Social media: Tools for research and

collaboration

A conversation...• Who am I? Who are you? • What is social media?• So what, who cares? • What do you think of social media?• Where does it fit in the research process?• Who’s using it? And how?• What do you need to consider?• How can you find out more?

• Oh, and some gratuitous pictures of cats...

Data inputterer at Scottish Office Agriculture and

Fisheries Department

Various posts in Department for Work and Pensions: front line service, IT support and

management, information security, risk management

PGDip Information and Library

Studies

MA(Hons) History and

Economic History

Various IT qualifications

Website manager at UK Trade and

Investment

Knowledge Management

Officer with the Scottish Centre for

Regeneration

Librarian in the Scottish

Government Library Service

What is social media?

Lies, damned lies and statistics...

One third of women aged 18-34 check Facebook when they first wake up (even before going to the bathroom)

http://mashable.com/2010/07/07/oxygen-facebook-study/

social media is bigger than porn

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3224877/Social_learning_through_social_media

Community Collaboration

Content

Communication

Social media is…

• for my professional life too

• a time and effort saver• focused information• a way to build my

reputation• an integral part of my

daily professional life• Something I’m trusted to

use wisely at work

• for my social life only• too time consuming• information overload• an invasion of my

privacy• yet another thing to do

when I’m busy already• blocked at my

workplace

Social media and research

social media is disruptive

http://www.rin.ac.uk/our-work/communicating-and-disseminating-research/use-and-relevance-web-20-researchers

Research Information Network. 2011. Social Media: A guide for researchers

1.Identification of knowledge

http://www.avltheatre.com/forte/2008/01/featured_post_the_long_tail_an.html#more

2. Creation of knowledge

http://amusingspace.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ailsah/sets/72157625800277725/

http://www.youtube.com/user/greenphd1/feed

http://changingpractice.blogspot.co.uk/

3. Quality assurance of knowledge

http://cities.wikispaces.asu.edu/

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/

4. Dissemination of knowledge

http://blogs.capita-libraries.co.uk/panlibus/2011/06/30/seven-habits-of-highly-effective-library-websites/

Online identity

Some takeaways

• social media can play a role across the research cycle• researchers who are active users feel that social

media offers them benefits in their professional life• give yourself permission to use social media in a way

that you feel most comfortable• don’t feel that you have to be ‘everywhere’• if you really want to understand what social media

can do for you and your research, you need to start experimenting!

Technology does not automatically improve conversation, communication or behaviour

Theodore Zeldin

Resources

http://www.diigo.com/list/lelil_/social-media-tools-for-research-and-collaboration

Social media: A guide for researcherswww.rin.ac.uk/Social-media-guide

VITAE Digital Researcherwww.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/346891/Digital-Researcher-online.html

The Digital Scholar: How Technology Is Transforming Scholarly Practice. Martin Weller www.bloomsburyacademic.com/view/DigitalScholar_9781849666275/book-ba-9781849666275.xml

Social media training resources produced by researchers at the University of Warwickmarkcarrigan.net/2012/02/10/social-media-training-resources-produced-by-researchers-at-the-university-of-warwick/

A guide to using Twitter in university research, teaching, and impact activities blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2011/09/29/twitter-guide/

Robert Gordon University Social Media Toolkitwww.rgu.ac.uk/staff/administration-and-professional-departments/livewire/social-media-toolkit

#phdchatphdchat.pbworks.com/w/page/33280234/PhD-Chat

PhD2Published social media postswww.phd2published.com/tag/social-media/

Nottingham University collection of social media resourceswww.nottingham.ac.uk/graduateschool/resources/socialmedia/index.aspx

DiRT: Digital Research Tools Wiki digitalresearchtools.pbworks.com/

JISC Web2practice web2practice.jiscinvolve.org/wp/

Networked Researcher www.networkedresearcher.co.uk/

Create Changewww.createchange.org/index.shtml

Connected Researcherwiki.bath.ac.uk/display/connectedresearcher/Home

East Midlands Research Support Group: Dissemination of your research www.nottingham.ac.uk/toolkits/play_3861

about.me/LesleyThomson