Social media: A guide for researchers

Social media: A guide for researchers

This new guide, produced by the International Centre for Guidance Studies "will show you how you can use social media to help your research and your career. Social media have big implications for how researchers (and people in general) communicate and collaborate. Researchers have much to gain from engaging with social media in various aspects of their work. This guide will provide you with information to make an informed decision about using social media and enable you to select wisely from the vast range of tools that are available.

Given the buzz in the media, you may feel that social media are aimed at teenagers and mainly used to discuss celebrity culture. But this guide will show you how social media offer researchers an opportunity to improve the way they work. One of the most important things that researchers do is to find, use and disseminate information, and social media offer a range of tools which can facilitate these activities. The guide discusses the use of social media for research and academic purposes, rather than the many other uses that they are put to across society."

Social Media & Networks: How to survive online (or "your [next] employer is watching you!")

Have you considered how your use of Facebook and other Social Networking sites could potentially affect your future employment prospects?


David Hopkins (Learning Technologist at Bournemouth University) has, read more here: http://www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk

What is RSS? (man)

A very sweet (short) video on RSS (Really Simple Syndication) by 1938kids See our other blog posts on this too.

Microblogging in HE, & other Web 2.0 tools

Are you thinking of using Web 2.0 tools for research, administration or teaching? Make a quick start with the web2practice user guides from JISC.


The web2practice guides explain how emergent web technologies like RSS, microblogging and social media can enhance your working (and learning) practice.

Each guide consists of a short animated video explaining the key concepts, supported by a more in-depth printable overview of the topic covering the potential uses, risks and how to get started.


The guides cover the following topics:

* Social Media

* RSS

* Collaborative Writing

* Poscasting

* Microblogging... with further topics planned.


The specific guides can be found via the above links and from the main JISC Web 2.0 webpage.


Do let us know what you think.