Most of the activities around the world take place online. Research work has all become easier and simpler with the virtual presence. Researchers are able to store data online, communicate through the mail and find all relevant data online. Other than finding data online, there is more to being online. Like most of the other jobs, it is most important to control and have an impressive presence online. When somebody would type your name on Google, what do you want them to find?
It isn’t difficult to improve your online visibility by just adapting to some basic tips and suggestions. Here they go:
- LinkedIn: It is the most rapidly growing professional networking site. It is not just important to have a LinkedIn profile but having an impactful profile is important. Remember that your LinkedIn profile in the top most item in the list of options when your name is searched on Google so it has to be not just complete but impressive and engaging at the same time. You could do the same by taking care of some of these small little intricacies. Add a professional looking photograph of yourself as mostly profiles that are without photograph do not seek the attention of the reader. Have a clear and formal photo. Just one more step to customise the URL of your profile to have your name would surely increase the traffic when your name is searched by people online. Your public profile URL with your name should be right below your picture on the profile page. Whatever percentage of your LinkedIn profile you make public, as a researcher your list of publications, presentations, conferences and editorial contributions should be visible to all.
- Twitter: among the stream of science, twitter is becoming increasingly popular. It is the medium to share opinions and publications and gets you response, opinion and feedback from colleagues, peer, friend, critics from around the world in a jiffy. You must try your hand at having as twitter handle and have access to a sea of colleagues, journals , publishers and sometimes even universities or institutes. Some basic and useful tips for a twitter handle are having a short and suitable user name that signifies your profile. Try and make your tweets short, succinct and comprehensive as usually you have a word limit of 140 words. The key is to be recognizable here while being brief. Another very important tip is to look for hashtags and short make use of URL shortners so that you are able to save space when you send links.
In the next blog we will discuss the profiles focusing on your research products. Happy being virtual till then!!!