Presentation on professional branding in the age of the internet, presented to the Postdoctoral Career Symposium at the University of Texas Medical Center.

1. DEVELOPING YOUR
BRAND IN THE
INTERNET ERA
EXPLOITING NEW
TOOLS TO STAND
OUT
Kevin M. Folta, Horticultural
Sciences Department, University
of Florida, Gainesville, FL. USA

2. Here’s what I do:
Funding and Reimbursement: www.kevinfolta.com/transparency
Slides: www.slideshare.net/kevinfolta
Department Chair to 57
faculty in 7 locations
Integrate with County Agents
Department Specialties-
Teaching-Research-Extension
Plant breeding
Postharvest technology
Space biology
Cell and molecular biology
Organic crop production
Horticultural crop production
Biochemistry
Crop plant physiology
Farm to schools

3. Here’s what we do:
Funding and Reimbursement: www.kevinfolta.com/transparency
Slides: www.slideshare.net/kevinfolta

4. Here’s what we do: OUTREACH and SCICOMM
Funding and Reimbursement: www.kevinfolta.com/transparency
Slides: www.slideshare.net/kevinfolta
Veg-a-sketch.com
mysciencegarden.com
talkingbiotechpodcast.com
talkingbiotech.com
I do over 100
presentations a year,
over 30 articles, etc for
non-scientific audiences.

5. A CHALLENGING TIME
Universities are in a buyer’s market
Startup packages are scary low
Lower funding rates
Higher bar for publication
Higher costs of student support
Older students and postdocs
Low-hanging fruits are few and far between
Increasingly difficult to find your research niche

6. WHAT THE MARKET LOOKS LIKE
HOW DO YOU DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF IN A TOUGH
TOUGH FIELD?
Surprisingly easy – Do something.
Everyone must have publications,
has trained students, maybe
taught a course, maybe has
written/received grants.
It is not about hiring good
scientists, it is about hiring good
people
** Your role at this point in your
career needs to identify low
life/time impact, but have high
visibility and contribute to your
scientific brand

7. WHY TALK ABOUT BRANDING?
THIS IS SCIENCE, NOT BUSINESS.
Like it or not, in the age of
the internet, you are brand.
You cannot separate your
personal and professional
self as easily.
People are using the internet
to learn more about you,
make decisions about you.
How can you leverage that to
present a powerful, positive
projection?

8. WHY TALK ABOUT BRANDING?
THIS IS SCIENCE, NOT BUSINESS.
You are not just a potential employee.
You are a motivated, visible, multi-
faceted contributor
You generate interest
You interact and reach out to atypical
communities
You’ve demonstrated a commitment to
public understanding of science
You’ve shown persistent production of
a quality product
What does it say about your
values?

9. MANDATORY PROFESSIONAL
PRESENCE
YOU MUST BE VISIBLE IN WEB SPACE
• You must have complete and updated
profiles on:
Research Gate
Linked in
Facebook (professional website)

10. DEVELOP YOUR PROGRAM
SEEK NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DISTINCTION
DISTINCTION EARLY
• Set it up
• Do an amazing job
• Use social media to promote
the work before it happens, and
then use it to show how
successful it was.
• Build professional profiles, use
them to amplify content
• Confidence vs. Cocky-ness
TELL THEM YOU
ARE GOING TO DO
IT
TELL THEM YOU
ARE DOING IT
TELL THEM WHAT
YOU DID

11. WHAT TO INCLUDE?
WHAT SOME BASIC INFO SAYS ABOUT YOU.
All professional activities!
Service to schools
Volunteering- In the discipline
Science writing
Distillations for public audiences
Hosted events, organized speakers

12. SERVICE TO SCHOOLS
BECOMING THE TRUSTED SOURCE THAT ALWAYS
ALWAYS BRINGS IT.
Science Fairs
Science days
In-Class demonstrations
Better-than-a-substitute
Online modules
College level- Can you prepare online course
content?
Let the university know– develop media around
the events

13. GRANTS/FELLOWSHIPS
DEVELOP EVIDENCE OF ENGAGEMENT BEFORE THE
BEFORE THE APPLICATION
Don’t wait for a competitive
grant/fellowship/scholarship opportunity to
propose to do something clever
Do it now, then use
grants/fellowship/scholarship applications as a
way to obtain resources to take it to a new
level.
Amplification through professional web
presence

14. FUNDING THE OUTREACH
WORK
You don’t ask, you don’t get.
Ask state, federal program leaders.
Deans, Department Chairs, etc, may be willing to
support the outreach work.
Oftentimes local businesses will provide some support.
Invest in equipment that has departmental role, but
could be important for outreach.
Costs are generally low

15. BUILD WIN-WINS
Organize Science Cafés, Science on Tap, Science
Keg
Most places are happy to host this on an off
night
Sometimes become enormously popular events
Sponsors might donate food/drinks

16. EXPLOITING NEW MEDIA
Major media have lost their
science editors
Science is more complex and
specialized
Don’t complain about the
media- become the media
Get out of your echo chamber.
Talk to the public, not just to
other scientists

17. Reach Out Beyond Our Tribe
How do we stop just talking to each
other and reach others that want to
know what we do?

18. CONTENT AMPLIFICATION
Write something
and share with
1000 people
Share something
you like with
1000 people

19. CONTENT
Blogging: create content about what you do,
and why you do it.
Write articles for Medium.com, other sites
that are forums for articles.
Distill others’ work for a new tribe.

21. Received several
email inquiries with
specific questions.

22. Circulation = 1 million subscribers

23. Develop Media: Use Social Media to
Reach New Tribes with Crossover Topics
Over 900,000 downloads
>120 Episodes
Coffee episode, dog
domestication, cancer
immunotherapies, are
great content to
introduce to broader
audiences.
Currently 6,000 /week

24. AMPLIFICATION

25. The Power of Amplification and Networks
Pre-Internet Now
10 k contacts
Expert
Expert

26. The Power of Amplification via Networks

27. AMPLIFICATION
You MUST be present in social media – Twitter,
Facebook (professional page), LinkedIn, Instagram,
etc.
Develop networks with consistent quality posts
Promote good information into your networks

28. Amplify messages from trusted experts.
Jennie Schmidt
Brian Scott
Sarah Schultz

29. Amplify messages from trusted experts.

30. EXPLOITING NEW MEDIA
BE AVAILABLE.
Universities need go-to
people.
Get media training
Practice for when it
happens
Never turn down an
opportunity, even if it
means adjusting your
schedule.

31. EXPLOITING NEW MEDIA
Blogging
 One blog a week is 52 a year
 Free space at blogspot.com, wordpress, others
 University blog space
YouTube
World’s largest search engine
People go to video first
Record protocols you use
Record a synthesis of a journal club discussion
Break down a hot news item in your discipline for a
public audience

32. OUR RETRO JOURNAL CLUB

33. EXPLOITING NEW MEDIA
The Internet is Starving for Good Science
Media
 Non-refereed places to post
 Medium, etc
 Work in these spaces gets noticed, other opportunities arise –
PAID ONES!
 Non-refereed, but by invitation
 Science 2.0
 Huffington Post Blogs
 Forbes
 Medium
 The Conversation
 Genetic Literacy Project

34. ACADEMIC FREEDUMB?
Academic Freedom is the concept that scholars
should have the free range to express or
critically evaluate a concept as long as it is
within their field of expertise.
You need to be the expert in specific tribes.
What you say will be a permanent part of your
record.

35. THE INTERNETS LAST A LONG
TIME
Don’t lose your cool
Hug your haters
Comments sections, Facebook discussions,
Twitter threads, are a spectator sport
Understand who is watching and listening
Google yourself regularly

36. DO IT FOR THEM. DO IT FOR
YOU.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET SUCH
OPPORTUNITIES?
Be a presence in social media, explaining science,
participating in discussions!
Always offer to answer questions by email, leave a
legitimate email address
Always use your real name Buy your
www.yourname.com.
Get your e-real estate, now.
 Twitter
 PROFESSIONAL Facebook page
 Reddit account
 LinkedIn
 Research Gate
 CROSS PROMOTE YOUR WORK

37. BALANCE
Your activities must enhance the broader
impact of your research
They must be in addition to, not instead of
Make sure your advisor knows your work

38. APPLICATIONS
You need to have your advisor, or some other
trusted mentor, go through your application
materials.
Never submit ‘generic’ materials. Craft each
one to each position.

39. INTERVIEWING
Understand the philosophy of the interview –
this is you as a professional scientist sharing
science, not a desperate plea for a position.
Be the person they want as a colleague
Be the scientist they want as a collaborator
Be the friend they want to take to lunch

40. JOB TALKS
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!
Practice at least a month in advance with other
faculty
Recruit the strongest criticisms
Make sure you communicate, not just baffle
them with new information. The one that lands
the job is the one that communicates it clearly.

41. MY TEN COMMANDMENTS
OR MY STRONGLY ADVISABLE RECOMMENDATIONS
If it’s stupid, and it works, it’s not stupid
Write everyday
If you don’t ask, you don’t get
Measure twice, cut once
It is better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not
have it
You are the captain of your own ship
Second place is the first loser
Don’t sacrifice good enough for better
Never spend, always invest
Crisis and opportunity are intertwined
Luck is the residue of proper design and hard work
Surround yourself with people that like you and know CPR

42. EXCEED EXPECTATIONS.

43. THOSE ARE MY TWO CENTS.
THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS?
KFOLTA@UFL.EDU
WEBSITE: WWW.KEVINFOLTA.COM
BLOG: WWW.KEVINFOLTABLOG.COM
TWITTER: @KEVINFOLTA
FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK.COM/KMFOLTA
PODCAST:
WWW.TALKINGBIOTECHPODCAST.COM