Scholarship is no longer solely the purview of institutions. The why, the how, and the benefits & challenges of building an online profile and network in a time of knowledge abundance.

1. Becoming a Networked Scholar
Bonnie Stewart
University of Prince Edward Island
h"ps://www.flickr.com/photos/gforsythe/8717211019/

2. dissemination
of knowledge
what people
had for lunch
CHANGE IN
HIGHER ED
Premise:
Online networks enable different forms of
academic identity and influence
than institutions do

3. • THE WHY

4. Why? Multiple Axes of Change
knowledge scarcity
knowledge abundance
anytime, anywhere
public funding
marketization
set time & place

6. Knowledge Abundance
h"p://www.flickr.com/photos/sila>x/9886617776/sizes/c

7. Structure of abundance = Networks

8. Price of admission = public identity

9. h"ps://www.flickr.com/photos/ooohoooh/1350774613/
Networks are not just for consuming,
but connecting.

10. Many-to-many communications
h"p://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/it/thumb/d/d8/Do_Not_Adjust_Your_Set.jpg/280px-­‐Do_Not_Adjust_Your_Set.jpg

11. Knowledge abundance enables us
to create ourselves as network
nodes, forming webs of visible (&
invisible) connections
h"ps://www.flickr.com/photos/mkhmarke>ng/8468788107

12. Democratizing?

14. Some nodes are more equal than
others

15. Networks & institutions
are both reputational economies

16. To become readable in networks,
you need to learn how to read.
h"ps://www.flickr.com/photos/koonisutra/7001349018/

17. • THE HOW

18. “Those within the academy become
very skilled at judging the stuff of reputations.
Where has the person’s work been published,
what claims of
priority in discovery have
they established, how often have they been cited,
how and where reviewed, what
prizes won, what institutional ties earned, what
organizations led?”
Willinsky, 2010

19. Reading Status Signals
• Where you went to school
• Who your supervisor was
• Where you’ve published
(& their impact factor)
• Your h-index
• Your citation count
• The associations you belong to
• Your rank in the academic hierarchy

20. …but now…

23. Networks = self-dissemination
& new signals

24. Intersecting Prestige Economies
Institutional
Scholarship
Google
How work gets seen/known/used

25. Google yourself. What do your
signals say?
• Are you visible on the first page?
• Can I find an interactive platform through which
to engage with you or your work?
• Do you share your own work and that of others
openly?
• Can I see you speak/talk/teach?
• Are there any red flags?

26. For building academic identity &
influence online,
you need a platform.

27. h"ps://www.flickr.com/photos/jiscinfonet/12947691804/in/album-­‐72157641903755433/

28. Networked Scholarship: A Study

29. What do you SEE when you look at
a Twitter profile?

30. images!

31. Institutional affiliation doesn’t matter
(except Oxford)
longevity!

32. Shared contexts & standing out

34. capacity to
contribute to
“The
Conversation”
scale of visibility
common
interests &
disciplines
shared ties
Influence = perception of capacity to
contribute

35. Sometimes…I’ll choose
someone with twenty
followers, because I come
across something they’ve
managed to say in 140
characters, and I think
“oh, look at you,
crafting on a
grain of rice.”
- @KateMfD
h"ps://www.flickr.com/photos/visualpanic/843670538

36. • THE WHAT IT DOES

37. Is the effort worth it?

38. Benefits as human: support & care

39. Benefits as thinker:
just-in-time choral conversation

40. Benefits as writer: crowdsourcing

41. Benefits as learner & scholar:
engagement & perspective

42. Benefits as learner & scholar:
access & profile

43. Benefits as teacher: opportunities
to connect students to real
audiences

44. How will I know if I’m succeeding?

45. 9 years blogging, 8 years on Twitter,
3 months with a Ph.D
• 4 peer-reviewed publications (+ 3 more
pending review)
• 17 public articles on higher ed & networks
(Salon, The Guardian UK, Inside Higher Ed)
• 474 citations
• 11 keynote/plenary presentations
• 30+ conference talks
• 5 local/national CBC radio appearances
• place at the table in leading conversations in
my field

46. + uncountable flops, failures,
rejections, dead-ends, and sites of
confusion & uncertainty

47. h"p://www.keepcalmstudio.com/gallery/poster/X1cVAD

48. What signals will you send?

49. Questions?