Social Media and its Impact with Reference to Blogging

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Social Media and its Impact with Reference to Blogging

M. Mymoon1, R. Lakshmi Poorna2, . !ariharan", S. S#ryakala$, R. %anagaras#&,

R. Ra'ik#mar&

1Senior Technical Officer, KRD, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre,

Taramani, Chennai 600113 Email ! m"moon#sercresin$Technical %ssistant, KRD, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Taramani, Chennai 6001133 &rinci'al Technical Officer, KRD, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Taramani, Chennai 600113(Senior Technician, KRD, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Taramani, Chennai 600113)&ost-gra*uate Trainee, KRD, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Taramani, Chennai 600113

BS(R)(

+irar" 'rofessionals are caught eteen 'ro.i*ing lirar" ser.ices through tra*itionalmo*els an* the e.ol.ing information technologies /ith the *"namic groth of the

online communication technologies an* tools, liraries nee* to change an* a*a't to thesechanging information an* communication technologies, although the" are often face*

ith the 'rolem of con.incing the management on the usefulness of these tools Social

me*ia softare an* technolog" has change* the a" information is collecte*, *istriute*

an* accesse*, lea*ing us into an age of 'artici'ation It also o'ens u' ne o''ortunities

for reaching out to 'atrons, 'ro.i*ing lirar" ser.ices an* transforming our esites from

eing static sources of information to .irant an* interacti.e .irtual liraries One a" in

hich lirarians can hel' users is " e*ucating gui*ing them in use of the ne

technolog" to their a*.antage Social me*ia is sim'l" another formof me*ia that e can

use to share information ith users illions of 'eo'le use social netor2s an* a large

'ercentage of researchers an* scientists also use them Social me*ia ser.es as a ri*geacross .arious *isci'lines, to echange information ith in*ustr" an* aca*emic

communities an* also ser.es as a channel for 'ulic communication of their research

4oth the lirarian an* the scientists ill miss out on a lot of information an* .isiilit", if

the" astain from social me*ia %lthough there are *onsi*es to social me*ia, a alance*a''roach ill enefit oth the lirarian an* the researcher

The 'resent 'a'er aims to 'ro.i*e scientists an* lirar" 'rofessionals ith an

un*erstan*ing of social me*ia, an* its 'ossile uses *uring an* ithin the research

'rocess %'art from gi.ing a general un*erstan*ing on social me*ia to ma2e *ecisions on

its usage for research an* aca*emic 'ur'oses, the 'a'er hel's " *escriing in *etail a

fe tools from the a.ailale i*e range This 'a'er also shos ho social me*ia can

change the a"s in hich researchers can o'en u' ne forms of communication an* alsoform neer an* 5uic2er channels for *isseminating information using logs an*

logging

Keywords ! social media; blog; blogging; Twitter; WordPress; social media impact;

microblogging; social media publishing tools; institutional blogging

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1. *!+ S)IL M-I/

illions of 'eo'le all o.er the orl* are sharing information all at once The i*e range of

share* information is sometimes etremel" im'ortant an* useful hile at times it is 5uir2" an*

irrele.ant This 5uote from an article " Small inNature, summari7es ho ne technologies

are changing the a" in hich the research *ialogues are eing con*ucte* 89The real .alue of

social me*ia for scientists :asi*e from teaching us to communicate concisel"; ma" e that e are

force* to thin2 aout ho to share i*eas ith a roa*er au*ience, one that ultimatel" 'a"s for

most of our research! ta'a"ers

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One of the most im'ortant things that researchers *o is to n*, use an* *isseminate information,

an* social me*ia offers a range of tools hich can facilitate this Some of the enefits from

social me*ia for researchers inclu*e !

Recei.e nes on latest research, u'*ates from 'rofessional organi7ations regar*ing

'olicies, fun*ing, o''ortunities, etc Fumerous fun*ing agencies such as Cor*is @un*ing

Fes, %G% Research fun*, Fational Science @oun*ation, FESCO, ates @oun*ation,

Fational Institute of ?ealth for fun*ing use Titter to share nes an* fun*ing

o''ortunities, an* also loo2 for u'*ates aout their fun*e* or2

ostl" Science has ecome a one-a" con.ersation % researcherHs role in science

communication is mostl" u'to hen the" 'ulish in the high ran2ing =ournals The

communication here is onl" to other scientists an* not the masses Social me*ia allos

the researcher to communicate his i*eas an* 'rogress ma*e ith the general 'ulic using

social me*ia tools such as logs, micrologs, 'o*casts, etc The 'otential to reach a

igger au*ience is high

%'art from connecting ith researchers in their res'ecti.e fiel*s :.ia Titter, +in2e*In

or logs; social me*ia allos the scientists to con.erse ith science =ournalists online

an* also 'artici'ate in online conferences ithout the e'en*iture of tra.el an* other

costs otherise incurre* The 'otential to reach out to the "oungernet generation of

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scientists is .er" high as the" are 9the onl" generation that thin2s technolog" ma2es

'eo'le closer together rather than isolate*:), ;>

%'art from the ao.e, other features of social me*ia hich ma2e it functionall" attracti.e

are !-

o that it is a fleile me*ium hich is eing constantl" *e.elo'e* in res'onse to the

nee*s of the usersJ

o *uring the research 'rocess there is no time *ela" es'eciall" here comments,

reactions an* contriutions from colleagues an* other reci'ient au*iences can

contriute 'ositi.el"J

o an* it is mostl" free of charge ie, no in.estments " either the researcher,

research institutions or the au*ience

2. )MM0 S)IL M-I PL(RMS

The *ail" *"namics on the Internet is 'oere* " logs, micro-logs, social netor2s, *iscussion

oar*s, sharing ser.ices :of images, au*io, .i*eo an* multime*ia files;, i2is an* similar sites

hich in totalit" is referre* to as the social e Some common social me*ia 'latforms are liste*

in Tale I ith eam'les:10;

Table 1 Social e*ia &latforms

Blogs :eg, /or*&ress, o.aleT"'e,

4logger, S5uares'ace, oogleHs 4logs'ot;

Micro3logging 4 micro messaging :eg,

Titter, @rien*@ee*, oogle 4u77, Tumlr;

isc#ssion 3oards and re'iews :eg,

.4ulletin;, classifie* :eg, Craig+ist;,

consumer re.ies :eg, %ma7on,

Tri'%*.iser;, 4usiness re.ies :eg,

"el'com, Customer +o", E'inionscom;

chat rooms, message oar*s, communit" L%

:eg, /i2i%nsers, oogle %nsers, uora;

an* others

Social networks :eg, @aceoo2, +in2e*In,

"S'ace, oogleM, etc;

M#ltimedia sharing ser'ices8 'hoto sharing

:eg, @lic2r, &hotouc2et, &interest 8 a

Social 3ookmarking and social tagging:eg,

Delicious, Stumle'on;

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'inoar* st"le social 'hoto sharing esite;,

.i*eo sharing :eg, NouTue,

Ai*eo+ecturesnet, Aimeo, etacafe;,

li.ecasting :eg, S2"'e, +i.estream;, music an*

au*io sharing :eg, +atfm, Ccitre;,

'resentation sharing :eg, Sli*eShare, Scri*;,

'o*cast an* other forms of au*io content :eg,

ES&F, F&R;

Social news:eg, Digg, Re**it;

5ideo Blogging:.loggs; 8 a form of logging

that uses .i*eo rather than tetau*io as its

'rimar" me*ia source :eg, Roc2etoom;

5irt#al world :eg, Secon* +ife;RSS :eg,

4loglines, @ee*4urner;

-'ents:eg, eetu'com, E.entful;*ikis :collaorati.e 'ulishing, eg,

/i2i'e*ia, /i2ime*ia, /i2iho;

*idgets :mini e a''lications for

*istriuting or sharing content across the social

/e such as Share This;

Mash#psan* others

In this 'a'er micrologging an* logging metho*s, their a*.antages an* *isa*.antages are

*escrie* in some *etail The term 94log> comes from the term 9/e+og> first mentione* in

1 It as 'o'ulari7e* " E.an /illiams, ho ent on to foun* Tittercom 4logs gaine*instant 'o'ularit" ecause one can create, react, communicate ithout an" 'rogramming s2ills

an* are the to' sources of information for e.er"thing from 'ro*uct nes, 'ro*uct launch, 'ro*uct

re.ies to tra.el a*.ice

". MI)RBL66I06

icrologging is 9a roa*cast me*ium in the form oflogging % microlog *iffers from a

tra*itional log in that its content is t"'icall" smaller in oth actual an* aggregate file si7e

icrologs allo users to echange small elements of content such as short sentences, in*i.i*ual

images, or .i*eo lin2s:11; icrologging is etter *escrie* as short con.ersations here "ou

listen, share i*eas, gi.e an* recei.e 5uic2 res'onseslin2s to ne information The 'eo'le in "our

netor2 act as filters for the floo* of information a.ailale online This to-a" communication

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in micrologging is useful in engaging a communit" in a 'ulic forum /ith incoming

communications one can learn aout an" su=ect of interest, ounce i*eas off of 'eo'le, an* sta"

ahea* of me*ia in5uiries /ith outoun* communications micrologging can hel' get

information to 'eo'le es'eciall" so hen sites use RSS fee* to 'ost % micrologging feature,

calle* status u'*ate is a.ailale on social netor2ing esites @aceoo2, "S'ace, an*

+in2e*In

The ma=or a*.antage of micrologging is that the" or2 ell on cell 'hones an* other moile

*e.ices, ma2ing it eas" to *eli.er content In other or*s, 9micrologging is a real-time

communication 'latform:1$;> In a social contet, one oul* essentiall" e 2ee'ing trac2 on a

'ersonHs acti.ities an* .ice .ersa This is *one ithin a 'ri.ate grou' or 'ulicl" on the /e

These messages can e sumitte* " a .ariet" of means, inclu*ing tet messaging, instant

messaging, email, *igital au*io or the e

Recent 'osts of other memers are *is'la"e* in chronological or*er thus ma2ing it eas" to follo

more than one user an" micrologging sites let "ou change "our account settings to loc2

s'ecific users, let "our messages e .iee* " an"one, or " a restricte* grou' that "ou choose

an* also sumit 5uestions for a s'ea2er *uring a li.e session It is 'ossile to gui*e rea*ers to

"our content " inclu*ing hashtags :also 2non as micrologging funnels; There are

man" hashtag *irectories here "ou can fin* content of interest eeting 'lanners an* e.ent

coor*inators fre5uentl" recommen* a hashtag for atten*ees so that microlog entries relate* to

the e.ent can e easil" searche* an* retrie.e*

icrologging sites can e use* to share announcements, nes, s'ecial e.ents li2e holi*a"

hours, ne 'ro*ucts, u'*ate* resources, remin*ers, instructions, or to share ansers to fre5uent

5uestions

".1. !ow to Implement

4egin " e'loring micrologging sites to see ho 'eo'le use them

Fet, consulting ith the a*ministration management offices to confirm that an account

can e create*

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Choosing a meaningful account name shoul* ta2e into consi*eration each *ifferent t"'e

of information that has to e share* :log 'osts, nes releases, 'rogram announcements,

etc;

Setting u' of account an* chec2ing user settings to e sure the 'osts are 'ulic or 'ri.ate

as a''ro'riate folloe* " 2e"ing in the message an* 'ulishing it in the microlog

Setting u' an automate* fee* li2e an RSS fee*, folloing the instructions on the site @or

eam'le, to 'ost an RSS fee* on Titter, useTitterfee*com

4e aare that oneHs user ID an* 'assor* has to e 'ro.i*e* to use these thir*-'art"

sites Essentiall", the other site logs8in as "ou This carries 'otential securit" ris2s, so

using onl" ell-estalishe* ser.ices an* not using the same 'assor* that is use* forother 'ur'oses is recommen*e* %lso using a strong 'assor* an* changing it often is

recommen*e*

The tools an* conce'ts of micrologging are constantl" e.ol.ing lea*ing to the nee* that

one has to 2ee' himself u'*ate* ala"s

Se.eral startu's ha.e itnesse* 'henomenal groth ith micro-logging ser.ices, most notal"

Titter % rief note on some micrologging tools is gi.en elo

".1.1. Some micro3logging tools and tips

+ammer 7+ammeris a micrologging tool for organi7ations, that allos 5uic2 netor2ing an*

information sharing, ith the a**e* enefit of connecting easil" ithin the common organi7ation

email *omain

)omm#note! It is a microloggingtool an* ser.ice launche* in Decemer $00 +i2eTitter,

it allos users to 'ost u'*ates of their acti.ities nli2e Titter, Communote is a 'rofessional

micrologging ser.ice focusing on the internal usage in com'anies It is a.ailale as in-house

installation an* as online ser.ice

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Communote *iffers from the stan*ar* enter'rise microloggingtools *ue to its s'ecial

microsharing a''roach This means that 9storage an* retrie.al of 'ostings is ell su''orte*,

es'eciall" " tagging an* etensi.e filtering features:13; >

Some more features in Communote are @ollo &eo'le, Tags, Communit" log, re'lies ith

threa*e* *iscussions, inline .i*eo an* images :NouTue, Aimeo;, moile access ith i&hone,

4lac24err" an* %n*roi*, sen*ing an* recei.ing 'ostings .ia instant messaging an* email, etc

Identi.ca !%nother micrologging ser.ice, similar to Titter ha.ing grou's, 'ost e.ent

in.itations, oo2mar2s, 'olls, 5uestions or other 2in*s of *ata an* also has geolocation I*entica

is a stream-oriente* social netor2 ser.ice ase* on the free Softare StatusFettool

/hile there are man" micrologging tools as mentione* ao.e, e ha.e, for the 'ur'ose of

illustration, in the elo 'aragra'h elaorate* on micrologging using Titter

(witter 7 Titter is a netor2e* e an* moile 'hone ase* share* short messaging s"stem It

allos users to rite rief tet u'*ates :ma 1(0 characters; an* 'ulish them, either to e

.iee* " an"one or " a restricte* grou' hich can e chosen " the user It 'ro.i*es a

fascinating real-time insight into the hot to'ics of the *a" These messages can e sumitte* " a

.ariet" of means, inclu*ing tet messaging, instant messaging, e-mail, &3 or the /e It is a

great a" to 5uic2l" share "our current research, 'ulications, o'inions, 5uestions, an* lin2s to

ne log 'osts Nou can follo other researchers an* there" increase "our on folloing

ore s'ecific information aout Titter is a.ailale at htt'!hotogo.social-

me*iamicrologgingtitter

%fter creating a username an* 'rofile ith a short note aout "ourself in*icate "our aca*emic

an* research ac2groun* an* interests Rele.ant to the areas of "our research, 'ulications, areas

of e'ertise, 'ostings calle* teets shoul* e *one To follo on Titter loo2 for li2e min*e*

researchers, aca*emicians an* 'rofessionals 4" folloing them an* commenting on their 'osts,

"ou increase the .olume of "our teets an* also the numer of folloers of "our on teets

This numer ill ecome significant as time goes " sing hash tags :P; in front of 2e"or*s

ill hel' ith the in*eing of to'ics on hich "ou rite an* ill also increase attention to "our

teets on those an* relate* 2e"or*s 4ecome a regular in riting teets 8 at least 1 teet 'er

*a"

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There are tools that facilitate micrologs further Some of these are Titter Search :tool for

monitoring gloal con.ersations;, Tello :*irector" of 'ulic Titter accounts, ith hun*re*s

of categories an* search features to hel' "ou fin* 'eo'le ho matter to "ou;, Teetri*:create a

Titter search *ashoar* that u'*ates in real time;, Titterfall :here one can trac2 the ma=or

9tren*ing to'ics> an* the teets are 'resente* in a aterfall-li2e casca*e that tumles *on the

'age %lso it allos users to filter teets " 2e"or* or to'ic, enaling them to trac2 the things

that matter to them ThereHs e.en a geolocation tool uilt in to the site hich allos to narro

teets ra*ius;, Titter@on :a a" to use Titter from "our i&hone;, TeetDec2 :a 'oerful,

customi7ale a" to use Titter on "our *es2to';, Teet+ater :sche*ule 'osts in a*.ance;,

Tit&ic :'ost 'hotos on Titter;, Titin, Titter@o, :lets "ou u'*ate Titter from "our

@irefo /e roser;, Titterfee*com:sen*s "our RSS fee* to Tittercom;, 4oo2mar2let

:from Tumlr here "ou can *rag to "our roserHs toolar an* use to a** lin2s an* me*ia to

"our Tumlr site;

Some of the other a''lications on Tumlrma2e it 'ossile to a** tags to 'osts, a** .i*eos, cross

'ost to @aceoo2 account, *onloa* 'hotos or recor* .i*eo an* 'ost *irectl" to Tumlr 'age

from i&hones, etc

&lur2comutili7es a rich interface an* hori7ontal timeline to a** a s'atial *imension to

micrologging Sites that shorten an* trac2 clic2s on R+s "ou 'ost :ith onl" 1(0 characters,

shortening long R+s is critical; are Tin"R+com,Sni'urlcom,Teeturnercom There is a

tutorial ho to get a ac2u' of "our Titter account at htt'!ma2euseofcomtagho-to-

ac2u'-"our-titter-archi.e There are other tools that allo 'erforming .arious tas2s, such as

alloing to sen* a 'ost to multi'le sites at once or for enaling a 'ost from cell 'hone ithout

logging into a /e site, etc

3$ !ow can yo# #se micro3logging to yo#r ad'antage/

?a.ing starte* out as a 9/hat are "ou *oing noQ> social communication tool, micrologging

hol*s great 'otential at or2 %*.antages of micrologging at or2 are netor2ing is easier, less

emailing, real time con.ersations an* ithin a communit" at or2 connecting is eas" hich

lea*s to increase in .isiilit" %lso micrologging *uring e.ents such as conferences increases

.isiilit" an* s'rea* of 2nole*ge that is generate* *uring face-to-face meetings an* it hel's in

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uil*ing a le.el of engagement an* 'artici'ation e"on* the 'h"sical 'resence To use this tool

as a 'oerful means of communication at or2 here are some 'ointers

:a; essages shoul* e rief, stating =ust the facts @or eam'le "ou 'ost a useful lin2 or an

i*ea Tin"R+ is an ecellent tool that hel's "ou shrin2 a long url into a tin" one hich

"ou can then share ith others .ia Titter, Nammer or other instant messengers This

also lea*s to re.it" in the res'onse

:; %s it is an information communication tool, it can e use* for announcements to 'romote

e.entsacti.ities, as2 5uic2 fee*ac2, 'ost short u'*ates, get u'*ates from colleagues

hich is the cru of micrologging

:c; 4" intelligentl" selecting the right 'eo'le, one can get to 2no their e'eriences, i*eas

an* insights in or*er to mineH their resources

Eam'les of some renone* institutes ho use micrologging to netor2 are Shell oil

com'an"- htt'!shellcom, Commonealth Scientific an* In*ustrial Research

Organisation-htt'!csiroauenas', Euro'ean Organi7ation for Fuclear Research -

htt'!homeecernchaout,e*ia giants li2e 44C an* The Fe Nor2 Times use Titter to

'ost hea*lines an* stor" lin2s

% $011 'a'er from researcher unther E"senach foun* a correlation eteen Titter acti.it"

an* highl" cite* articles The micrologging site ma" hel' citation rate or ser.e as a measure of

ho 9citale> "our 'a'er ma" e:1(; In a**ition, a $010 sur.e" on Titter foun* one-thir* of

aca*emics sai* the" use it for sharing information ith 'eers, communicating ith stu*ents or as

a real-time nes source:1);

In a stu*" un*erta2en " hao et al, it as foun* that 9micrologging as a light-eight informal

communication me*ia hel'e* foster echanging of 9non-critical> u'*ates :eg, small milestones

toar*s com'leting a tas2J 'rolemsissues ones or2ing on, ut not too critical for re'ortingJ

un*e.elo'e* i*easthoughts =ust came out of a con.ersation; among co-or2ers as social

interaction> The" also re'ort that microlog-me*iate* informal sharing enefite* or2

collaoration " su''lementing other forms of team communications The stu*" conclu*e* that

micrologging as 9.alue* for facilitating cross-'ro=ect team aareness ithin a functional

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grou', garnering 'artici'ation on 'ro=ects from non-core team memers, an* uil*ing stronger

social connection ith colleagues e"on* oneHs imme*iate or2ing teams %lso that a sco'e*,

eas"-to-un*erstan* au*ience si7e as im'ortant to the a*o'tion of micrologging an* the

'ercei.e* .alue of 'oste* content:16;>

$. BL66I06 R IMP)(

4logging is similar to micrologging an* is a .ital tool for researchers, scientists, aca*emicians

to 'ulicl" communicate aout research *e.elo'ments an* fin*ings, to announce 'ulications

an* share 'resentations an* to rite aout rele.ant research issues etting fee*ac2 from other

li2e-min*e* 'rofessionals, as ell as e'an*ing oneHs 'rofessional netor2s to enhance .isiilit"

is the ultimate a*.antage of logging 4logs gi.e an"one an ine'ensi.e 'latform to 'romote

their i*eas to a 'otential au*ience gloall" 4logs are 'ro.en to e effecti.e in *isseminating

research, uil*ing aareness aout oneHs research, 'romoting in-*e'th con.ersation, 'romoting

.isiilit" of their research an* 'ulications " sharing information, lin2s an* res'on*ing to

fee*ac2 from other researchers

In a stu*" con*ucte* " ellisa Terras :1B;she conclu*es 9If "ou ant 'eo'le to fin* an* rea*

"our research, uil* u' a *igital 'resence in "our *isci'line, an* use it to 'romote "our or2 an* also that

9researchers can influence ho their research ma2es an im'act> The researcher can choose to

sim'l" allo his research or2 9to sit in an aca*emic =ournal an* using a log to 'ull together

'oints for 'ractice is that "ou can create a channel to reach a ne au*ience ho can engage ith

it 4logging allos "ou to len* 'ractice, research an* e*ucation together in a flui* manner an*

thus hel' roa*en "our reach to more 'eo'le:1;>

Thus, " creating a log an* riting regular log u'*ates to tell aout their research

un*erta2ings an* other relate* to'ics of interest is the current tren* among researchers &ro.i*ing

lin2s to their 'ulications in 'rofessional an* tra*e =ournals in the logs has a great a*.antage for

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researchers Other researchers can follo an* suscrie to the 'osts an* lea.e comments hich

ha.e a *irect im'act on the researcherHs offline recognition also ore ne an* aca*emic an*

'rofessional o''ortunities fin* their a" to the researcher hich inclu*es re5uests for

'resentations, s'eeches an* in.itations to contriute in .arious online an* offline 'ulications

In short, 9logging an* micrologging greatl" su''lement the offline metho*s of research

*issemination an* netor2ing> an* the" are 9critical online metho*s for communicating an*

engaging ith a massi.e gloal netor2 of researchers an* 'eers> :1;

(1 Blogging with *ordPress

/or*&ress :or*'ressorg; is a 'o'ular o'en source that is a free logging 'latform here

"ou can e set-u' a log 5uic2l", either on the ser.er or on a hoste* 'latform It is .er" eas" to

install, setu' an* has a i*e range of o'tions, configurations, an* 'lug-ins Nou can customi7e

the tem'lates ith "our on font colour, 'lugins, si*ear i*gets, hea*er image, etc In

/or*&ress "ou can maintain a single log ith a single user or an entire grou' of logs ith

multi'le users all o.erseen " a 'rimar" a*ministrator The main a*.antageous features are as

follos!

)ontrol o'er yo#r 3log!

This is a ma=or a*.antage es'eciall" hen "ou ha.e a 'ersonal esite, "ou can *onloa* an*

install /or*&ress on "our *omain so "ou can manage e.er" as'ect of the log In the case of

4logs'ot that is one* " oogle an* there are chances that the" can *elete "our logs'ot

account ithout gi.ing "ou an" arning /or*&ress stores "our *ata in an o'en G+ format

that can e easil" transferre* to other /or*&ress logs or *ifferent content management

s"stems

Search engine optimi8ation, Pl#gins and s#pport !

O'timi7ing "our log for search engines :SEO-search engine o'timi7ation; an* getting traffic

from search engine are .er" im'ortant for an" serious logger This is the heart of /or*&ress

log an* more o'tions to o'timi7e "our log for search engines are a.ailale /or*&ress has

man" sim'le 'lugins an* also the su''ort forum is .er" goo* % list of recommen*e* SEO

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'lugins an* /or*&ress 'lugins can e .iee* here htt'!shoutmelou*comest-

recommen*e*-seo-or*'ress-'luginshtml an* htt'!shoutmelou*comor*'ress-

'lugins-that-'oer-shoutmelou*html res'ecti.el" The 9/elcome to /or*&ress> gui*e ma2es

it 'ossile for eginners to learn from the 'latform It is more than =ust a gui*e isJ it teaches ne

registere* users to 'ic2 themes, a** i*gets, an* a** 'rofiles, change sites, e*it comment

o'tions In other or*s, it is the most useful feature to start ith

(hemes, editing and templates !

/or*&resscom offers free hoste* logging solutions ith se.eral 'ai* u'gra*es inclu*ing

custom *omains, unlimite* free an* 'remium themes an* a*.ance* anal"tics 'ac2ages

/or*&ress 2ee' u'*ating an* releasing ne .ersion, hich comes ith some a**e* features an*

functionalit" /ith the ne *rag an* *ro' 'age e*itor, reor*ering an* e*iting of 'ages has

ecome sim'ler an* easier This feature 'ro.i*es su''ort in the 'ro'er management of the logHs

content 8 a much elcome treat for loggers %nother ne feature is the ailit" to manage

multi'le logs ith *ifferent *omains

dsense !

It is a 'rogram run " oogle Inc an* is a fleile, hassle-free a" to earn re.enue online Nou

get paid for *is'la"ing targete* oogle a*s on "our site, c#stomi8e ads to match "our

sites loo2 an* feel, track yo#r s#ccess ith online re'orts an* it is free /ith or*'ress

an* "our own*omain email a**ress, getting "our log a''ro.e* is .er" eas" %*sense is

life line for an" logger ho is loo2ing to ma2e mone" from his log - another a*.antage

of self hoste* log

Reselling yo#r 3log 7

/ith a self hoste* log one can ala"s resell the log hich is not a feature of other logging

softares /or*&ress em'oers loggers to ha.e full control of their logs an* is also more

fleile in managing, 'resenting an* organi7ing content an* has a**e* features on more

im'ro.e* galleries

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The o.erall na.igation is sim'le There are three main menus! /rite, anage an* Comments

The /rite menu allos "ou to 'ut "our tet, lin2s, 'ictures an* .i*eo in an* then customi7e ho

the log ill a''ear There are colla'sile feature lists that let to change the author, tags,

trac2ac2 settings an* more The anage menu allos "ou to see all the 'osts that ha.e een

'ulishe* If "ou clic2 on one of the 'osts, it rings it u' in the /rite screen so "ou can ma2e

mo*ifications to it as if "ou ere =ust riting it:1B;

$.2. Starting a 3log with *ordPress

i.en elo is a ste' " ste' *escri'tion on ho to create a log using /or*&ress

Ste' 1 ! Start " logging in at or*'resscoman* clic2 the 9et starte*> utton

Ste' $ ! Nou ha.e to fill in the sim'le form gi.en here an* clic2ing 9Create 4log> utton

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Ste' 3 ! Nou ill recei.e a email to acti.ate "our log from here "ou ill e gui*e* to follo

themes an* 'eo'le on Titter, @aceoo2 an* oogle

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8/13/2019 Social Media and its Impact with Reference to Blogging

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Ste' ( ! Customi7e "our log ith a theme of "our choice, create an* 'ulish "our first 'ost

5. *!+ S!9L R-S-R)! R60I:(I0S R R-S-R)!-RS )R-

B9( BL66I06/

Though logs are often associate* ith amateurs an* 'o'ular culture man" eam'les from

international organi7ations that ha.e use* logs to create aareness tell a *ifferent stor" @or

8/13/2019 Social Media and its Impact with Reference to Blogging

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eam'le thelogsorl*an2orgfor raising aareness on gloal issues Some a"s in hich

logging can e 'ut to use in research organi7ations are !

During 'ro=ect 'lanning an* 'ro'osal stage i*eas can e share* an* *e.elo'e* in an

informal a" lea*ing to .ali*ation of or2 efore finali7ation ?ere the 2nole*ge is

share* ithin a secure en.ironment Securit" o'tions can e uilt-in gi.ing *ifferent

access rights to .arious users

/ithin the organi7ation, 3logs can 3e #sed to reach o#t to intereste* 'eo'le outsi*e the

regular circles These logs hel' to increase rea*ershi', in turn increasing .isiilit" to the

organisationHs research 'ulications, such as research 'a'ers, nesletters, re'orts an*

also to the organi7ationHs esite itself

O.er a 'erio* of time 3eca#se of the greater interaction 3etween a#thor and readers

thro#gh 3logging a 3igger network is 3#ilt creating a sense of comm#nity. 4logs

ha.e the 'oer to hel' "ou foster relationshi's ith colleagues, 'artners, sta2ehol*ers,

*onors, an* the communit" "ou elong to, thus creating greater im'act

Since logging is one-to-man" or *irecte* at s'ecific grou's it can e use* to announce

nesorth" items much earlier than the time it ta2es for it to e 'ulishe* in a nesletter

or 'ress release That is, the" are i*eal for rea2ing sharing nes to a i*er au*ience

online Information is share* instantl", an* *iscussion threa*s can generate tangile

2nole*ge @or eam'le, announcement of conferences, or2sho's, training, nes of

"our articleHs acce'tance in a re'ute* =ournal, or an aar*grant that as recei.e* The

'otential is limitless % ell ritten log connects ith rea*ers on a 'ersonal le.el too

E.en ithout 'ulications or hile 're'aring a 'ulication through logging the

researcher organisationHs name ecomes familiar a**ing to the a*.antage hile sharing

information or in the 'rocess of getting information

/hen logs are ritten an* maintaine* *iligentl" the" can *oule as "our *ail" *igest of

acti.ities an* nes here e.er" entr" has a lin2 an* can e searche* easil" The" ecome

a .aluale one sto' source for "our 'hotos, .i*eos, *ocuments, lin2s, comments,

*iscussions, etc

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4logs can e use* to gauge reactions, o'inions an* to *eate in a somehat less

con.entional mo*e of communication It gi.es a sense of ho an* hat 'eo'le are

thin2ing on .arious to'ics share* %lso hile logging man" lin2s to a**itional resources

an* information are 'ro.i*e* hich hel' the authorrea*er to un*erstan* the to'ic of

interest etter This is .er" useful as the lin2s are selecte*, filtere* an* organi7e* to suit

the to'ic of interest

Similar to a esite, through regular u'*ation .ia logging, the 'resence an* .isiilit" of

the researcher an* institution is seen, that is more traffic means more .isiilit" /hen

search engines cral the esites that are u'*ate* fre5uentl" an* regularl", the search

engine ran2ing of that esite is ooste*

4logs can e use* as a tool to em'oer 'eo'le an* hel' create a change as the" ha.e

great 'otential not onl" to inform ut also to challenge 'erce'tions The" can e use* to

*ra out *ifferent 'oints of .ie, commentaries, 'ersonal e'eriences an* e.en as

su''ort for the log 'ost

&.1. Some tips for effecti'e 3logging are 7

4logs gi.e a 'ersonal touch es'eciall" hen the tone in the log is not too formal

4logs shoul* e u'*ate* fre5uentl" an* regularl"

4logs shoul* ha.e goo*, fresh an* rele.ant content

Each comment in the log shoul* e ansere* an* lin2s to hat other 'eo'le sa" or *o

shoul* e gi.en or atleast a res'onse is re5uire* hen someone see2s clarification

&.2. or Instit#tional 3logs some pointers are 7

%t the start of an institutional log, lea*ers of an organi7ation *e'artment grou' can e

as2e* to log as this ill create a sense of 'ersonal commitment 'utting rea*ers at ease

an* for facilitating res'onse %lso it sets a more con.ersational tone to the log, cutting

out the formal-s'ea2, ma2ing it more a''ealing

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4logs allo se.eral means for communicating "our i*eas &eo'le ho arenHt comfortale

ith riting ma" fin* it easier to recor* a 'o*cast or a .i*eo an* 'ost that in their log

ith a short summar"

To 2ee' in touch encourage fre5uent, short u'*ates

?ere are some e;amples of who is 3logging in science, technology and engineering

especially in the field of str#ct#ral engineering7

1 htt'!logsasceorglogtagstructural-engineering ! The log maintaine* " the

%merican Societ" for Ci.il Engineers

$ htt'!thestructuralengineerinfologs ! The Structural Engineering Communit"

4logs, a free ser.ice 'ro.i*e* " TheStructuralEngineerinfo, an International Center for

Integrating Information on Structural Engineering The 'ur'ose of this ser.ice is to

estalish an online, acti.e structural engineering communit", here organi7ations,

com'anies or in*i.i*uals in the structural engineering fiel* ha.e the o''ortunit" to host

their on log an* communicate ith &rofessionals orl*i*e

3 selogstrongtiecom ! % structural engineering log maintaine* " Sim'son-Strong Tie,

a structural engineering com'an" The main aim here is to engage in *iscussion, 'ro.i*e

information an* offer hel'ful resources for structural engineers The log is not a 'lace

for s'ecific 'ro*uct 5uestions or technical su''ort

( htt'!earth5ua2eu**"comlogtagstructural-engineering ! % log aout earth5ua2e

engineering, safet" in e.ent of earth5ua2es, a''s for earth5ua2e engineering safet"

) htt'!fee*sfee*urnercomKno.el4logs ! Kno.el is a e-ase* a''lication integrating

technical information ith anal"tical an* search tools to *ri.e inno.ation an* *eli.er

ansers engineers can trust Kno.el users inclu*e thousan*s of engineers an* a''lie*

scientists orl*i*e re'resenting B( of the @ortune )00 com'anies an* more than (00

lea*ing uni.ersities

6. htt'!sciencelogscom ! Science4logs is the largest online communit" *e*icate* toscience Science4logs as create* " See* e*ia rou' ho elie.e that science

literac" is a 're-con*ition for 'rogress in the $1st centur" %t a time hen 'ulic interest

8/13/2019 Social Media and its Impact with Reference to Blogging

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in science is high ut 'ulic un*erstan*ing of science remains ea2, the" ha.e set out to

create inno.ati.e me*ia .entures to im'ro.e science literac" an* to a*.ance gloal

science culture There are se.eral categories of logs such as me*icine, technolog", life

science, 'h"sical science, en.ironment, rain L eha.ior, information science, etc

B htt'!science$0comallVlogs ! Science $0 as create* in $006 to mo*erni7e

science communication, 'ulishing, collaoration an* 'ulic 'artici'ation Science $0

aims at creating a 'lace for orl*-class scientists rite articles an* *iscuss issues ithout

eing filtere* " si7e or e*itorial limitations, create an infrastructure here

actual collaoration can occur using customi7e* tools, create an o'en 'ulishing mo*el

here rea*ers *o not ha.e to 'a" to rea* an* scientists *o not ha.e to 'a" to 'ulish an*

to Encourage increase* 'artici'ation in the science en*ea.or " those outsi*e science

8. htt'!Slogsscientificamericancom : The Scientific %merican 4log Fetor2 has

e*itorial logs :more or less official .oice of the organi7ation;, staff logs :'ersonal logs

ritten " our e*itors an* staff;, communit" logs, an* netor2 logs :ritten "

in*e'en*ent loggers an* freelancers hire* s'ecificall" for logging, either as in*i.i*uals

or as co-loggers on grou' logs;

8/13/2019 Social Media and its Impact with Reference to Blogging

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here the attitu*es an* eha.ior of an in*i.i*ual or institution is reflecte* .ia *igital me*ia

content an* this is a hole ne *imension hich is not in the 'ur.ie of this 'a'er

i.en elo is a chec2list for an in*i.i*ual or institution hile *e.elo'ing a communication

strateg" using social me*ia !

1 %re "our goals 'rofessional, 'ersonal or othQ

$ /ho is "our au*ience an* hat are "ou tr"ing to learnQ

3 /hat oul* "ou li2e to communicateQ

( ?o much is "our in.ol.ement going to eQ

) /ho oul* "ou ant to e inclu*e* in "our netor2Q

B ?o much time are "ou going to s'en*Q %re "ou e'ecting to gi.e monthl" u'*ates or

more fre5uent than thatQ

De'en*ing on the resources that "ou ha.e it oul* e etter to e in.ol.e* as an

in*i.i*ual or as a research grou'Q

Do "ou nee* technical su''ortQ

10 /hat 2in* of returns are "ou e'ecting an* hat is the in.estment to e ma*e

Some ansers to the ao.e 5uestions oul* e !

1 Create an* maintain a consistent 'rofessional 'rofile

$ Consi*er setting u' to accounts to se'arate 'ersonal an* 'rofessional 'rofiles an*

u'*ates

3 O.er a 'erio* of time an* " e'erimenting ith .arious tools, one must *e.elo' a

strateg" suitale for communicating their or2

( Con*uct regular e.aluations of the tools that "ou use

) Ta2e care in not o.erloa*ing "our folloers

6 Choose feH tools to *o moreH

B If a 'articular tool is not 'ro.i*ing .alue, *onHt hesitate to gi.e it u'

Kee' "our 'ur'ose an* au*ience in min*

Sche*ule time for social me*ia

10 Nou can ma2e use of the social me*ia content through suscri'tions or through

searches

11 Rememer that social me*ia is not the onl" form of communication

8/13/2019 Social Media and its Impact with Reference to Blogging

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1$ 4" a" of 5uantitati.e metrics one can 2ee' trac2 of traffic to in*i.i*ual 'osts This

is *one " fin*ing out ho man" times a log 'ost has een .iee* " using "our

log softare or a tool li2e oogle %nal"tics;, rea*ing comments on 'osts an*

sen*ing fee*ac2, chec2ing referrers in traffic anal"sis re'orts, " le.eraging the

search engine in*ees :for eg, using oogle %lert to chec2 ho has lin2e* to a

s'ecific R+ or to the site;

13 4" anal"7ing the more 'o'ular 'osts the st"le, format, choice of to'ics can e

mo*ifie*

1( To useful gui*es for measuring traffic generate* " social me*ia can e foun* at

?o to ! Trac2 Social e*ia %nal"tics htt'!mashalecom$000(1social-

me*ia-anal"tics

@or tools hich can e use* to fin* out hat is eing sai* aout "our

organisation, 'ro=ect or initiati.e, ie, re'utation monitoring can e foun* at

htt'!mashalecom$001$$(free-ran*-monitoring-tools

=. 50(6-S 0 IS50(6-S S)IL M-I

On the hole man" researchers ha.e e'resse* the a*.antages in using social me*ia as hel'ful

in ecoming a etter researcher ecause the" can source information, estalish lin2s ith 'eo'le

in their fiel*, *isseminate their or2 etc Social me*ia an* the tra*itional metho*s of researchingan* 'ulishing can e use* com'limentar" to each other 4riefl" the 'ros an* cons of

communicating through social me*ia are !

=.1. Pros 7

Creation of a .er" .isile 'rofessional 'rofile

The geogra'hical *istance eteen researchers is ri*ge*

Connections eteen *is'erse* researchers an* institutions is highl" a*.antageous

Collaorati.e *ialogues an* interactions is 'ossile in 'lace of one-a" monologues

?igher le.el of 'artici'ati.e an* collaorati.e elements of e*ucation

Information an* 2nole*ge is *emocrati7e* as social in.ol.es e.er"one, e.er"here

Social me*ia hel's to ea.e research communities

Encourage greater o'enness an* trans'arenc"

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%ccelerate information sharing an* ma2es 'ossile access to *i.erse 'ers'ecti.es

Can e use* effecti.el" to moilise 'eo'le

Stimulates collaorati.e 2nole*ge uil*ing ith re*uce* cost of 'artici'ation

Co-or*ination of resources an* actions is more .iale an* eas"

=.2. )ons 7

Some researchers are o.erhelme* ith the *iscussions in s'ecialist grou's an* the"

'refer close* tra*itional mailing lists here the traffic is less

Sometimes the *iscussions ecome 9echo chamers> ma2ing it *ifficult to filter out the

.ali* 'oints

ost often i*eas that are incom'lete are ma*e 'ulic lea*ing to mis-information hich

are unfiltere* " 'rofessional thus re*ucing the cre*iilit" of these sources

Can *istract from *ee' reflection an* cause information o.erloa* as in*i.i*uals res'on*

to fre5uent interru'tions

Susce'tile to securit" an* 'ri.ac" reaches, i*entit" theft, online ull"ing

Disclosure of 'ersonal information is sometimes emarrassing as em'lo"ers an*

'ros'ecti.e collaorators loo2 at the social me*ia 'rofiles of in*i.i*uals

Concern aout the time s'ent on social me*ia tools

There are too man" tools a.ailale an* man" are not ala"s useful

aintaining 'rofessional an* 'ersonal oun*aries is *ifficult

>. I0L (!96!(S

i.en the *"namic changes in the communication lan*sca'e it is im'ortant for researchers an*

research institutions ho oul* li2e to ma2e social me*ia as a means of communicating an*

collaorating their research to *e.elo' a etter un*erstan*ing of these technologies an* their

im'act This ill onl" e the first ste' @urther ith an aim to effecti.el" utili7e social me*ia, it

is necessar" to i*entif" the characteristics of the current social me*ia users so that the research

out'uts ill e share* " 'eo'le ho can ma2e this research tra.el e.en further across their on

communication netor2s an* or a''l" them to their on or2

8/13/2019 Social Media and its Impact with Reference to Blogging

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In or*er to *istriute scientific information amongst 'rofessionals an* to the general 'o'ulation

ailit" to communicate to the masses .ia social me*ia is critical ecause riting an* 'ulishing

scholarl" articles is not final ste' Information regar*ing the content shoul* reach the masses for

hich social me*ia seems to e the est .ehicle as of to*a" The use of social me*ia for research

in some research areas mainl" in the social sciences an* me*ical fiel* is ell 2non, hile in

other fiel*s this is "et to ma2e an im'act mostl" ecause of hesitation citing reasons li2e loss of

'ri.ac", lac2 of time an* ause of intellectual 'ro'ert" rights Though the future of social me*ia

use in research is un2non, a comination of e*ucate* guess an* o.erhelming facts 'oints to

this in*ustr"s continual groth an* influence in *a" to *a" or2 Though it is felt that logs

onl" su''ort the tra*itional aca*emic acti.ities of teaching an* outreach an* are often .alue* as

a nonresearch acti.it", it can e fruitfull" use* as a .isiilit" enhancing communication tool e.en

at research-intensi.e institutions, here, a log is li2el" to e regar*e* at est as a harmless

ho" an* at orst as a liailit"

?. R-S9R)-S

1 htt'!.itaeacu2CSfilesu'loa*AitaeVInno.ateVO'enVni.ersit"VSocialVe*i

aV?an*oo2V$01$'*f

$ htt'!rinacu2our-or2communicating-an*-*isseminating-researchsocial-me*ia-

gui*e-researchers

1@. )%0*L-6-M-0(

This 'a'er is eing 'ulishe* ith the 2in* 'ermission of The Director, CSIR-Structural

Engineering Research Centre, Chennai

11. R--R-0)-S

1 Small, :$011; Time to teet Nature Aol(B '1(1

htt'!naturecomnature=ossciencearticles10103n=B3B1-1(1a :Retrie.e* on

$11$01$;

$ 4ra*le", % W L cDonal*, &:$011;The Social organization !ow to use

8/13/2019 Social Media and its Impact with Reference to Blogging

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social media to tap the collecti"e genius of your customers and employers# !ar"ard

$usiness %e"iew Press&

3 htt'!logsorl*an2orgim'acte.aluationsno*e6$1Q

ci*UEGTVTitter/4&usV&VEGT:Retrie.e* on (1$$01$;

( htt'!mar2etingchartscom'*irectsocial-me*ia-'oise*-to-ecome-a-stronger-

force-for-inno.ation-$(B:Retrie.e* on (1$$01$;

) htt'!feinergnorthesterne*uresearchser.icesfor-researcherssocial-

me*iahtml:Retrie.e* on $11$01$;

6 htt'!intelincontentusenlegalintel-social-me*ia-gui*elineshtml

:Retrie.e* on )$$013;

B htt'!utease*u2no*irector"gui*elines:Retrie.e* on $11$01$;

htt'!energ"go.aout-use-'oliciessocial-me*ia:Retrie.e* on )$$013;

htt'!'eresearchorgmillennials :Retrie.e* on $$013;

10 htt'!sli*esharenetlmilicsmm-tools-ecer't-final$01$--1366B01 :Retrie.e* on

$$013;

11 htt'!eni2i'e*iaorgi2iicrologging Contriutor ! +stein4 :Retrie.e* on10$$013;

1$ htt'!iggerrainscomthe-.alue-an*-ho-tos-of-logging-an*-micrologging-for-

*isseminating-"our-research:Retrie.e* on 61$$01$;

13 htt'!eni2i'e*iaorgi2iCommunote :Retrie.e* 61$$01$;

1( E"senach, Can Teets &re*ict CitationsQ etrics of Social Im'act 4ase* on Titter

an* Correlation ith Tra*itional etrics of Scientific Im'act 'ournal of (edical)nternet %esearch$011J13:(;!e1$3

1) htt'!facult"focuscomarticlese*tech-nes-an*-tren*stitter-usage-among-

college-facult"-is-on-the-rise:Retrie.e* on $31$013;

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16 De=in haoJ Rosson, 4J atthes, TJ oran, T:$011; , icrologgings im'act on

collaoration aareness! % fiel* stu*" of micrologging ithin an* eteen 'ro=ect

teams, *ollaboration Technologies and Systems +*TS,# -.11 )nternational *onference

on$3-$B a" $011, ''31-3 *oi! 10110CTS$011)$66$

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1 htt'!logslseacu2socialcaree.i*encein'ractice$01$1$13logging-the-ne-

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