Training workshop run at #UCDavis on November 1, 2012

1. Social Media in
Research & Academia
Holly Bik
Eisen Lab, UC Davis Genome Center
#UCDSocMed

2. How many people have….
…used Facebook?
..used Twitter?
…read a blog?
…wrote a blog?
….done any of the above in the context of research?

3. Via Digital Buzz blog - http://bit.ly/RwAtrA
Twitter has 517 million accounts as of
July 1, 2012, with 141.8 million of
those users in the U.S.
(via Tech Crunch - http://tcrn.ch/Sfy4Cb )

4. Users of different media– log scale
Chart Courtesy of Miriam Goldstein
@MiriamGoldste

5. Users of different media - linear scale
Chart Courtesy of Miriam Goldstein
@MiriamGoldste

6. Social Media tools & their uses
Long-form (more longevity, but more time investment)
• Blogs – independent (e.g. a free Blogger/Wordpress
account) or linked to an established blog network
(Scientific American, Nature Network)
• Video content – Youtube. Catchy visuals can be more
effective than long written pieces. Difficult and time
consuming to achieve high production quality.
• Podcasting – iTunes. Another different media form. Also
can be just as time consuming to produce as video content.

7. Social Media tools & their uses
Short-form (more ephemeral, minimal time investment)
• Twitter – messages <140 characters, can post thoughts,
soundbytes, links, pictures.
• Facebook – personal profiles (pictures, status updates,
etc.), groups and “pages”. But people can be wary about
privacy settings (not accepting friend requests professional
colleagues, or eschewing Facebook altogether).
• Microblogging – Tumblr (photos, quotes), Pinterest (visual
‘pinboard’)

8. But first you need to have:
• A professional website –
http://hollybik.com, http://jarrettbyrnes.info
• A LinkedIn profile – http://www.linkedin.com
• Your scientific products visible online
– Slideshare http://www.slideshare.com
– Datasets http://datadryad.org
– Mendeley (reference manager) http://mendeley.com

10. Social Media Glossary
• Post – any new update (blog,
twitter, etc.)
• Tweet – a post on Twitter
– LT = live tweet, RT = retweet,
MT = modified retweet
• Hashtag – e.g. #UCDSocMed,
#scio13 each aggregate
common posts on twitter
• Meme – images, videos that
“go viral”

11. Social Media is best leveraged for…
• Community building - Particularly relevant for niche
topics, e.g. taxonomists working on a specific group or
species
• Content curation - linking to traditional media sources,
e.g. news articles
• Increasing the visibility of scientists (branding as ‘experts’)
• Cutting out the middleman - scientists can communicate
directly with interested members of the public.
– Conversations are also archived for future reference
(dependent on platform)

12. Social Media is NOT…
• ...a way to reach diverse audiences who aren't
looking for your information
– platforms that do this would be traditional media like
TV and radio
• …a forum for “one-way proclaiming from the sky”
– Social media is about the conversation, which doesn't
work if you don't participate

13. How do I start?
• Define your goals
– What do you want to achieve?
• Define your audience
– Who do you envision talking to? Other scientists
(inside/outside your discipline)? Journalists?
Educators? The general public?
• Choose specific platforms which help you achieve
your goals
– How much time do you want to invest?
– What medium is best for conferring your message?

14. http://blogs.nature.com/soap
boxscience/2012/06/07/reach
ing-out-so-you-want-to-
communicate-science-online-
the-flowchart - Figure by
Miriam Goldstein

15. http://blogs.nature.com/soapboxscience/2012/06/07/reaching-out-so-you-want-to-communicate-
science-online-the-flowchart - Figure by Miriam Goldstein

16. Leveraging social media in research
Conference tweeting – using Twitter at
conferences/meetings
• Tweeting soundbytes from talks – taking notes,
disseminating conference content
• Discussing talks with other audience members (and
remote participants) during conference sessions
• Networking - interactions on twitter can introduce you
to new people, and also serve as icebreakers before
you meet other conference participants in real life

17. Leveraging social media in research
Research Blogging – posting content on your own
blog or on a blog network
• Producing blog posts as educational resources,
providing access to jargon-heavy information
(field-specific journal articles)
• Using blogging as a way to amalgamate scientific
literature as your are catching up on reading or
doing a literature review.

18. Examples of Research Blogs
• Scientific Media – Nature, Scientific Ameican
– http://blogs.scientificamerican.com
– http://blogs.nature.com
• Individual Scientists (or Lab/Group Blogs)
– Real names - http://phylogenomics.blogspot.com
– Pseudonyms - http://isisthescientist.com
• Company blogs
• Expedition/Outreach blogs

19. http://deepseanews.com
Mission Statement: Demystifying and humanizing science in
an open conversation that instills passion, awe, and
responsibility for the oceans.
Our vision of the future is
• a public craving ocean exploration and knowledge,
• ocean scientists eager to be the guides for both,
• resulting in a global commitment for protection and
restoration of our oceans.

20. Core Values
1. Direct from the bench and the trench. We believe in directly communicating science to the
public without barriers and intermediaries.
2. Saying things others do not. We will move the conversation forward by providing ocean
science content from the obscure to the controversial.
3. Reverently irreverent. We will be true to who we are in real life, leveraging humor to keep the
science dialogue informal and accessible.
4. Promoting ocean literacy. We will help the public make informed and responsible decisions
regarding the ocean and its resources by interpreting the essential principles and fundamental
concepts of ocean science.
5. Perspective through a plurality of voices. We believe the conversation between the public and
science should not be one way. Vision, growth, and intelligent progress can only come through
an open conversation that includes all stakeholders. We strive to provide a platform for diverse
voices to be heard.
6. Awareness through scrutiny, not negativity. We believe that a critical assessment of ongoing
ocean issues and science is vital, but that open conversation is hindered by negativity. We will
strive to be professional, diplomatic, empathetic, and rational in our evaluation.
7. Expanding the culture of ocean science. The ocean and our lives as scientists are part of the
larger fabric of human culture. We will highlight areas where the ocean touches our society,
and seek to provide a window into our lives both as scientists and a member of the public
embedded in ocean culture. We will strive for a future that allows for scientists and the public
to be partnering stakeholders in sustaining and preserving our oceans.
8. Call to Action. We believe that an open dialogue is just the first step, and seek to turn words
into action.

21. SEAPLEX Expedition Blog
http://seaplexscience.com/
Seaplex Slides Courtesy of Miriam Goldstein
@MiriamGoldste

22. Seaplex Slides
Courtesy of
Miriam Goldstein
@MiriamGoldste

23. Seaplex Slides
Courtesy of
Miriam Goldstein
@MiriamGoldste

24. Seaplex Slides
Courtesy of
Miriam Goldstein
@MiriamGoldste

25. Seaplex Slides
•Scripps Oceanography & Project Kaisei channels Courtesy of
Miriam Goldstein
•SEAPLEX playlist @MiriamGoldste

26. Seaplex Slides
Courtesy of
Miriam Goldstein
@MiriamGoldste

27. Official Site
Seaplex Slides
Courtesy of Miriam
Goldstein
@MiriamGoldste
http://sio.ucsd.edu/Expeditions/Seaplex/

28. Potential benefits from social media
• Establishing a reputation as an “expert” by
participating in online interactions
– Enables networking with academic colleagues and
diverse professionals (journalists, media contacts)
• Scientific benefits that can result
– New collaborations, manuscripts, research funding
– Obtaining samples or leveraging others’ fieldwork
– Interactions across the boundaries of your discipline
– Increased efficiency (e.g. obtaining PDFs, getting quick
answers to questions)

29. Potential benefits from social media
• Online interactions will broaden your real
networks
– Meet researchers, journalists with similar interests
– Spread your reputation without direct interactions
• Provides an escape from the solitary nature of
science – commiseration and congratulations
– e.g. #FridayNightScience hashtag connects
researchers working long hours in the lab

30. Perils – external perceptions
• Perception and reputation in academic circles –
“When do you have time to do science?”
• Aimless interactions or
mis-directed goals
• Easy to get overloaded
• Lots of different tools
• Distractions….
Jeff Atwood, codinghorror.com

31. Long term needs and outlook
• Online tools are uncharted territory, but will
be increasingly important (especially amongst
younger demographic groups)
Pressing need for training workshops and
reference materials for researchers wanting
to incorporate new tools.
• http://www.compassonline.org
• NSF’s “Science: Becoming the Messenger”
workshops Photo from http://www.nsf.gov

32. Long term needs and outlook
• We need METRICS – track and refine use of
online tools and dissemination of content
– http://impactstory.org
– http://orcid.org - unique researcher IDs
– http://www.digital-science.com
Data will be necessary for promoting acceptance in
academic circles; metrics dispel the perception
that online activities are a “waste of time”, e.g. in
job searches, tenure review
Altmetric tool
digtial-science.com

33. Tips and Guidance
• Social Media requires an initial time investment
(setting up accounts, exploring features,
connecting with other users)
• Observe and "lurk" for a while as you start to
learn how community works
• Explore different tools and decide what works
best for you personally. Consistent use of fewer
tools is better than spreading yourself too thin.

34. Tips and Guidance
• Don't be afraid to ask for help
– There are many established and friendly communities
online where people are always willing to help
• Social Media will save you time in the long run
– Provides filters and customization for the online flood
of information
– Many existing tools for aggregation and cross-
platform synching

35. Useful Tools
• RSS Feeds
• Apps – iPhone/iPad, Android
– Google Reader for aggregating Blog RSS feeds
– Flipboard – turns tweets into a magazine layout
• Blog autoposting tools - http://twitterfeed.com
• Tweet timing tools - http://bufferapp.com
• Storify – http://storify.com
• “Buttons” in your web browser toolbar – Press this,
Tweet this, Pin it

37. References
• Wilcox C. Guest editorial. It's time to e-volve: taking responsibility for science
communication in a digital age. Biol. Bull. 2012 Apr.;222(2):85–7.
• Shiffman DS. Twitter as a tool for conservation education and outreach: what
scientific conferences can do to promote live-tweeting. J Environ Stud Sci. 2012
Jul.24;2(3):257–62.
• Priem J, Piowar HA, Hemminger BM. Altmetrics in the Wild: Using Social Media to
Explore Scholarly Impact. arXiv.org. 2012 Mar.30;:1–23.
• Ecklund EH, James SA, Lincoln AE. How Academic Biologists and Physicists View
Science Outreach. PLoS ONE. Public Library of Science; 2012 May9;7(5):e36240.
• Social Networking for Scientists (Wiki and PDF guide by Christie Wilcox)
http://socialnetworkingforscientists.wikispaces.com
• Social Media workshop run at
#ESA12http://www.slideshare.net/sandramchung/esa2012-social-media-workshop

38. Twitter & Social Media Links
• 10 Commandments of Twitter for Academics
http://chronicle.com/article/10-Commandments-of-Twitter-for/131813/
• Social Media for Scientists (series by Christie Wilcox)
– http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/2011/09/27/social-media-for-
scientists-part-1-its-our-job/
– http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/2011/09/29/social-media-for-
scientists-part-2-you-do-have-time/
– http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/2011/10/04/social-media-for-
scientists-part-2-5-breaking-stereotypes/
– http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/2011/10/10/social-media-for-
scientists-part-3-win-win/
– http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/2012/03/01/social-media-for-
scientists-part-4-on-the-road/
– http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/2012/05/16/social-media-for-
scientists-part-5-its-time-to-e-volve/

39. Article Metrics - links
• Is blogging and tweeting about research worth it? (YES -
http://melissaterras.blogspot.com/2012/04/is-blogging-and-tweeting-
about-research.html
• Scientists: Your number is up - ORCIDs give researchers unique, traceable
online IDs (Nature news)http://www.nature.com/news/scientists-your-
number-is-up-1.10740
• Wikipedia + Journal Articles - New effort by PLoS to add journal article
content to wikipedia. (Scientific American)
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/information-
culture/2012/05/14/wikipedia-journal-articles/
• What users do with PLoS ONE papers - HTML pageviews, article
downloads, and social media discussions (PLoS Blogs)
http://blogs.plos.org/mfenner/2012/07/24/what-users-do-with-plos-one-
papers/