A workshop on academic blogging for ISG student interns, delivered on 03/06/2020

1. Get Blogging!
WOCinTech Chat, CC BY, on flickr

2. Introductions
Lorna M. Campbell
OER Service &
Academic Blogging Service
Learning, Teaching and
Web Services

3. Overview
• Introduction to UoE Academic
Blogging Service
• ISG Student Employee Blog
• Benefits of blogging
• What should I write about?
• Writing for blogs.
• Finding and using open
licensed images.
Photo by Mael BALLAND on Unsplash

4. Academic Blogging Service
https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/learning-
technology/blogging
A centrally supported blogging service providing staff and students with
a range of different blogs to support professional development and
learning, teaching and research activities.

5. blogs.ed.ac.uk
• Centrally supported
WordPress multisite.
• Set up a blog easily
• Standalone service for
staff/PGR students.
• University branded theme.
• Single sign on.
• Bespoke plugins.

6. ISG Student Employee Blog
• https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/
• Group blog by and for ISG
interns.
• Share your experiences and
reflections.
• Share tips and information.
• Just for fun!

7. Commercial blogging platforms
• Wordpress.com
• Blogger
• Medium
• LinkedIn
• Tumblr

8. Benefits of
Blogging?
wocintech (microsoft) – 182, CC BY 2.0, https://flic.kr/p/Fv4HN8

9. develop your writing
practice
try different writing styles
Image by Brad Neathery on Unsplash

10. share your ideas
connect with
like minded people
wocintech stock – 65, CC BY 2.0. https://flic.kr/p/ER8m2S

11. disseminate & amplify your
research
increase exposure
& impact
Pixabay, no attribution required,
https://pixabay.com/en/laboratory-analysis-chemistry-

12. build a professional
portfolio
keep a record of your
work
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

13. record events you’ve
attended
places you’ve been
Ada Lovelace Day 2018, University of Edinburgh, CC BY, Lorna M.
Campbell

14. reflect on your
learning
Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash

15. keep a private
journal
Photo by A L L E F . V I N I C I U S Δ on Unsplash

16. What
should
I write
about?
Pixabay, No Attribution Required

17. your learning
&
research
Photo by LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Unsplash

18. events you’ve
been to
ALTC 2018, Chris Bull for ALT, CC BY NC 2.0

19. places places
you’ve visited
Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow, CC BY, Lorna M. Campbell

20. books & papers
you’ve read
Photo by Jessica Castro on Unsplash

21. writing you’ve
published
Photo by Neel on Unsplash

22. awards you’ve
won
CCB SA 4.0, Ewan McAndrew, Wikimedia Commons

23. personal thoughts
& reflections
Photo by Kyle Gregory Devaras on Unsplash

24. films
Photo by MANSOOR 👑 on Unsplash

25. travel
Traigh Mheilein, CC BY, Lorna M. Campbell

26. volunteering
Photo by Daniel Funes Fuentes on Unsplash

27. sport
Photo by David Marcu on Unsplash

28. politics
UCU Strike Rally, Glasgow, CC BY, Lorna M. Campbell

29. gaming
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

30. creative writing
Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash

31. cats!
Josh, CC BY, Lorna M. Campbell

32. it’s your blog,
make the most of it!
Open World, http://lornamcampbell.org/

33. Writing
for
blogs
Pixabay, No Attribution Required

34. introduce yourself!
Open World, http://lornamcampbell.org/

35. short
concise
catchy title
engaging opening
paragraph
Pixabay, No Attribution Required

36. longer discursive posts
are fine too
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

37. don’t worry about typos
you can go back & change
them
blogging is an informal
medium
Public domain image on pxhere

38. if you’re struggling with a
post, try a different approach
blogging shouldn’t be a chore
most bloggers will have
several false starts
don’t worry!
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

39. find your own voice
experiment with differen
writing styles
let your blog evolve
Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash

40. think about your
audience
avoid jargon
&
overly scholarly terms
Photo by davide ragusa on Unsplash

41. amplify your posts with
social media
the best blogs are part of
a conversation
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

42. be courteous
think about what you
write
Photo by Tiago Felipe Ferreira on Unsplash

43. experiment
be creative
have fun : )
Ada Lovelace Day, University of Edinburgh, CC BY, Lorna
M. Campbell

44. Finding & Using
Open Licensed
Images
Litherland, CC BY NC ND, Flickr

45. use images & media
create a strong visual
identity
Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

46. Dos and Don’ts
Do:
• Get into the habit of only using open
licensed content.
• Use Google search tools to find open
licensed images for reuse.
• Use free image sites e.g.
WikiCommons, Unsplash, Pixabay.
• Double check the licence.
Don’t:
• Assume you can reuse any content
you find on the internet.
• Use material unless it is explicitly
licensed for reuse or in the public
domain.
RRZEicons, CC BY SA, Wikimedia Commons

47. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, Kristina Alexanderson, Flickr

48. CC BY-SA 2.0, ricardo56, https://www.flickr.com/photos/48305871@N00/33350050260

49. Attribution
Good: CC heart cupcakes, CC BY 2.0,
David Kindler, https://flic.kr/p/dzSp17
Average: CC BY, D. Kindler
Incorrect: Creative Commons / CC
Incorrect: D. Kindler

50. Attributing your own resources
© A. Smith, University of Edinburgh, CC BY, 2019
A. Smith, University of Edinburgh, CC BY, 2019
© A. Smith, CC BY, 2019
A. Smith, CC BY, 2019
© A. Smith, 2019

51. Open Licensed Images

52. Google Image Search, https://www.google.co.uk/

53. Always double check the licence
of images you find through
Google’s Labeled for Reuse
image search.

54. Right click for Google reverse image search on Chrome, https://www.google.co.uk/

55. Right click for Google reverse image search, https://www.google.co.uk/

56. Creative Commons Seach, https://search.creativecommons.org/

57. Flickr CC Seach, https://www.flickr.com/

58. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/

59. Pixabay, https://pixabay.com/

60. Rijksmuseum, https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en

61. Centre for Research Collections on Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/crcedinburgh

63. Happy
Blogging!
Happy Blogging! by Free Images,
CC BY on flickr

64. Lorna M. Campbell
OER Service
Information Services Group
University of Edinburgh
lorna.m.campbell@ed.ac.uk
https://open.ed.ac.uk/
http://lornamcampbell.org/
@LornaMCampbell
CC BY, Lorna M. Campbell, University of Edinburgh, unless otherwise indicated.