, 1 min read
On academic branding…
Good communication is part of our jobs as researchers. And communicating well, in 2009, means having an effective web presence.
When I read someone’s paper, and I like it, I want to know who the person is. Sometimes it is merely to find out if they produced more similar work, or else, it can be to understand the context of their ideas. And I am constantly frustrated by people who shy away from even offering a simple publication list to the world!
Are you happy, just being from school Omega? David Parry urges us to do better:
Think about this as rather than being a professor from Omega university who writes about Legal Institutions in Meerkat Communities, you can be a professor who writes about Meerkats and the Law and who is associated with Omega university.
In short, researchers rely on their school and their publishers to broadcast their information. David is saying that it is suboptimal both for you and for the community. Stop saying you are “John from school X”. Say that you are “John who works on problem Y”. Don’t rely on your employer to carry your message!