
Blogs: why read them?
Blogs have become a part of mainstream written communication. They can be used for professional development and communication and are a useful way to learn of emerging ideas within any field. Many academics and students are now blogging.
Some examples include:
- Library Matters, the GCU Library news blog:
- HigherEd BlogCon : how new technologies are affecting or changing Higher Education
- Nature.comblogs : As well as being a portal to the blogs written by Nature's staff and members of Nature Network it aggregates posts from hundreds of third party science blogs.
- The Sceptical Chymist from Nature.
Blogs: why write one?
Blogs have many uses. They can be used as a reflective tool, for documenting personal thoughts; for professional development; as a marketing tool; or for sharing results and research. Bear in mind the latter may not be appropriate depending on what you want to do with your research. Remember that blogging can be used to complement your current methods of communication - it does not have to replace them.
Blogs are easy to set up and quick to update, and there is no need to conform to specific styles. All you need is access to the web. The majority of blogging platforms are free and can be accessed anywhere. You don't need to send content to someone else, or have a high level of technical skill to write one.