No plans for Easter Sunday? Now you do! I’m trying out something new, and will be hosting a livestream on YouTube. The general topic will be online science communication, but the specifics are up to you. Submit some topic suggestions and questions beforehand, and I will bring them up in the Easter Chat livestream, so that you can have a discussion with fellow attendees.
It will be pretty casual. I’ll be filming at home on a webcam, and you can view and join the chat on any device.
Don’t worry, I will be the only one on video. The rest of you will all be typing (or even just quietly watching), so no need to get dressed in your Easter best for this chat.
Easter chat details
Sunday April 1, noon EST (5PM British Summer Time, 6PM Central European Time, 9AM Los Angeles, etc.)
Location: The internet. Specifically, this YouTube stream:
Topics
Science communication online. That can include: science blogs, scientists on social media, sharing tips, discussing ideas, making connections with others. Imagine this as the digital version of a real-life catch-up with like-minded people.
YOU can suggest what you want to discuss, or I will come up with some topics myself. But if you’re planning on joining, you might as well suggest a topic so that it’s tailored to you.
Some example ideas that we could talk about (but please leave your own suggestions in the comments or tweet using #easternblotchat )
- Reaching an international audience online (timezones, languages)
- Selfies – yes or no?
- Online SciComm and money: Can you get grants for online projects? Do you pay for web hosting? What about ads?
- Networks – the rise and fall of blog networks, and what kind of other networks are out there now.
- Why does everyone I know have a podcast these days?
- How do you reach your intended audience online (and not just your friends)? Let’s share some tips.
- Tools and tech for online scicomm. (analytics, apps, etc)
- [INSERT YOUR SUGGESTIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW]
This is also a completely new thing that I haven’t tried before, so let’s find out together whether YouTube Live is a suitable surrogate for scicomm meetups. If this goes well, expect more live chats in the future!
