Introduction to

Social Media for

Researchers

Dr Helen Dixon

Information Services

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/drhelendixon

http://go.qub.ac.uk/socialmedia

Facebook.com/SocialMediaQUB

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Aims

To show how social media tools can be integrated into research and researcher development strategies

To critically evaluate the role of social media in the research process and the ethical issues that may arise

To illustrate how social networking can facilitate career development and collaboration

To reflect on the importance of establishing and managing an online profile

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How can you

use social

media as a

researcher?

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http://padlet.com/HelenDixon/SMResearch

The name of the

game is to present

oneself, via one’s

tweets, posts, likes,

comments, and

shares, in the light

in which one

aspires to be

viewed.

http://philosophyforchange.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/foucault-and-social-media-the-call-of-the-crowd/

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Reasons for using social media

To communicate more effectively and

efficiently

To facilitate knowledge transfer and

exchange

To work collaboratively

To increase inter-disciplinary exchange

To foster creativity

To explore new methodologies

To promote your research and its impact

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Social media has the potential

to

reach those the research was intended to help

create debate and influence academic peers

spark public interest and raise the profile of research

increase the chances of securing research funding or sponsorship for new projects

build long term relationships with leading industry players

open the door to potential commercial partnerships and consultancy work.

Northern Lights PR

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Disadvantages

Time management difficulties/distraction

Information overload/white noise

Intellectual property, privacy and security issues

Loss of control

Misinformation and premature publication

Blurring of personal/professional boundaries

Risk of bullying/abuse

Lack of recognition for online efforts

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Social media tools

Interact/ Communicate

• Facebook

• Google+

• Wiki

• Blog

• Twitter

• Storify

• Audacity

Share resources

• Scoop.it

• Instagram

• SlideShare

• YouTube

• Pinterest

• Delicious

• Prezi

Network

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

• Yammer

• Academia

• ResearchGate

• Cloudworks

• Mendeley

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WIIFM?

As an academic you have information and

expertise to share

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What do you want social media to

do for you?

Online profile

Expert status

Personal brand

Network

Community

Collaboration

Research

Data collection

Publication

Professional development

Personal learning network

Career opportunities

Introducing the Researcher 3.0Profiles on website, blog, social media

Up-to-date online presence

Explores new methodologies

Innovative technology user

Promotes open access and sharing

Collaborates & creates

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Social media as

an aid to research

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Social media and the academic

research process

Collaboration

Identification of

knowledge

Creation of knowledge

Quality assurance of knowledge

Dissemination of knowledge

Social Media: A

guide for

Researchers |

Research

Information Network

rin.ac.uk

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Social media and research

Identification of knowledge

• Keep informed of research developments

• Explore new methodologies

• Social bookmarking

• Networking

• Conferences

Creation of knowledge

• Collaboration

• Solicit expertise

• Participate in discussions

• Social research

• Crowd-sourcing

• Big data

Quality assurance

• Idea development and reflection

• Peer review and feedback

Dissemination of knowledge

• Communicate expertise

• Publish research findings

• Promote publications

Social media as a research tool

Real-time data

• Analyse events as they happen

Insights into attitudes

• Evidence of beliefs

Crowdsourcing

• Help to gather/analyse data

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“With 225 million users issuing half a billion tweets per

day, Twitter represents the richest dataset to hit

academia….well, maybe ever—a virtual Petri dish of real-

time data, attractive to scholars of all disciplines, for

studies of all sorts.”Erika Fry

http://fortune.com/2014/08/22/contagion-justin-bieber-data-scientists-twitter/

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“Social media data is

not quantitative data,

rather qualitative data

on a quantitative scale.”

Francesco D'Orazio

The Future of Social Media in:

Social Research: Blogs on Blurring the Boundaries by SAGE

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Social media data

• Comments, blogs, profiles, wikis

• Mentions, hashtagsText• Sounds

• Podcasts, interviews Audio• Photographs, cartoons, memes, screenshots

• Charts, maps, mind maps, diagramsVisual• Videos, webinars, hangouts

• Animations, gamesVideo• Follows, likes, shares, retweets

• Link/image clicks, downloadsAction

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Dimensions of social data

• What do they share?Content

• Who are they?Demographics

• How do they act?Behaviours

• Who do they interact with?Networks

• What other interests do they have?Interests

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Analysing social media data

• Connections, links, hashtags, mentions

Network analysis

• Structure of communicationsDiscourse analysis

• Categorising contentContent analysis

• Positive, negative, neutralSentiment analysis

• Word frequencies, social media metrics

Summary statistics

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Social media research –

ethical issues

Informed consent

Researcher identity

Research relationship

Anonymity & confidentiality

Data security

Risk to participants

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http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/02/facebook-sorry-secret-

psychological-experiment-users

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Social media research –

quality issues

Sampling & recruitment

Inaccurate profiles

Impulsive comments

Exaggerated views

Polar opinions

Analysis techniques

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Do you like curly fries?

http://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_golbeck_the_curly_fry_conundrum_why_soc

ial_media_likes_say_more_than_you_might_think/transcript

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Consider how you will:

Collect data

Analyse data

Validate findings

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Things to consider

Need to understand how people use

different platforms differently

Summarise T&Cs for participants before

research begins

For longitudinal studies, important to

document how interfaces like Facebook

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Social networking

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Putting yourself online

Create a professional

image

Develop a personal

brand

Establish yourself as an expert

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Social media and networking

Communicate and collaborate with people outside your personal circle

Manage connections efficiently

Tools will recommend connections

Networks easily identified

Can become complex

Information overload

Harder to avoid people

Spam/sales people

Blurring of professional and personal activities

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Tips for social networking

Create and maintain a professional and

consistent online profile

Include qualifications, skills, research interests

Don’t forget an appropriate image!

Don’t spread yourself too thin!

Update regularly but don’t overload

Always remain courteous and professional

Exchange online profiles at conferences or

events

Don’t rule out connections outside your

research area

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Blogging as a researcher

Breakdown ideas into smaller, more

accessible blocks

Develop ideas and solicit feedback from

other academics

Publish research findings – check with

supervisor!

Share your expertise with a new audience

Develop your writing style

Practice for writing-up

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https://socialmediaqub.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/5-questions-to-ask-

yourself-before-starting-a-blog/

Blogging tips!

Have a clear purpose

Plan in advance

Be careful about your tone

How will others react?

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Use Twitter to

Network with other researchers/academics

Disseminate research findings/promote articles

Drive traffic to a blog/website

Host or take part in online chats

E.g. #phdchat

Gain insights into opinions and behaviour

Interact or provide feedback at a conference

Promote conferences, events, etc.

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What Twitter can reveal

University of Rochester in New York used Twitter

to follow the spread of flu virus in New York City

and predict when users would fall ill

Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta tracked

the evolution of words – where they originated and

how they spread geographically

A sentiment analysis run by Northeastern

University in Boston measured public tweets using

a psychological word-rating system to identify

happy or sad tweets.

Happiness peaks each Sunday morning, then dives to an

all-week low on Thursday evening

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24544-five-fascinating-things-

revealed-by-twitter-data.html#.Uoo2YtLwlBl

http://digimind.com/blog/best-practices/innovative-uses-of-social-media-data/

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Use Facebook/Google+ to

Get to know other students/researchers

Interact with industry professionals or

research bodies

Find out about events/conferences

Obtain feedback from peers

Collaborate with other researchers

Google Hangouts?

Google Hangouts

Have a video conversation via webcam with up to 10 people over the Internet

Need a Google+ profile and some friends/contacts

A Hangout on Air is broadcast live to your YouTube channel

Up to 10 people can contribute on video

Millions more can participate by text or just listen in

Afterwards, you can edit the video and it available online

http://youtu.be/qhvd_LTM_yQ?t=56m30s

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Use Second Life to

Network with other researchers and

obtain feedback

Recruit research participants and

conduct pilot interviews

Conduct focus groups or interviews

with remote participants

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Second

_Life_Education

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https://www.box.com/s/90b4481d6d218ed1de87

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Use LinkedIn to

Develop a professional profile online

Network with other researchers

Maintain relationships with past colleagues

Join groups to discuss specific topics

Publicise research activities and gain

feedback

Get information about funding or

employment opportunities

Identify potential research partners or

participants

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https://socialmediaqub.wordpress.com/2015/12/02/linkedin-or-left-out/

Developing a social media strategy

Clarify your

objectives

Identify your

audience

Develop content strategy

Track your

progress

Adjust your

strategy

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Which tool would you use?

To collaborate on a research project

To interact with other research students

To maintain contact with research subjects in a different country

To promote your ownresearch

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Impact of your activities What you have gained

Social media metrics

Number of updates

Number of followers/friends gained

Number of comments/replies

Number of retweets/shares

Number of articles downloaded or click-throughs

Number of new connections you have identified

Number of useful resources you have found

Number of funding opportunities identified

Number of invitations received

Number of research participants identified

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Altmetrics“…the creation and study of new metrics based on

the Social Web for analyzing, and informing

scholarship.”

www.altmetrics.org

PublicationsProducts of

research

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Altmetrics

Impact or attention?

Things to consider

• What metrics are available for your articles?

• What about your other ‘products of research’?

How to get started

• Find out about use of metrics in your area

• Set up a profile and lurk for a while

Check out http://figshare.com/

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Managing your online profile

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What does your online profile say

about you?

In the future your

“digital footprint”

will carry far more

weight than

anything you may

put on a resume.

Chris Betcher

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Try it out!

Go to socialmention.com and search for “Queen’s University Belfast”Try your own name too!

Now go to tagboard.com and search for phdchatTry QUBImpact or another hashtag you are interested in

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Digital professionalism

• about the impact on you, the University, funding bodies and othersTHINK

• sharing, make sure that the information is correct and that you have permissionBEFORE

• are responsible for anything you publish onlineYOU

• content that will add value and enhance your reputationPOST

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How to lose followers and alienate people

Too much

Controversy

Formality

Self-promotion

Not enough

Useful content

Original content

Interaction

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Getting started

Start simple – create a personal Facebook,

Twitter or LinkedIn account

Follow academics, research groups,

institutions, etc. relevant to your field

Lurk for a while and take note of how other

academics are using social media

Search for and comment on educational

content

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When you are ready…

Use Twitter to provide feedback at a conference or event

Ask questions and initiate discussions relevant to the use of social media or your field of interest

Join a group on LinkedIn to network with other academics in your research area

Participate in a webinar or live chat

Create a Facebook/Google+ page for a project you are involved with

Create and share a video of an interesting aspect of your research

Start a blog about your area of expertise

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Discuss your ideas with your supervisor

Read the University’s Social Media Policy

Respect copyright and link to or cite sources

Moderate all comments

Respond to comments and Tweets

Remain professional at all times!

Doing it right!

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The rules of the game

are simple:

[1] share only what

you love or what

resonates with you;

[2] pay attention to the

feedback you receive

from the crowd and

modify your posts

accordingly;

[3] don’t stray too far

from the truth. Be

creative but don’t be

phoney.

http://philosophyforchange.wordpre

ss.com/2012/07/26/foucault-and-

social-media-the-call-of-the-crowd/

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Questions

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Stay in touch!

facebook.com/SocialMediaQUB

twitter.com/SocialMediaQUB

Further reading 5 questions to ask yourself before starting a blog

How to disseminate your research via social media

LinkedIn or left out? Networking in education

Researchers – it’s time to start talking about social media

and altmetrics

Social media for researchers

Using Twitter in university research, teaching and impact

activities