Crafting Your Digital Identity

Presentation given at Steenbock Library BioCommons, UW-Madison, as part of my workshop series on digital scholarship topics for grad students and early career researchers. October 2015.

Transcript

1. CRAFTING! YOUR! DIGITAL! IDENTITY! Brianna Marshall, UW-Madison Libraries! @notsosternlib | #uwECR!
2. about me! Brianna Marshall! Digital Curation Coordinator, UW Libraries! Lead, Research Data Services! ! ü  Recent graduate (MIS/MLS, 2014)   ü  Web presence since 2011(ish)!
3. caveats! •  Given limited time, I’ve chosen to mention things - even just briefly! - rather than forego them entirely •  Expectations and best practices are often field-specific •  I use my own web presences as examples frequently –  I believe in the power of visuals and this allows me to be the guinea pig –  It’s just what I know (and certainly not the only way to go)
4. hopes + dreams! you’ll be inspired by something I talk about today + put it into practice you’ll share your top online identity tips with us you’ll tell me what you want to know more about for future workshops! you’ll be reenergized enough by the topic to find something else that works for you and / or
5. why have a web presence?! … to control your image before it controls you.
6. case in point:!
7. take control! +! build! +! maintain! [ http://chronicle.com/article/How-to-Curate-Your-Digital/151001/ ]
8. get started! Creep shamelessly on the web presences of peers, mentors, and experts in your field. –  What content do they include? –  How do they present the information (style, formatting, aesthetics)? –  Do they link out to other platforms? –  How does their web presence impact your impression of them?
9. personal vs. professional! How do you decide what to share and what to keep private? –  A very individual choice –  For me, a blend of both; impossible (and undesirable!) to fully separate –  Represent yourself online in an intentional way that you stand by
10. questions to ponder! •  What are your main objectives for having a professional web presence? •  How much maintenance and upkeep will you realistically do? •  Do you have platforms that you will designate as solely professional or solely personal?
11. CREATING A WEBSITE/PORTFOLIO! ideas + platforms for!
12. pick your platform! Most offer both free and premium options.
13. why I recommend wordpress! •  Plug and play (yet customizable) •  Variety of themes and looks •  Easy to start small and work your way to something larger or more complex •  Widely used with lots of documentation •  WordPress skills in demand beyond just your site •  I have used it happily for 3+ years! •  Wordpress.com vs. Wordpress.org [ https://wordpress.com/ ]
14. selecting a website theme! Focus on your content first, then pick your theme accordingly. –  Do you plan to keep a blog? –  Are you using your website to feature projects? –  Will you have images? If so, will they be high quality? Don’t be seduced by a theme that won’t work well with the content you will produce!
15. image heavy! [ https://theme.wordpress.com/themes/canard/ ]
16. text-centric! [    h$ps://libredemo.wordpress.com/    ]  
17. highlight features/skills! [ http://themeisle.com/demo/?theme=Zerif%20Pro&ref=5257 ]
18. time for a walk ! down memory lane…!
19. 2011 - 2012
20. 2012 - 2014
21. 2014- present [ demo ]!
22. wordpress (behind the scenes)!
23. wordpress (behind the scenes)!
24. website cost breakdown! •  Hosting (Bluehost) – $45-75 per year •  Domain name (Go Daddy) – $10-15 per year •  Paid theme *optional* (ThemeTrust) – $25-50 one time cost That’s less than $100 to get things set up for your first year, plus maybe a little more if you want to get fancy with your theme!
25. still not convinced? start simple.! [ https://about.me/ ]
26. SOCIAL MEDIA!
27. twitter!
28. twitter! •  Real time interactions and information sharing with colleagues •  People (see and be seen) •  Conference live tweets •  Twitter chats •  Learn about opportunities –  Scholarships –  CFPs –  Projects
29. twitter terminology! # = hashtag @ = nametag, a way to reply to someone .@ = broadcast a tweet that begins with a nametag RT = retweet, share something already tweeted HT = hat tip, acknowledge or thank a source DM = direct message Tweetup = physical meeting of tweeters http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003789
30. example – twitter chats! Tips •  Just dive in! It can be overwhelming. •  Hashtags –  #withaPhD –  #PhDchat –  #ECRchat –  #vitaechat
31. example – conference live tweets! Tips •  Use the conference hashtag •  Focus on key points from the speakers •  Know you won’t be able to capture everything
32. good tool to know: tweetdeck!
33. + make sure you stay amused! https://twitter.com/YourPaperSucks/status/532976417366372352
34. + make sure you stay amused! https://twitter.com/IAmOxfordComma/status/642007471331115008
35. + make sure you stay amused! https://twitter.com/FakeElsevier/status/601855363999227906
36. + make sure you stay amused! https://twitter.com/AcademicsSay/status/655944886760448000
37. + make sure you stay amused! https://twitter.com/ass_deans/status/631195933707886592
38. + make sure you stay amused! https://twitter.com/ResearchMark/status/654118906701811712
39. LinkedIn! •  Free, online resume - all you have to do is update it! •  Utilize its high SEO / google ranking •  Can be used explicitly for job hunting / networking (or not…)
40. more on social media! MASHABLE GUIDES •  The Beginner’s Guide to Hashtags •  The Beginner's Guide to Social Media •  The Beginner's Guide to Twitter •  The Beginner's Guide to Facebook •  The Beginner's Guide to Tumblr •  The Beginner's Guide to Instagram
41. ACADEMIC SOCIAL NETWORKS!
42. what are they?! •  Profile sites •  Share research outputs •  Network + find collaborators •  Receive immediate feedback on research through statistics, comments •  Similar (though not identical) looks + functionality Confession: I am relatively new to these academic social networks. I signed up for experimental accounts while prepping this talk.
43. academia.edu!
44. mendeley  
45. researchgate!
46. selecting an academic social network! Should you sign up for none, one, or all? •  Ask your peers and mentors what they use + why •  Mendeley can also serve as a citation manager (and the Libraries provide expertise in it!) •  Decide how in-depth you want to go –  Is the site a placeholder for googleability? –  Will you be uploading your research outputs? –  Will you be actively seeking collaborators + interacting?
47. shifts in scholarly communication + publishing options!
48. map out your academic online presence!
50. FINAL THOUGHTS!
51. find an accountability partner! Movie still from Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
52. explore disciplinary practices! Image courtesy of Flickr user dlanham (CC BY NC ND)
53. use a consistent photo!
54. google yourself periodically!
55. remember to creep! Image courtesy of Flickr user mal-b (CC BY ND)
56. fresh content is king! Image courtesy of Flickr user roadsidepictures (CC BY NC)
57. make technical updates as needed! Image courtesy of Flickr user ellea (CC BY NC ND)
58. focus! Image courtesy of Flickr user intherough (CC BY NC)
59. adapt + iterate! Image courtesy of Flickr user tracyshaun (CC BY)
60. make it a habit! Image used courtesy of Flickr user papayatreelimited (CC BY NC) [ read The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg! ]
61. enjoy the process Image courtesy of Flickr user hmoong (CC BY NC)
62. that’s all. dive on in! Image courtesy of Flickr user elephantonabicycle (CC BY NC)
63. resources! •  How to curate your digital identity •  Blogging will not ruin your career •  The weird and wonderful world of academic Twitter
64. upcoming digital scholarship workshops! Research Data Management + Sharing NOV 19 An Introduction to Open Research DEC 10 Steenbock Library BioCommons | 4-5pm
65. BRIANNA MARSHALL! @notsosternlib! brianna.marshall@wisc.edu!