Research Intelligence – The doctor will advise you now

PhDs and postdocs turn to social media to answer their pressing questions.

Earlier this month, Nadine Muller, an honorary research associate at the University of Hull’s English department who recently passed her PhD, sent an innocuous post on microblogging site Twitter for ideas on what to include in a talk she was about to give on advice for doctoral students.

“What #phdadvice do you wish someone had given you earlier, before you had to find out for yourself?” she asked fellow postdoctorates, established academics and students across the web.

The response was overwhelming. After just three days, almost 500 responses had been posted using the hashtag (which allows Twitter users to follow a specific discussion). The phenomenon spread across mailing lists, reaching tens of thousands of followers

More here:  http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=420033#.T737K2Hgub8.twitter