Category Archives: Media

Science blogging – tips and tricks from some Adelaide science bloggers

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Tonight (Monday 18 Jan) we’re hosting an ASC event at the Science Exchange, Adelaide on science blogging (http://ascscienceblogging.eventbrite.com/).

I asked some of our guest bloggers for some tips and tricks of the trade, and I’d like to make it available to all the ASC members. Big thanks to Sarah (http://www.aschoonerofscience.com/) for putting this together…..

Blog it
If tonight has given you an inkling to try out this blogging business yourself, here’s some tips from our panellists to get you started….

How to set up a free blog
You can do it with blogger.com or wordpress.com. They are very easy to use, and you can set your account up in minutes. You’ll get your own website address such as you.blogspot.com or you.wordpress.com. If you go with WordPress, you can switch to a custom address later if you like (at a cost.)

Adelaide-based science blogs
A Schooner of Science http://aschoonerofscience.com
Astroblog http://astroblogger.blogspot.com/
Brave New Climate http://bravenewclimate.com/
Bridge8 http://bridge8.wordpress.com/
Conservation Bytes http://conservationbytes.com/
Disease of the week http://diseaseoftheweek.wordpress.com/

Suggested reading
The who’s who of science blogging
Carl Zimmer at The Loom http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/
Ed Yong at Not Exactly Rocket Science http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/
Ben Goldacre at Bad Science http://badscience.net
Neurotopia http://scienceblogs.com/neurotopia/

Other great writers
Deep Sea News (biology) http://deepseanews.com/
ERV (biochemistry) http://scienceblogs.com/erv/
Lab Rat (bacteria) http://madlabrat.blogspot.com/
Science Geek Girl (Sci Comm) http://blog.sciencegeekgirl.com
Carbon-Based Curiosities (Chem) http://coronene.com/blog
Not So Humble Pie (Science Cookies) http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com
PZ Myers’ Pharyngula (Dev Biol) http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/
BadAstronomy (Astronomy Scepticism) http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy
Respectful Insolence (Medicine) http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/
Australia’s Deltoid is a good complement to Barry Brooks blog http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/

The ScienceOnline 2010 blog, with lots of good science blogging tips will help with lots of issues on Science Blogging. http://scienceblogs.com/scienceonline/

How to attract readers
• Comment on other blogs (and put your website in your profile.)
• Add blogs to your blogroll and ask to be added on theirs.
• Put your blog on lists such as blogcatalog.com, delicious.com and stumbleupon.com.
• Start a Twitter account and set it to automatically tweet your blog posts (install the Tweetable plugin on WordPress.)
• Post links to your Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and LinkedIn, if you have them.
• Write catchy titles, use eye-catching pictures and write in small paragraphs. Internet users have a VERY short attention span – grab their attention quickly.
• Increase your Google hits by writing longer titles, and using tags and categories. Google does not search your whole post for key words, just those three places and any images.
• Label images correctly so they appear in a Google Images search – this will boost your hit rate, and improve your rating in Google searches.
• Use Google Analytics for blogger or the WordPress stats to check where you’re readers are coming from. Learn what works and what doesn’t.
• Use surveys, polls, quizzes and video to get people involved.
• Install widgets to send your posts automatically to aggregator sites.
• Lastly, don’t be overzealous! People will find your blog eventually and you will build up a solid readership over time. Excessively marketing your blog at every opportunity will often do more harm than good.

Managing comments
• Install a spam filter such as Akismet on WordPress, or enable word verification on Blogger.
• Check comments regularly and delete any spam.
• Respond to people who write negative comments, but don’t be rude.
• Don’t delete comments just because you don’t like them, it makes you seem untrustworthy.
• Reply to comments that ask questions, be helpful whenever you can.
• Blogger also has a “require confirmation on posts over two weeks old” feature, which catches a lot of spam. WordPress has a “hold comments for moderation” feature which also works well.

More Questions?

E-mail Captain Skellett at aschoonerofscience@hotmail.com

Australasian Medical Writers Association annual conference

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27 August 2010to28 August 2010

The 27th Annual Australasian Medical Writers Association Conference, Writing in Our World will be held from 27–28 August in Melbourne at the State Library of Victoria.
Conference highlights include:
• Keynote and opening speaker: Victorian Governor Professor David de Kretser, endocrine researcher and founder of Andrology Australia.
• Sessions on: exploring the environment and our health, taboos, ethical issues in writing and an insider’s view of how the media covered the separation of the conjoined twins Trishna and Krishna.
• Professional Development workshops are offered on: social media, writing for the general public and making the most of the Cochrane library.
• Margaret Simons will speak at the conference dinner.
The entire program and registration form are on the AMWA website www.medicalwriters.org. Don’t miss the 6 August earlybird registration deadline.

Discovery Science Writers Series: 14 May, Prof Julian Cribb

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14 May 2010
12:30 pmto1:30 pm

Discovery Science Writers Series: Prof Julian Cribb on ‘Open Science’

When: Friday 14 May, 12:30pm.

Location: CSIRO Discovery, Black Mountain Laboratories, Clunies Ross Street, Acton ACT.

General Information

About the talk

Open Science: Sharing Knowledge in the Global Century is about how we address the profound challenges which now confront humanity – climate, the food crisis, environmental degradation, resource scarcity and disease – through science communication.

Prof Julian Cribb talks about the thinking that inspired his new book Open Science and fleshes out some of his ideas for the Discovery audience.

These call for the sharing of scientific knowledge among billions of humans, on a scale never before attempted.

Prof Julian Cribb talks about the thinking that inspired his new book and fleshes out some of his ideas for the Discovery audience.

Read more about Open Science.

About the author

Prof Cribb is the Principal of Julian Cribb & Associates, specialists in science communication.

He is also Adjunct Professor in Science Communication at the University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

From 1996–2002 he was Director of CSIRO’s National Awareness Program.

About the Discovery Science Writers Series

CSIRO Discovery presents a series that celebrates authors from the Canberra region who publish in the science arena. Our talks will focus on the science behind the publications as well as the writing process.

Our authors have all recently published, and where possible, copies of their books will be on sale at our events and our authors will sign copies for you.

The Discovery Science Writers Series is presented in association with the Australian Science Communicators ACT Chapter.

Read more about this event on CSIRO’s events listing.

Read more about CSIRO Discovery.

Position Vacant – Public Affairs Officer, ACIAR, Canberra

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The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) looks to a world where poverty has been reduced and the livelihoods of many improved through more productive and sustainable agriculture emerging from collaborative international research. ACIAR is a small government agency where your contribution can have wide reaching international impact.

About you

You are a highly energetic, achievement-oriented person with a proven track record in public affairs, media or journalism. You are a relationship builder and an influential communicator and dedicated to working in a collegial mode with internal and external stakeholders.

About the role

Reporting to the Manager Communications and Governance the Public Affairs Officer duties include:

  1. Assisting with media relations (with local and international media), including: handling media inquiries, writing media releases, organising press events, monitoring and compiling media coverage and building and maintaining target media lists.
  2. Facilitating and arranging media interaction for senior staff and project leaders, providing support including arranging interviews, briefing and press conferences.
  3. Preparing statements, backgrounders, key messages, talking points, opinion articles and Questions and Answers.
  4. Assisting with planning, writing, copyediting and proofreading articles for Partners magazine, photo sourcing and editing, preparing information for the website and other communications material.
  5. Conducting research and fact checking for the preparation of publications, media releases, speeches, presentations, reports and briefs.
  6. Assisting with developing and implementing communications plans (corporate and program), media plans and public awareness initiatives.

About our conditions

We are located at Fern Hill Park, Bruce (Canberra) close to bus routes and community facilities and we have free parking. We offer flexibility in working practices and employment conditions.

How to apply

Applicants must address the selection criteria and must be Australian citizens. A candidate information pack including selection criteria should be obtained from www.aciar.gov.au/recruitment or by telephoning 02 6217 0500.  Completed applications, can be emailed to the HR Manager: Ms Sharyn Turner email turner@aciar.gov.au.  Applications close 28 February 2010.

ASC SA event; Dilemmas of science reporting

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Australian Science Communicators (ASC SA) Event

*The Dilemmas of Science Reporting*

*/Complexity, risk, and the dissident voice/**//*

*Panellists: **Clare Peddie, Rob Morrison, Susannah Elliot and Rod Irvine.***

*MC- Richard Musgrove,*

*Date: February 15,** 2010*

*Time: **6pm – 8pm*

*Venue:* *RiAUS, The Science Exchange*

*Cost: * ASCSA members: free* (see why & how to join below)

Non members: $10

Non member students: $5

*Bookings: *http://asccommunicatingrisk.eventbrite.com/

* Event Summary*

This is the second ASCSA event of the year and covers several critical areas of science communication.

Given the public (including policy makers) have the right to accurate information, how do scientists/science communicators break down and report complex results in digestible form, without missing vital information or getting the story wrong? Secondly, how does a scientist/communicator approach an interview or story which concerns risk, knowing that the public may use that information to inform lifestyle choices? Lastly, how we deal with dissident voice(s), particularly if the issue involves risk or, equally; how do you get your point across if you are the dissident voice??

Guidelines on Science and Health Communication prepared by the RiGB, The Royal Society and The Social Issues Research Centre are available on http://www.sirc.org/publik/revised_guidelines.shtml

_______________________________________________ ASC-list mailing list list@asc.asn.au http://www.asc.asn.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=97&Itemid=115

Bushfire science and journalism: Communicating when emotions run high

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7 February 2010 7:00 pmto10 February 2010 10:00 pm

Australian Science Communicators (ASC) presents a public panel discussion to kick-off the national conference.

BUSHFIRE SCIENCE AND JOURNALISM: COMMUNICATING WHEN EMOTIONS RUN HIGH

Date: Sunday 7 February
Time: 6:45pm for a 7pm start
Venue: CSIRO Discovery, North Science Road, off Clunies Ross in Acton (up behind the ANU) Google map here
Cost: Free entry, drinks and bar snacks available at bar prices

Panel and MC:

  • Dr Andrew Sullivan, Team leader of CSIRO’s Bushfire Dynamics and Applications Team, interviewed many times by the media following the Victorian bushfires
  • Michael Gawenda, Director, University of Melbourne’s Centre for the Advanced Study of Journalism and co-author of the report ‘The Black Saturday Bushfires: How the media covered Australia’s worst peace-time disaster’
  • Lyndal Byford, Media manager at the Australian Science Media Centre, ASMC provided rapid-roundups of expert comment following the Victorian bushfires
  • Louise Maher, Drive program presenter for ABC Canberra, was on-air during the Canberra bushfires in 2003
  • MC: Mary Mulcahy, Communication Manager, CSIRO

This is also the welcome function for the ASC national conference being held in Canberra from 8-10 July. You can still register to attend the conference: www.asc.asn.au

National Day of Mourning
The Prime Minister has declared Sunday 7 February, a National Day of Mourning to remember those who died in the 2009 Victorian bushfires with the Australian flag to be flown at half-mast. In Victoria, a central multi-faith service, will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral. There will be a minute’s silence at noon for Australians to pause and remember the devastating effects of the Black Saturday and Gippsland fires.

Stem Cells at the Pub

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22 November 2009
7:00 pmto9:00 pm
7:00 pmto9:00 pm

Whether the story is about promises of groundbreaking cures, allegations of scientific fraud or warnings of ethical dilemmas, stem cell research makes headlines and sparks debate.

How does the media shape the public’s perceptions of stem cells and scientists? Is the promise of stem cells over-hyped?

Who is responsible for keeping the story straight?

Stem Cells at the Pub

Date: Sunday 22 November

Time: 7pm for 7.30pm start

Venue: Canberra Labor Club, Civic, 16 Petrie Plaza

Panel features:

  • Prof Alan Trounson (California Institute of Regenerative Medicine)
  • Leigh Dayton (The Australian)
  • Simon Grose (Science Media)
  • Rebecca Skinner (Communication Officer, Australian Stem Cell Centre)
  • Assoc Prof Edna Hardeman (University of Sydney)

This event is free and open to the public.

Seats are limited so rsvp to 0402710943 or asccanberra ‘at’ gmail.com.

Presented by the Australasian Society for Stem Cell Research and the Australian Science Communicators.

More links: Alan Trounson’s profile on ABC, Australian Stem Cell Centre, About Science Media.

Freelancing tips

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Having freelanced on and off for more than 30 years—full time for more than a decade—here’s a few thoughts. Please comment on or add to this so we can build a useful resource:

In the world of freelancing, it’s not what you know, but what you can do—and who you know. In other words a CV listing a plethora of training courses will not cut much ice against a portfolio of what you have published.

You can present all the qualifications you like to a prospective employer, but what s/he really wants to know is that you can provide him/her with something that is readable and suits the purpose—so a folio and a whisper in the ear from someone s/he trusts is likely to be much more persuasive.

Experience is all. You need to get it anyway you can, for two reasons—to get your name known and build your contacts, and to gain the confidence that you can perform under any circumstances.

Taking that as a starting point, here’s what I would consider if I wanted to launch myself as a freelancer:

  1. Use any means possible to get yourself into print, preferably in an edited publication—and that often means writing for free just for the experience of being edited for publication and the reward of your name on an article;
  2. Put together a portfolio of the best of what you have written for publication, as well as contact details of who you wrote it for. These days that probably means an electronically accessible cache on the web;
  3. Learn whatever new techniques you can—editing, sub-editing, broadcasting at the local community radio station, writing a blog etc. Be prepared to do something for experience sake, or just to introduce yourself. The wider the range of skills you have at your disposal, the more useful you are—and the broader the range of work you can take on;
  4. Meet deadlines and write clean copy. Check on who you are writing for and their house style. Make sure you proofread carefully. Once you get a reputation for clean copy, and for being easy to work with, deadlines will relax, and people will give you more work;
  5. Check everything you write factually, again and again. Don’t get things wrong, and don’t be frightened to check back with people if you are unsure about something.  Science writing is an area where you can easily destroy yourself if you don’t get things right—credibility is your currency;
  6. Interview people face to face when you can. You learn so much more about people, and make it easier for them to provide useful supplementary material;
  7. Find some work which is steady/ongoing, has a regular deadline which can give you income on which you can rely. It may be teaching or researching material for someone else. You’d be surprised how many other jobs can arise out of it;
  8. Keep good financial records and be aware of your finances. Recognise that money comes in lumps—so learn to use a credit card without bankrupting yourself.
  9. Recognise that freelancers rarely make a lot of money. If you can make a living, you are doing much better than most. The value of freelancing is not monetary, but control over your life in terms of when and where you work, and on what.
  10. Budget for and take holidays. A major drawback of freelancing is that everyone assumes you are available 24/7. It’s easy to burn out.

Social media tools from Web 2.0 in museums conference

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List of useful social media tools referenced during the conference, 5 & 6 March 2009.  This was organised by Museums Australia (Victoria) and Swinburne University in partnership with Melbourne Museum.  Attendees from SA, NSW, TAS, QLD, VIC and Europe participated in masterclasses and conference sessions exploring the uses of web 2.0 tools in museums and their websites.

Google Analytics

ReInvigorate

Compete (US websites only)

Alexa

- statistics on your website and how users interact with it

ClickDensity – heat maps of what users look at on your website

Google Trends – realtime search of ‘trends’ (i.e. keywords) referenced online

DomainTools – domain registration/look-up portal

FeedBurner – tool to manage and track multiple blogs

Flickr – online photo sharing site

StumbleUpon – sharing tool to recommend websites or particular pages to others (similar to Digg, Reddit, etc.)

Reddit – sharing tool (as above)

HowSociable? – tool to measure brand visibility in social media, i.e. how often your organisation is referenced in  Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Technorati, etc.

Twitter – similar to sending and receiving mass text messages.  Easier to show than tell.

WorldInternetProject – analysis and comment on global internet trends

NING/Museums 3.0 – blog ring for museums

1stfans @ Brooklyn Museum – online membership of Twitterers and bloggers with an interest in the Brooklyn Museum

Social media links from 5 Feb event, Melbourne

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As a quick follow-up to last night’s Vic event on Web 2.0, science communicators and museums, I’ve put together a quick list of some of the social media/news references made during the discussion:

Transformations in Scientific & Cultural Communication conference details:

http://www.mavic.asn.au/events-training/2009/03/#56

http://nlablog.wordpress.com/conference-2009/

The 2008 version of the Transformations… event

http://nlablog.wordpress.com/conference-2008

Angelina Russo & Jerry Watkins’ home pages at Swinburne

http://www.swinburne.edu.au/design/ourpeople/staff/Angelina-Russo-ID50.html

http://www.swinburne.edu.au/design/ourpeople/staff/Jerry-Watkins-ID45.html

Niall Byrne’s details

http://www.scienceinpublic.com

Museums Australia (Victoria)

http://www.mavic.asn.au

Mythbusters

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mythbusters

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/mythbusters.html

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=25BA2E43B30816A7&playnext=1&v=QW0DocsxRmo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythbusters

Colossal squid defrosted

http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/TePapa/English/CollectionsAndResearch/CollectionAreas/NaturalEnvironment/Molluscs/ColossalSquid/

Giant squid dissection

http://museumvictoria.com.au/giantsquid

CSIRO Publishing

http://www.publish.csiro.au/

Einstein A Go Go

http://einsteinagogo.net/about-2/

Melbourne Writers Festival

http://www.mwf.com.au/

Eureka Prizes

http://amonline.net.au/eureka/

Flickr groups

http://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?q=australia+science+&m=names

Twitter

http://twitter.com/search/users?q=science

http://twitter.com/search/users?q=news

British wildlife surveys (public engagement)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/doonething/simple/surveys.shtml

An unsuccessful albatross tracking project (NB: not the one Niall referred to)

http://www.ladbrokes.com/bigbirdrace/bettingandform.html

ICOM definition of a Museum

http://icom.museum/definition.html

CERES

http://www.ceres.org.au/

‘Peter Mac’ (Peter MacCullum Cancer Centre)

http://www.petermac.org/