{"id":120,"date":"2017-10-19T11:46:10","date_gmt":"2017-10-19T10:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/osc\/?p=120"},"modified":"2023-04-26T16:22:23","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T15:22:23","slug":"social-media-intro-to-blogging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/osc\/2017\/10\/19\/social-media-intro-to-blogging\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Social Media to promote your research: A blog on blogging (Kent blogs)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blogs: An excellent way to open the discussion on a new publication, write up sessions or key points from a conference you\u2019ve attended, or to comment on recent world news\/policy changes relevant to your field. Very flexible medium \u2013 blogs work particularly well for departments or groups looking to share their research or news with a wider audience.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Note: There are numerous hosting services out there, for which I will try and put together some tips in a future post. This introductory post assumes that you are new to blogging and that you will (for now) be looking at a University blog. There are lots of options for blogging out there, but bear in mind that many external hosts will charge server fees.<\/em><\/p>\n

Getting started<\/h4>\n

The University runs its own Blogging service at blogs.kent.ac.uk<\/a> (this link will always take you to most recent posts across all University blogs).\u00a0 The full list of blogs can be accessed via the link in the top-right corner of your screen.\u00a0 Any staff member or research postgraduate is able to request a Kent blog<\/a>. If applying for a department-affiliated account your Head of School will need to approve the request; otherwise no approval is required but your department will be notified.<\/p>\n

We strongly recommend looking at and, if possible, writing a few pieces for your departmental blog before you sign up for your own \u2013 it can be difficult to come up with enough posts to keep things going on your own and many blogs are left to languish just a few weeks after being opened. If your department doesn\u2019t have one you may consider writing a guest post for a Society, Community or Publisher blog: e.g. OUPblog<\/a>\u00a0or LSE Impact blog<\/a>. If you have\u00a0contributed to\u00a0The Conversation<\/em>, an academic blog tends to aim for a similar level and tone as in both cases you are writing for a wider academic audience but where many readers may not be from your field.<\/p>\n

What should I blog about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anything within the scope of your blog \u2013 if it\u2019s titled \u2018Quantum Physics\u2019 your readers won\u2019t appreciate too many posts on politics or photos of your dog \u2013 but for a departmental blog it is entirely appropriate to have staff comings-and-goings. Topics could include new appointments, staff publications, staff and student awards, alumni news & achievements, opinions on mainstream news relevant to your department, and write-ups of any events\/visiting lectures\/major conferences.<\/p>\n

Finding a niche may seem desirable but we recommend going for something broad enough to sustain at least<\/em>\u00a010-15\u00a0posts a year<\/em> \u2013 and assuming you\u2019re aiming for an ongoing blog also consider the longevity of your topic.<\/h5>\n


\nTop tip:\u00a0 We recommend including a picture in each blog post if possible as this will make your entry stand out on the home screen (use your own images, or\u00a0ensure the image is available for\u00a0non-commercial use – I can recommend resources if required).\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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I found this image<\/a> via\u00a0Pexels. It is available under a CC0 licence so doesn’t strictly require attribution.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n


\n<\/strong>Can you point me to any good examples?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Many departments and central services run active feeds – good examples include: School of Anthropology and Conservation<\/a>, the School of European Culture and Languages<\/a>,\u00a0and the Centre for Health Studies<\/a>\u00a0(all using different themes).<\/p>\n

There are also a few individual Lecturers who have registered for a blog, either individually or for their research group. For a\u00a0strong example see Dr Jorge Quintanilla<\/a>\u2019s (School of Physical Sciences) group blog (note the tabs at the top of the page):\u00a0http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/strongcorrelations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please see these external posts on creating a blog<\/a> and coming up with ideas for posts<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\nAre any topics off-limits? Anything else I should bear in mind? <\/strong><\/p>\n