcome. Do let me know if you plan to come along.

There will also be an opportunity to chat to Nadine informally at the ECR Social at the Dolphin in the evening, from 7pm.