Reasons to start blogging
Maybe you have been considering to start writing blogs about your research for a while now, but are a bit hesitant to do so. In this video, Dr Sterre Leufkens explains why starting to blog as a researcher is definitely a good idea. She shares her insights on the benefits of writing about your research for different audiences, why blogs in particular are a nice way to do so, and how to get started.
Tips and tricks
Why blog about your research?
Sterre gives several reasons why you would want to blog about (your) research:
- It’s fun!
- To reach a larger audience.
- To learn from response of non-academic audience.
- For improving your writing skills.
- To enlarge your network.
- For having a place to refer people to when they ask what you do/what your research is about.
Why blogging is a nice way of sharing your perspective?
She also explains why blogging in particular is a nice way of sharing your perspective:
- You have (almost) complete freedom to what you write and how you write it.
- It’s quick.
- It's interactive.
- It's technologically very easy.
- It's durable; it stays online forever.
How to get started?
If you are convinced already, you might also would like to know how to get started. These tips can help you to find your way:
- Create your own blog by finding a host (/blogpost, ) and launching your own page.
- Contact an editor of an existing blog – more and more disciplines, faculties, research groups etc. have one.
- Respond to any reactions you get. If you respond to responses, people see that you take them seriously. This increases chances they’ll come back.
- If you want to be picked up by other media, try to blog about current events: Respond to the news and give your scholarly perspective. Media that want to make a story about the topic may reach out to you.
Reading tips
Some good scientific blogs, recommended by Sterre Leufkens.