Science and Science Communication: How and Why to Blog About Science

1. Department of
Psychology
Science
and
Science Communication
Jason G. Goldman
http://www.jasonggoldman.com
http://blogs.ScientificAmerican.com/thoughtful-animal
@jgold85
gplus.to/jasonggoldman
facebook.com/jason.goldman

2. Why blog?
Promote your own work

3. Why blog?
Promote others’ work (establish good will)

4. Why blog?
Increase scientific literacy (even among other scientists)
Actual comments from science blogs:

5. Why blog?
Increase scientific literacy (even among other scientists)
Actual comments from science blogs:
“Cognitive psychology is all armchair psychology and introspection.”

6. Why blog?
Increase scientific literacy (even among other scientists)
Actual comments from science blogs:
“Cognitive psychology is all armchair psychology and introspection.”
“I thought the soft sciences were stuff such as psychology.”

7. Why blog?
Increase scientific literacy (even among other scientists)
Actual comments from science blogs:
“Cognitive psychology is all armchair psychology and introspection.”
“I thought the soft sciences were stuff such as psychology.”
“Man is a herd animal. The man is on the edge of the herd. The women in
the center. There are different skills for surviving in the different positions.
The ability to count the lions is important on the edge. It’s not so important
in the middle where other skills are important. The male has larger rewards
for succeeding, but a bigger loser if he fails...It’s a hard reality but it’s the
reality we evolved in and it dictates our behavior.”

8. Why blog?
Increase scientific literacy

9. Why blog?
Debunk bad science

10. Why blog?
(or bad science journalism)

11. Why blog?
Fun

12. Why blog?
Provide expert commentary (current events)

13. Benefits of Blogging
Become an Expert/Trusted/Reliable Source
& Learn How To Work With Journalists

14. Benefits of Blogging
Your society will - probably - love it

15. Benefits of Blogging
Your society will - probably - love it

16. Benefits of Blogging
Your society will - probably - love it
(so will - probably - your university/institution)

17. Benefits of Blogging
Outreach/Broader Impacts
One hundred small classrooms
per day
A dozen or more large
lectures per day

18. Benefits of Blogging
Professional Development
Writing - a lot!
Scientific reasoning
Defending ideas
Identify weak spots in communication
Editing
Collaborations

19. Benefits of Blogging
Community

20. Benefits of Blogging
Community

21. Benefits of Blogging
Community

22. Benefits of Blogging
Community

23. Benefits of Blogging
Community

24. Downsides/Lessons Learned
Google is watching

25. Downsides/Lessons Learned
Standing out cuts both ways

26. The Future of Science Blogging

27. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs

28. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs
- Political Liberal/Atheist blogs

29. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs
- Political Liberal/Atheist blogs

30. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs
- Political Liberal/Atheist blogs
February 2004 -

31. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs
- Political Liberal/Atheist blogs
February 2004 -
January 2006 -

32. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs
- Political Liberal/Atheist blogs
February 2004 -
January 2006 -
March 2006 -

33. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs
- Political Liberal/Atheist blogs
February 2004 -
January 2006 -
March 2006 -
April 2007-

34. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs
- Political Liberal/Atheist blogs
February 2004 -
January 2006 -
March 2006 -
April 2007-
June 2011 -

35. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs
- Political Liberal/Atheist blogs
February 2004 -
January 2006 - - “Science is cool!” blogs
March 2006 -
April 2007-
June 2011 -

36. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs
- Political Liberal/Atheist blogs
February 2004 -
January 2006 - - “Science is cool!” blogs
March 2006 -
- Science journalists
- “Life in science” blogs
April 2007-
June 2011 -

37. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs
- Political Liberal/Atheist blogs
February 2004 -
January 2006 - - “Science is cool!” blogs
March 2006 -
- Science journalists
- “Life in science” blogs
April 2007-
Summer 2010
June 2011 -

38. The Future of Science Blogging
- Early 2000s Tech blogs
- Political Liberal/Atheist blogs
February 2004 -
January 2006 - - “Science is cool!” blogs
March 2006 -
- Science journalists
- “Life in science” blogs
April 2007-
Summer 2010
June 2011 -
- July 2011

39. So you want to start blogging...
- July 2011

40. So you want to start blogging...
- July 2011

41. So you want to start blogging...
- July 2011
Start small - find a niche

42. So you want to start blogging...
- July 2011
Start small - find a niche
Write what you’d want to read

43. So you want to start blogging...
- July 2011
Start small - find a niche
Write what you’d want to read

44. So you want to start blogging...
- July 2011
Start small - find a niche
Write what you’d want to read

45. So you want to start blogging...
- July 2011
Start small - find a niche
Write what you’d want to read
If it isn’t fun (most of the time), you’re doing it wrong

46. So you want to start blogging...
- July 2011
Start small - find a niche
Write what you’d want to read
If it isn’t fun (most of the time), you’re doing it wrong

47. So you want to start blogging...
- July 2011
Start small - find a niche
Write what you’d want to read
If it isn’t fun (most of the time), you’re doing it wrong
Use social media insofar as it complements your goals

48. So you want to start blogging...
- July 2011
Start small - find a niche
Write what you’d want to read
If it isn’t fun (most of the time), you’re doing it wrong
Use social media insofar as it complements your goals
Promote yourself! (But not in a spammy way)

49. So you want to start blogging...

50. So you want to start blogging...
Offer to write guest posts

51. So you want to start blogging...
Offer to write guest posts

52. So you want to start blogging...
Offer to write guest posts
Frequency helps, but regularity is key

53. So you want to start blogging...

54. So you want to start blogging...
Ask for help!

55. Jason G. Goldman
thoughtfulanimal@gmail.com
blogs.ScientificAmerican.com/thoughtful-animal
@jgold85 #scio13
gplus.to/jasonggoldman
facebook.com/jason.goldman