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Postgraduate researchers

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Online networking

The internet offers many opportunities for networking. Online communications are an increasingly essential part of research networks. It is easier than attending conferences or meeting face to face with potential collaborators. We are now able to be in constant contact with people, regardless of location. If used carefully, online communications also offer opportunities to make and develop new contacts.

General principles

  • Don't say anything online that you wouldn't say face to face
  • Be aware of how public and permanent your contributions are
  • Be considerate and refrain from spamming and flaming
  • Try to see the individuals behind the emails or discussion board posts and notice whether you have met them before either online or offline.

This page suggests ways in which you might be able to use a variety of technologies:

It also draws attention to some common pitfalls. Remember you can always phone or meet face to face where this would add to the depth or the efficiency of your communication.

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  1. Helen Burchmore16 July 2009 at 10:24 AM

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    This article is not just very good and informative, but also a good point to just stop and think about how the research world has changed - now marketing yourself and building and maintaining networks of close contacts (strong links) and useful-in-the-future acquaintances (weak links) have become key skills for us all. In terms of Social networks, I would also suggest Academia.edu as a kind of Facebook for serious people: it allows you to place yourself in context with others in your Institution (if you have one) but either way, to build a detailed personal profile (effectively a CV) online which come sup high in web searches. http://www.academia.edu/ And for education research, try the TLRP-BERA virtual research environments, where this very topic is currently under investigation - how to support PhD students, early career researchers and the community in general through online spaces: http://groups.tlrp.org

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