Library:Building Your Academic Profile/Profile/Promotion

From UBC Wiki

Profile Promotion

Twitter

The microblogging platform Twitter needs no introduction, but have you considered how you can use it to network in your academic community? You can use hashtags to discover important news in your discipline or other active scholars. It can also help them to discover you so that you're engaging with your larger academic community instead of just people who know you or stumble across your profile. It is increasingly common for conferences to have an associated hashtag so make sure to check if there is one when you attend your next meeting. Live-tweeting conferences is a great academic service for those who can't attend, and it's another way to build your profile to display authority in your field.

Sample hashtag for the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting
Share your Twitter top tips for a new ‘how-to’ guide for academics on the merits of academic tweeting
A gentle introduction to Twitter for the apprehensive academic
Top-Twitter-Tips-for-Academics Top Twitter Tips for Academics
List of Academic Twitter Accounts
Bibliography of Research on Twitter & Microblogging

About.me

Creating a personal landing page using About.me allows you to gather together all your various online networks into one place without creating a personal website. About.me lets you upload a picture, write a brief biography, and list websites where you have an active presence. It can be a great way to let people explore your digital presence online and to help direct them from sites where you may have a token presence to other sites where you are far more active.

Sample UBC Profile
Sample UBC Department Profile

Gravatar

Gravatar stands for Globally Recognized Avatar. Setting up your Gravatar is as easy as uploading a single photo. Once you've done this, many websites and blogs (e.g. WordPress) will use your Gravatar whenever you leave a comment. This is a one-step action that can definitely help you become more visually recognized across the blogosphere. Just make sure you choose a professional photo and not a cartoon drawing.