alone, blogging has become a serious marketing and business tool. But
why should you, as a researcher and author, spend time creating and
writing a blog?
After all, your
time is precious, and setting up a blog, writing regular posts and
gaining followers isn’t necessarily at the top of your radar. However,
with more and more journals incorporating blogs as part of their online
presence, and an increasing number of academics blogging regularly,
here’s why you should too- and how to get the most from your efforts.
time is precious, and setting up a blog, writing regular posts and
gaining followers isn’t necessarily at the top of your radar. However,
with more and more journals incorporating blogs as part of their online
presence, and an increasing number of academics blogging regularly,
here’s why you should too- and how to get the most from your efforts.
Why blog?
First
of all, it will help you refine your writing skills. Blogs are more
widely read than academic journals and textbooks, so while you could be
writing for a broad audience, your posts will still need to hold up to
academic scrutiny while being accessible.
of all, it will help you refine your writing skills. Blogs are more
widely read than academic journals and textbooks, so while you could be
writing for a broad audience, your posts will still need to hold up to
academic scrutiny while being accessible.
Blogging
is also a great aid to discoverability. Every time you write a blog
post, you are creating content that can be shared via social media, as
well as providing a cue to search engines that your website is active.
Additionally, non-academics find it a lot easier to access a blog than
to find their way around journals and paywalls, so your work has the
potential to reach and influence a much wider audience. Not convinced?
Over 409 million people view more than 14.4 billion WordPress pages
every month- that’s a lot of potential readers!
is also a great aid to discoverability. Every time you write a blog
post, you are creating content that can be shared via social media, as
well as providing a cue to search engines that your website is active.
Additionally, non-academics find it a lot easier to access a blog than
to find their way around journals and paywalls, so your work has the
potential to reach and influence a much wider audience. Not convinced?
Over 409 million people view more than 14.4 billion WordPress pages
every month- that’s a lot of potential readers!
With
a blog, you immediately become part of a large network of bloggers with
whom you can share thoughts and ideas, and engage in some of the
cutting edge debates in your area of interest. Not only can this further
enhance your reputation as an expert in your field, it’s a great
opportunity to hone your communication skills as well as gain valuable
feedback on ideas and broaden your professional network. For early
career researchers, starting a blog can be beneficial as you network
with more experienced academics and pick up tips on how to publish, or
refine your CV for example.
a blog, you immediately become part of a large network of bloggers with
whom you can share thoughts and ideas, and engage in some of the
cutting edge debates in your area of interest. Not only can this further
enhance your reputation as an expert in your field, it’s a great
opportunity to hone your communication skills as well as gain valuable
feedback on ideas and broaden your professional network. For early
career researchers, starting a blog can be beneficial as you network
with more experienced academics and pick up tips on how to publish, or
refine your CV for example.
With many
institutions and research funders placing a growing emphasis on open
access and community outreach, a blog can be a great way to reach out to
the public and engage in meaningful conversation around your area of
expertise. Blogging enables you to share your enthusiasm for your
subject with those outside of the narrow world of academia, maybe even
inspiring the next generation of researchers along the way.
institutions and research funders placing a growing emphasis on open
access and community outreach, a blog can be a great way to reach out to
the public and engage in meaningful conversation around your area of
expertise. Blogging enables you to share your enthusiasm for your
subject with those outside of the narrow world of academia, maybe even
inspiring the next generation of researchers along the way.
How to write your blog and promote your work
Setting up a blog is incredibly easy with services such as WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr.
Once you’ve chosen your domain name and a theme, you are pretty much
ready to start posting. But what makes a good blog, and how do you go
about promoting your work?
Once you’ve chosen your domain name and a theme, you are pretty much
ready to start posting. But what makes a good blog, and how do you go
about promoting your work?
1. Find your voice
As
you start to blog, you will end up finding your own voice and style of
writing. Look at other academic blogs to see the range of styles used,
and find what suits you best, whether that is shorter posts or longer,
more reflective posts. Make it clear whether or not you are writing on
behalf of an institution and, importantly, be yourself! Successful blogs
tend to use a conversational tone and speak directly to the reader.
you start to blog, you will end up finding your own voice and style of
writing. Look at other academic blogs to see the range of styles used,
and find what suits you best, whether that is shorter posts or longer,
more reflective posts. Make it clear whether or not you are writing on
behalf of an institution and, importantly, be yourself! Successful blogs
tend to use a conversational tone and speak directly to the reader.
2. Define your audience
Make
sure that you know who you are aiming your blog at- whether it be
fellow academics and researchers, policy decision makers or even
schoolchildren. When you write, you should always have this audience in
mind. This will help develop your tone and style and your readers will
end up feeling more ‘connected’ to your writing. Just remember to make
your writing accessible to all- overly scientific and technical jargon
will alienate some readers, as will posts that constantly stray off
topic.
sure that you know who you are aiming your blog at- whether it be
fellow academics and researchers, policy decision makers or even
schoolchildren. When you write, you should always have this audience in
mind. This will help develop your tone and style and your readers will
end up feeling more ‘connected’ to your writing. Just remember to make
your writing accessible to all- overly scientific and technical jargon
will alienate some readers, as will posts that constantly stray off
topic.
3. Use social media
Make
use of your social media accounts to promote your latest blog post. A
Facebook post or a Tweet will broaden the scope of your blog’s reach and
let people know as soon as you’ve posted something new. And best of
all, if you have your social media accounts linked, this will take
minimal time and effort.
use of your social media accounts to promote your latest blog post. A
Facebook post or a Tweet will broaden the scope of your blog’s reach and
let people know as soon as you’ve posted something new. And best of
all, if you have your social media accounts linked, this will take
minimal time and effort.
4. Read other blogs
But
don’t just read them. Get involved by entering into conversations,
posting comments and linking to posts that interest you on your own
blog. This will encourage others to link to you and increase your online
discoverability. When you comment on other blogs, try to add value by
offering useful information and advice. This can be an excellent way of
networking with fellow bloggers in your field of expertise.
don’t just read them. Get involved by entering into conversations,
posting comments and linking to posts that interest you on your own
blog. This will encourage others to link to you and increase your online
discoverability. When you comment on other blogs, try to add value by
offering useful information and advice. This can be an excellent way of
networking with fellow bloggers in your field of expertise.
5. Include keywords
You
want your blog to be as visible as possible on search engines,
especially Google, as this will generate a lot of the traffic to your
site. Think of keywords that best sum up your post and repeat them
throughout your text (just don’t overdo it!) and in the post title. The
trick is to use words that you think people will search for when looking for the type of content you are posting.
want your blog to be as visible as possible on search engines,
especially Google, as this will generate a lot of the traffic to your
site. Think of keywords that best sum up your post and repeat them
throughout your text (just don’t overdo it!) and in the post title. The
trick is to use words that you think people will search for when looking for the type of content you are posting.
6. Guest blog
Writing
posts for other, more well-known blogs can be a good way to get your
own blog going to begin with. Not only are you networking with other
bloggers, you are creating a name for yourself, and your posts will
include a link to your own blog. Having your blog linked to a more
well-established blog is also great for search engine optimization.
posts for other, more well-known blogs can be a good way to get your
own blog going to begin with. Not only are you networking with other
bloggers, you are creating a name for yourself, and your posts will
include a link to your own blog. Having your blog linked to a more
well-established blog is also great for search engine optimization.
Good luck on your blogging journey!
How to promote your research through blogging | Wiley
No comments:
Post a Comment