If writing seems hard, it’s because it is hard. It’s one of the hardest things people do.
William Zinsser
Have a productive writing day!Social Media Romance
Academic Accountability – or how much have you written today?
So… you want to write more? Missing a bit of motivation? Let’s face it – you are not alone. I recently mentioned briefly initiatives such as #acrimo … but how can you keep track and your writing beyond an initiative that is lasting a month?
One possibility is to make yourself more accountable by tracking, either privately or publicly, the progress you are making in terms of words written. And, as you are not alone – you could, of course, always join a virtual community to help you along.
There are a number of paid websites out there that will get you “on the writing track”. Let’s face it – it is probably money wasted. Because, really, why would you need a writing “coach” to get you writing when you can do it yourself (any experiences to the contrary, feel free to comment). So here are a few suggestions how to do it yourself: Continue reading
Friday Quote: Marketing Metrics
Scrivener – and Zotero
If you are doing a lot of writing (or hanging out with writers…) you may have come across Scrivener – a well, this is a bit hard to describe… sort of word processor for serious writing, especially long texts – like the ones that Word loves to play funny stuff like strange formatting with – or at least makes it seriously annoying to deal with (scroll through 100 pages… sure!). Continue reading
Persuasion knowledge: Why it is not always bad…
I have previously written on Persuasion Knowledge, the theory underpinning how people react to persuasive communication. The obvious “problem” with the theory is that most marketers assume that people will actually react negatively when they realise they are facing a persuasion attempt. But – this is only the half truth, and there are some important points to remember: Continue reading
Following….
Happy weekend everyone!Socially Networked Academic
Being an academic obviously means writing … sometimes a lot of writing. Which, fortunately in some cases can be a lonely experience… sometimes, a bit too lonely for me. Luckily there is always the lovely social web … So here are the sites that sometimes make my day a little less lonely – my “academic social media” if you so want:
Academia.edu
I’m not sure this is strictly “social”, but it is certainly the most popular academic site. A sort of academic linked in, where you post the latest paper you had just accepted. So the site is great for finding out what research others are doing – but if you fancy a bit of chit chat while you are writing the next paper… it doesn’t really do that. But it does sent you cute emails a few times a day saying that someone from somewhere searched for you on Google.
Methodspace
Got a question about Focus groups? Want some help with a trick function in R? Methodspace is your friend. Run by Sage, this is the Park Lane for geeks, with groups for every methodological quirk you can think of. Still not much chit chat, but … very useful for getting you on the way.
Researchgate
Seems very much like the competition to Academia – just with a more scientist edge. At least from what I remember… But then I might be wrong, since I seem to have an account – but lost the password. And since it tells me every time I ask to reset my password, that my email doesn’t exist – and I can’t create a new account, because my email is already in use I can’t really say much about it… (If you can get in, let me know!)
THE
Well… not strictly a social hang out, but it has the news from the UK higher education sector. So a must read …
The Chronicle
It’s the THE equivalent from across the pond. Just… it actually has forum! Interaction! Discussion! OK, much comes from a slightly American perspective – but it is a bit like a Starbucks full of academics, everyone is there and you can have some interesting shop talk.
ELMAR
This is the most marketing specific one – and, it is an email list. Mostly announcements of jobs, Table of contents and Call for Papers – but a useful thing to have in your inbox every morning (just so that you don’t forget that important deadline!).
Which social networks for academics do you use? What do you think of them? Let me know via the comments!
P.S.: If you want a great introduction on how to use Social Media to promote your profile as a researcher – take a look at Ana Canhoto’s blog.
Learning by Playing
I have previously written about Advergames – those little games you find on websites and mobile phones which are a branded form of marketing communication blurred with entertainment (especially the ethical aspects of it here and here). What I haven’t talked about in the blog is what makes them effective. From a theoretical point of view there are various theories that can explain the effectiveness of these games. The most frequently used (and easiest to understand) one is Social Cognitive Theory. In a nutshell, Social Cognitive Theory assumes that people can “train” how to behave by observing others, expanding and enhancing Social Learning Theory (a similar framework by Bandura). Social Cognitive Theory brings together three factors which influence behaviour: cognitive, behavioural and environmental factors. All three factors are synergistic, i.e. they enhance each other. In a game environment, all three factors are influenced:
Cognitive factors are the “know how to”: Through simulation, games can show how something is done – the player can learn skills in the game, and then apply them in the real world.
Behavioural factors are the “doing it”: Again, when playing the gamer can do things almost as if they were real. Simulation may not be the same thing as actually doing it – but it makes the gamer feel as if they can perform the behaviour (increasing self-efficacy) and almost as if they have done it already, which also includes knowing how to (the cognitive factors). If performed frequently in a game context, a behaviour can also feel more normal (environmental factor)
Environmental factors are factors such as social perception of the behaviour, accessibility etc – so everything in the environment that makes it easier to perform a behaviour (or inhibit it). Again, environmental factors are synergistic with the other factors: If you know how, and have “virtually” done it before – it may be easier to find out how to do it in the real world . So the skills learned can now be performed in a different (for example real) environment.
How does SCT get used? It is a very broad theory. The most obvious applications come from the field of “serious gaming”, where SCT is used to create health-related games. Here, people can practice potential outcomes in a games setting – and then apply the learned skills in real life. For example, Solousville teaches kids about being active and nutrition. So, kids can visit a grocery store online, and shop for foods that will be nutritious. Similarly, they can visit the campsite for suggestions of how to be active … in the end, the idea is, of course, that they will do so in real life.
Do you know of any great “healthy” games? Share them by using the comment function below.
