tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295954162024-03-21T19:20:26.326+00:00ABSWAssociation of British Science WritersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02098922985675075011noreply@blogger.comBlogger273125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-36896515583765404022009-10-19T13:06:00.001+01:002009-10-19T13:09:13.260+01:00The end of this blogPlease note that this blog is no longer being updated as it has now been incorporated into the ABSW's <a href="http://www.absw.org.uk">new website</a>. Please check there for the latest news, job postings and everything else.<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Mike<br /><br />ABSW WebmanagerMNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10636639432679604084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-63002489386180266442009-10-12T09:24:00.006+01:002009-10-12T09:49:26.485+01:00ABSW South West at the King BillOn 16 September, seven of the ABSW's finest minds gathered in a dark pub on King Street in Bristol. Thanks to new funding for regional meetings, drinks were at the expense of the Association. (And thanks to the excellent value offered by the King William, there is still enough in the kitty for another round).<br /><br />Amid much talk of the recent World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ) in London, there was discussion of the identity of the British Science Association and of forming links with Bristol's Festival of Ideas, as well as the next WCSJ in Egypt.<br /><br />A third meeting is planned before the end of the year. Any members in the region who are not on the South West list can email Hayley Birch at hayleymbirch [a] manyfinewords.co.uk<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Those who attended:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Matin Durrani, Carolyn Allen, Liz Kalaugher, Julie Clayton, Jon Turney, James Dacey and Hayley Birch.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-36768126206466951692009-10-04T14:36:00.003+01:002009-10-04T14:50:33.053+01:0027 October – first of the new ABSW lunchesThe first of the new ABSW lunch dates has been fixed for the favourite choice, Tuesday 27th October.<br /><br />Venue is <a href="http://www.doggettscoatandbadge.co.uk/">Doggett's Coat and Badge</a>, overlooking the Thames on Blackfriars Bridge. We will have our own bar, with balcony overlooking the river, from 12 noon to 4 pm. Lunch will be served at 1pm.<br /><br />I hope that some of those who preferred other dates will still be able to come - we need at least 20 people to make it a success.<br /><br />I am trying to fix up a speaker but can't say any more until that is confirmed. Whatever happens, it will still be a great chance to meet other science writers and do some networking.<br /><br />Price for a three-course lunch, to include wine and tea or coffee is a very reasonable £25.<br /><br />Hurry along to <a href="https://absw.wufoo.com/forms/absw-london-lunch/">the special webpage</a> to confirm your attendance and pick your menu. To avoid embarrassment on the day, please make a note of your choice!<br /><p></p>Not a member the ABSW? <a href="http://www.absw.org.uk/Membership.htm">Sign up now!</a><br /><br />Paul SutherlandAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02098922985675075011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-65143319870254040162009-10-03T19:20:00.001+01:002009-10-03T19:23:12.553+01:00JOB AD: Communications Strategist Science Writer/Editor<span style="font-size:130%;">Communications Strategist Science Writer/Editor</span><br /><br />Working from home, anywhere in the world. Full-time preferred, but part-time applicants considered.<br /><br />Green Ink is a leading provider of communication services in support of natural resources research for development. Our clients are organizations dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger and protecting the environment in the developing world.<br /><br />We are seeking an experienced communications strategist to develop our new service in this area. Able to design and deliver a package of activities spanning the participatory development of a strategy, training in its implementation and assessment of its impact, you will know how to identify key areas of intervention, from the written word or image to new communications tools and channels. You will be particularly knowledgeable about media outreach and social networking. An outstanding writer yourself, you will be able to lead by example in the development of content that achieves impact. Equipped with a relevant university degree or equivalent, you will already have an impressive record of success, probably in a corporate setting. You must be willing to travel to our clients when necessary.<br /><br />We are also seeking talented English-language science writers/editors who are able to work independently yet enjoy being part of a team. You will be able to generate outstanding content on science and development issues for the popular and semi-specialist media, in both electronic and hard-copy formats. Besides an attractive portfolio of communication skills and a knowledge of natural resources R&D, you should have commitment, integrity and flair, coupled with the ability to work under pressure. You will be able to lead the planning and execution of complex communication projects, working with other team members to ensure timely product delivery to a high quality standard. A relevant university degree, proven experience, computer literacy, ability to work from home and willingness to travel are essential. Plus points are skills and experience in media outreach and social networking.<br /><br />Salaries will range from £23,000 to £30,000 according to skills and experience and there is an attractive benefits package. Visit our website at www.greenink.co.uk to apply by 30 October 2009.<br /><br />We are an equal opportunities employer.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02098922985675075011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-31541808740744041862009-09-18T19:24:00.003+01:002009-09-19T09:59:39.726+01:00Science journalism and libel laws – ABSW annual lecture<span xmlns=""><p>This year's ABSW annual lecture, on 15the October, will be a debate about science journalism and the libel laws. The event is being produced in association with City University, to celebrate the launch of <span><span xmlns="">City's </span></span><a href="http://www.city.ac.uk/journalism/courses/postgrad/science_journalism/">MA <span><span xmlns="">course in </span></span>Science Journalism</a>.<br /></p><p>ABSW members have up to 100 guaranteed places at this event on October 15th, but they must book their places by the end of the month (September 30th). After this, unused places will be released to the public.<br /></p><p><a href="http://www.city.ac.uk/whatson/2009/10_oct/151009-scij.html">Booking is through City University's website</a>, entry is free.<br /></p><p>To ensure that you reserve one of the guaranteed places, when you are filling in the booking form please provide the information "I am an ABSW member" in the drop down box which asks "Where did you hear about this event".<br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Science Fact</span> –<span style="font-weight: bold;"> science journalism and libel law</span><br /></p></span><ul><li><span xmlns=""><p>Simon Singh, freelance science journalist and author of <span style="font-style: italic;">Trick or Treatment?</span></p></span></li><li><span xmlns=""><p>Ben Goldacre, columnist, doctor and author of <span style="font-style: italic;">Bad Science</span></p></span></li><li><span xmlns=""><p>John Kampfner, Chief Executive, Index on Censorship</p></span></li><li><span xmlns=""><p>Duncan Lamont, libel lawyer and Head of Media & Entertainment at Charles Russell</p></span></li><li><span xmlns=""><p>Tracey Brown, Managing Director, Sense About Science</p></span></li></ul><span xmlns=""><blockquote><p>Science journalists Simon Singh and Ben Goldacre have both been sued in the past year for libel. They challenged the scientific method and evidence behind the use of chiropractic treatment for children (Singh) and the role of multivitamins to combat HIV/AIDS in South Africa (Goldacre).<br /></p><p>After long court battles, Goldacre won his case, with the financial support of the Guardian, but Singh lost and faces the prospect of mounting an expensive appeal.<br /></p><p>Should scientific debate be silenced by the use of English libel laws, thereby keeping the public in the dark? What are the wider implications for journalism and is there a pressing need for reform of the English libel laws?</p></blockquote></span><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Date: </span><br />Thursday October 15 2009 Time:7:00 PM<br /></p> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">Location:</span><br />Oliver Thompson Lecture Theatre, City University London, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB</p><p><a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=ec1v+0hb&ie=UTF8&ll=51.52773,-0.10231&spn=0.019597,0.038624&z=15">Google Map</a></p><p><br /></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02098922985675075011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-60189021147020347222009-08-17T22:36:00.003+01:002009-08-17T22:40:49.674+01:00New Scientist seeks science graduates for new blogRecent graduates looking to expand their science writing skills might be interested in this.<br /><br />New Scientist is looking for recent science, technology or engineering graduates interested in blogging throughout the year about their experiences of life after University.<br /><br />They are launching a new area of their website specifically for students in September 2009, and, according to their ad copy. "One of the things we'd like to do is help students understand what life is like after graduation."<blockquote><br />We're looking for recent graduates to blog for us throughout the year about their experiences of life after university. You may be entering the world of work, going into further study or taking time out for some other exciting adventure.<br /><br />If you are a keen blogger, happy to share your experiences about life after graduation to inform and inspire our student audience in exchange for the experience of writing for New Scientist, we'd like to hear from you.</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17623-graduate-bloggers-new-scientist-needs-you.html">Full details and how to apply can be found on their website</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-19147661238549571412009-08-12T14:47:00.001+01:002009-08-13T10:48:48.315+01:00Job advert: Nuffield Council on Bioethics seeks board memberThe Nuffield Council on Bioethics examines the ethical issues raised<br />by advances in biological and medical research to promote public<br />understanding and assist policy makers. The Council is seeking<br />applications for a new Council member for its board with experience in<br />the media, communications and/or public engagement.<br /><br />Applications are invited in the form of a brief statement of interest<br />accompanied by a short curriculum vitae. The closing date for<br />submissions is 2 October 2009.<br /><br />Applications and any queries should be sent to Carol Perkins at<br />cperkins@nuffieldbioethics or please phone 020 7681 9619. Further<br />information is available at <a href="http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/" target="_blank">http://www.nuffieldbioethics.<wbr>org</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-70244237419726981982009-07-23T12:27:00.004+01:002009-07-23T14:28:33.693+01:00Job advert: New Scientist Features Editor<span style="font-size:130%;">Features Editor - 6 Month Contract</span><br /><br />Reference: 000235<br />Job Function Editorial & Publishing<br />Location Lacon House, London<br />Organization Reed Business Information <br />Job Type Contract <br />Job Posting 21/07/2009 <br />Recruiter Justine Padfield <br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Job Description</span><br /><br />New Scientist, the world's leading popular science and technology magazine and web site, needs a talented feature editor to join its award winning team. We offer a stimulating environment working with world-class journalists in our central London Offices, and a competitive salary.<br /><br />KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES / RESPONSIBILITIES:<br /><ul><li>To find, commission, write and edit compelling feature-length stories about all aspects of science and technology.</li></ul>KEY SKILLS REQUIRED:<br /><ul><li> This is a job for a creative journalist who can commission, edit and write compelling stories to tight deadlines with the motivation and charisma to inspire others.</li><li> The successful candidate will have a good science degree.</li></ul>EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:<br /><ul><li> A good track record in journalism.</li><li> Experience in managing writers, and a track record in editing feature length journalism.</li></ul>RBI General Benefits Package<br /><ul><li> Pension Scheme</li><li> 29 Days Holiday</li><li> Paid Charity Days - 2 days per year</li><li> Life Insurance (4x salary)</li><li> Save As You Earn Share Scheme (SAYE)</li><li> Competitive Salaries</li></ul><span style="font-size:130%;">The Company:</span><br />With a head office in Sutton (a short 20 minute train journey direct from Victoria or Clapham Junction) and offices in Central London, Birmingham, Manchester and East Grinstead, Reed Business Information has a portfolio of award winning web sites and online services along with more than 100 market leading magazines, directories, direct marketing services, industry conferences and awards covering over 18 markets in the UK, Europe, USA and Asia. Reed Business Information has annual sales of £250 million.<br /><br />Our online strategy focuses on markets with a need for deep, data driven information services, search and online recruitment. Backed by the resources of parent company Reed Elsevier, RBI's UK wide web based services are blazing a trail for specialist information online. Some of the market leading brands at RBI include www.totaljobs.com, www.cwjobs.co.uk and www.kellysearch.com, New Scientist, Estates Gazette, Computer Weekly and Personnel Today.<br /><br />Please apply via the RBI website <a href="http://careers.rbi.jobs/vacancy/235-Features+Editor+-+6+Month+Contract">http://careers.rbi.jobs/vacancy/235-Features+Editor+-+6+Month+Contract</a> with your CV, covering letter and 3 clips (all in ONE document) by Friday 14th August 2009<br /><br />Alternatively send you application by email to henry.gomm@newscientist.comAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02098922985675075011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-37159128191735357472009-07-13T15:52:00.002+01:002009-07-13T16:13:43.328+01:00Yes we cam!One of the aims of the ABSW for 2009 is to build up a network of regional groups to increase activity for our members based outside of London.<div><br /></div><div>Ben Valsler, a producer for the Naked Scientists, has been posting on the ABSW-L (our electronic mail list) to see if any fellow ABSW members from Cambridge are interested in meeting.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you're in the area and would like to be involved, get on the <a href="http://groups.google.co.uk/group/absw-l">Google Groups discussion forum</a> (from where the ABSW-L emails are generated) or <a href="mailto:brvalsler@gmail.com">email Ben</a> directly (brvalsler@gmail.com).</div><div><br /></div><div>Members in the environs of Brighton recently enjoyed a lunchtime trip to the pub - get in touch with <a href="mailto:michael@kenward.eu">Michael Kenward</a> if you're interested in any future outings there.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you're not in Cambridge or Brighton, don't despair - why not start up a group of your own? Email the list to see who's interested (or <a href="mailto:chrissiegiles@gmail.com">contact the regional groups co-ordinator</a>) and you could be part of making the ABSW an important, useful and fun association for all members, wherever you're based.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-10925471418230586292009-07-07T14:48:00.003+01:002009-07-07T15:25:35.122+01:00Twitter tips for the timid<span style="font-style: italic;">Confused by all this Twitter-talk? What the heck is a hashtag? And how do I get started? Wonder no more. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JoBrodie"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jo Brodie</span></a> has written this beginners guide.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The basic tips</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">How to follow a topic or conversation on Twitter without having a Twitter account</span><br /><br />1. The easiest method is to go to <a href="http://search.twitter.com">http://search.twitter.com</a> and type in a relevant keyword (e.g. #wcsj) press enter and see the results. That will look like <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23wcsj">this</a>.<br /><br />As new tweets are posted with your keyword you will need to press the refresh button (i.e. reload the page) to see them too.<br /><br />2. The second easiest method is to go to <a href="http://www.monitter.com">Monitter</a> or <a href="http://www.twitterfall.com">Twitterfall</a> (I prefer this one) and type in a word there and watch the tweets unfurl in real time - i.e. they auto-refresh.<br /><br />I've found Monitter to slow down my laptop quite a bit, Twitterfall less so.<br /><br />3. If the topic is very popular (e.g. anything to do with Michael Jackson last week) it will be a 'trending topic' - i.e. in the top ten of popular tags. You can then watch it unfold in real time over at <a href="http://www.wthashtag.com">What The Hashtag</a> and there's also the opportunity to ‘harvest’ a transcript of all the tweets to read when convenient.<br /><br />That looks like <a href="http://wthashtag.com/Wcsj">this </a>.<br /><br />The "View transcript" link is below the bar chart which is showing the number of tweets over a number of days.<br /><br />If it's not trending and not appearing at wthashtag you can add it yourself - but you will need to sign up for an account. The people behind wthashtag helpfully created the #wcsj page for me because I didn't have an account at the time. I'd only learned about it the week before at Sci Comm Conference - there seems to be a very short lag time these days between hearing about a tool and then using it!<br /><br />3a. <span style="font-style: italic;">What’s a hashtag?</span><br /><br />It’s very similar to tagging or keywording (e.g. as used in <a href="http://www.flickr.com">Flickr</a> to help people find things when searching). The # symbol adds a 'flag' to a word increasing its signal against the noise of every other tweeted word. It also makes it appear as an active link in the search results page at <a href="http://search.twitter.com">http://search.twitter.com</a>. You can search for a word without putting a hash in front of it though, it's not essential for most things.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-style: italic;">Receive tweets by email</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tweetlater.com/">Tweetlater</a> (you need to register) is a free service which will email you the results of a Twitter search for a particular topic - another way of catching up with a lot of tweets on a topic.<br /><br />-----<br />N.B. The information in the rest of the post assumes a Twitter account - visit <a href="http://www.twitter.com">http://www.twitter.com</a> and sign up.<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The middling to advanced tips</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.sciencetext.com/ten-brutal-twitter-tips.html">Ten Brutal Twitter tips</a> from David Bradley - useful overview<br /><br />2. <span style="font-style: italic;">Tweeting in 140 characters, shortening links</span><br /><br />Each twitter post of 140 characters is a 'tweet' and the only way to include most web links is to shorten them otherwise they won't fit. Twitter does this automatically but to get the most info in your tweet, as you’re writing it, it's best to pre-shorten your URL so you can see how many spare characters will remain.<br /><br />URL shortening services include <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com">Tinyurl</a>, <a href="http://is.gd">is.gd</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/">bit.ly</a> and <a href="http://tr.im">tr.im</a> - bit.ly and tr.im let you track the number of times your link is clicked on, which may be useful information.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-style: italic;">The @ symbol, "@replies"</span><br /><br />In front of anyone's name (with no space) does two things (i) turns the name into an active link that can be clicked on taking you to their Twitter profile and (ii) sends a copy of the tweet to them - although they go straight to the person they are also public and others can find them, so do not use @reply for private messages, see DM below (though it's probably best not to use Twitter for private messages).<br /><br />You can read messages sent to you by clicking on the <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JoBrodie">@jobrodie</a> (your name here) link in the right hand side of the main page, once you have an account.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-style: italic;">Retweeting someone else's post (RT)</span><br /><br />RT (retweet) in front of a post means that you are reposting someone else's Tweet.<br /><br />Here's one I tweeted earlier...<br /><blockquote>" RT @JRBtrip RT @TechCrunch Tweetraising: the potential for charities on Twitter http://tinyurl.com/ok6a5t "</blockquote>This means that I'm retweeting @JRBtrip's post, he himself was retweeting @Techcrunch. My retweeting of this, using their @names means that both people will receive a copy of my message - i.e. they'll know that I've retweeted them - and also acknowledges the source.<br /><br />N.B. There needs to be a space before the @ otherwise the name won't resolve to an active link.<br /><br />5. <span style="font-style: italic;">Hat tip</span><br /><br />Another way to acknowledge someone is to use h/t or ht to acknowledge that they were the originator of an idea, for example - here's me acknowledging that <a href="http://www.twitter.com/SciCommConf">@SciCommConf</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/marilyneb">@marilyneb</a> told me about the wthashtag (what the hashtag) website. It’s not done that often to be honest, but if you see the phrase that’s what it means.<br /><blockquote>"Not enough characters left in last tweet to h/t @SciCommConf & @marilyneb for highlighting @wthashtag - #wcsj transcript <a href="http://is.gd/1jsVl">http://is.gd/1jsVl</a> "</blockquote>6. <span style="font-style: italic;">Direct Messages (DM or d)</span><br /><br />Typing d jobrodie sends a private message to me but it will only work if I am following you (if I'm not following you it would have to be @jobrodie). You can also send direct messages through the Direct Messages link on Twitter.<br /><br />7. <span style="font-style: italic;">Following posts / conversations in real time with a Twitter account</span><br /><br />Tweetdeck is excellent for this, you can download it from <a href="http://tweetdeck.com/beta/">http://tweetdeck.com/beta/</a><br /><br />Tweetdeck is a third-party application for accessing Twitter (so instead of accessing it via the Twitter website in a browser, you can read Twitter via a different programme on your computer)<br /><br />Tweetdeck presents you with basic columns (all the tweets of everyone you're following, a column of tweets sent to you, a column of private messages plus any columns you care to add e.g. a search for #wcsj).<br /><br />You need to grant Tweetdeck access to your Twitter account for it to work - I've not had any problems with this particular service but have only used it on iPhone.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Some additional suggestions</span><br /><br />1. <span style="font-style: italic;">Using Twitter on a mobile phone</span><br /><br />Twitter's easy to use on a computer / laptop but there are mobile phone applications such as <a href="http://www.twitterfon.com">Twitterfon</a>, <a href="http://www.atebits.com/">Tweetie</a> as well as Tweetdeck (for iPhone) that mean you can read or post tweets (might be a link to a blog post for example) while on the move. Many people at #wcsj were using phones to 'live blog' the conference.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-style: italic;">A new account needs a bit of time to get going</span><br /><br />It takes time to get the hang of Twitter but a little bit longer to build up a network. Lots of people sign up and then can't see the point of it. It's a bit like moving to a new neighbourhood and getting to know the locals - it's something you cultivate.<br /><br />It really helps if you fill in the bio section, add a link to your website (or blog) and a photo. Then people know who you are.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-style: italic;">Following people and being followed</span><br /><br />Anyone can follow anyone else, unless they've restricted their "Twitter stream" by locking it - in which case you need to request permission to follow them. People are less likely to follow you if there's no information in your bio. In my case I'm likely to block you from following me if I can't see who you are. It's just difficult to engage with people if they're anonymous - and Twitter is meant to be a tool for social networking ;)<br /><br />You can find people to follow by (a) searching for their name or knowing their Twitter account URL and clicking on the 'Follow' button, (b) by searching for keywords and following the people writing the most interesting posts about them, (c) if you've found someone to follow see who else they are following and who else is following them - some of those people might have similar interests to you.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-style: italic;">Attention conference organisers</span><br /><br />Please choose a hashtag that's simple and brief to type when tweeting from a mobile phone. #wcsj is pretty much perfect - short, letters only (numbers are on another screen on iPhones) and gives you more characters to type a message in - also it's very natural ('organic'!) and reflects what people were using already in referring to the conference. To be honest #scc2009 wouldn't have been my first choice for the sci com conference but it doesn't matter much when you're using a laptop of course.<br /><br />Many conferences use Twitter to create a bit of a buzz around the event and draw people in, some conferences might want to set ground rules about what sessions can be covered - I expect people may well ignore this but sometimes it mightn't be appropriate to live blog things, I suppose.<br /><br />5. <span style="font-style: italic;">Blog owners ... and possibly newspaper (online versions) people (?)</span><br /><br />If you want to make it easy for people to share a post and you want to maintain some control over the link, pre-shorten the URL for them (create the post, shorten the URL, then amend the page to add in the new URL - I don't know a simpler way) or use a 'Tweet this' button. This makes it easy for people to share info on your website (promote your work) without having to shorten the URL themselves...<br /><br />Using a bit.ly link here lets you collect some referral information about where clicks are coming from - and at this point we are at the limits of my URL tracking knowledge.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.sciencetext.com/ten-brutal-twitter-tips.html">David Bradley's post</a> (mentioned above) one of the first things you see on the page is the 'Tweet this' button - if you read the comments you will see I was asking about this sort of thing when the text was originally posted.<br /><br />Many sites do this very well with a panel of social media sharing buttons including Facebook, Digg etc. etc.<br /><br />6. If you wanted to refer to the URL of a particular Tweet...<br /><br />...look at the bit just below the Tweet - the 'time when it was posted', in this case "half a minute ago" gives the URL for <a href="http://twitter.com/TEDchris/status/2504201703">that particular tweet</a>.<br /><br />" TEDchris Mass-collaboration music vid. Beautiful way to nurture your fanbase: http://bit.ly/8yJiG (via@ndjbaker) "<br /><a href="http://twitter.com/TEDchris/status/2504201703">half a minute ago from web</a><br /><br />7. Twitter can be just a series of RSS feeds<br /><br />Some content you create yourself by typing it, some can be pushed from another source – e.g. I have an <a href="http://twitter.com/diabetestrials">automated feed</a> set up to collect any newly registered clinical trials about diabetes, which is published automatically whenever the ClinicalTrials.gov database is updated.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Posted on behalf of Jo Brodie</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-25823224041431986482009-07-07T13:42:00.002+01:002009-07-07T13:44:19.024+01:00Supreme God-Like Power Can Be YoursJust to say that as I told the AGM in January, I am not available as Treasurer of ABSW in 2010. Do get in touch if you fancy taking on this interesting and important role.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-11723040641141344862009-07-06T18:18:00.002+01:002009-07-06T18:20:34.572+01:00A call for less science journalismHow could science writing for the public possibly be better? John Rennie, "outgoing" Editor in Chief of <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/">Scientific American</a>, must have know that we would raise eyebrows with his comment that one answer to the question might be "maybe there should just be less of it".<br /><br />He expands on this observation in a <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=future-of-science-coverage-09-07-06">Scientific American Podcast</a>, on the "Future of Science Coverage," based on comments he made at the World Conference of Science Journalists in London recently. His line, as reported in the <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=future-of-science-coverage-09-07-06">transcript of the podcast</a>, is that "we could all do with a lot fewer of the “what causes/cures cancer this week” story".<br /><br />Rennie then goes on to dismember the "model of following what defines science news as that 95 percent of the time it is “interesting paper that appears in prestigious journal this week.”" As he says, "we’re all smart enough to know that that has absolutely nothing to do with how science works. That has to do with how publishing works."<br /><br />The main message from Rennie is that "we have a responsibility as editors to try to rethink what counts as science news".Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02098922985675075011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-63416526511567833312009-07-05T11:12:00.013+01:002009-07-07T09:48:31.554+01:00Best of the World Conference of Science Journalists 2009So the World Conference of Science Journalists is over, and what a conference it was. Around 950 science writers, journalists and communicators gathered over three days at London's Westminster Central Hall for debate, discussions, diatribes and, of course, plenty of drink.<br /><br />With a delightfully packed schedule and the repressing heat of an unusually sunny London week, you'd be forgiven if bits of it passed you by in a bit of a haze.<br /><br />Thankfully, on the Internet nothing goes unrecorded. So here's a compilation of blogs, tweets and resources by ABSW members to help you to catch up on, or just relive, those heady three days. (This is by no means a comprehensive list, so please feel free to point out further reports and resources in the comments).<br /><br />A big thanks to Julie Clayton, Sally Robbins and Fiona Fox for organising the fantastic programme.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Twitter</span><br />One of the most engaging aspects of the conference was the way delegates embraced Twitter and the #wcsj hashtag as a means of communicating.<br /><br />There were 2,526 tweets from 252 contributors over the course of the conference, with an average of 360 tweets per day. This allowed people to hold conversations simultaneously in the real-life sessions and on the web. And with many sessions on at the same time, it proved a great way for delegates to keep in touch with interesting points from the debates they couldn't attend -- not to mention the useful service provided for those journalists who were not able to attend the conference at all.<br /><br />Ed Yong, the most prolific tweeter at WCSJ, has a good description of <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/live-tweeting_the_world_conference_of_science_journalists.php">the value of Twitter at WCSJ</a> on Not Exactly Rocket Science.<br /><br />If you'd like to relive the whole thing, you can <a href="http://wthashtag.com/transcript.php?page_id=2779&start_date=2009-06-29&end_date=2009-07-03&export_type=HTML">view a transcript of the entire #wcsj Twitter conversation on wthashtag.com</a> (you can also adjust the transcript to just look at particular days only).<br /><br />And <a href="http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/world-conference-of-science-journalists-wcsj.html">as David Bradley has written</a>, the conference was great for putting faces to the names of people one has met purely through email and Twitter. The digital age indeed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Not Exactly Rocket Science</span><br />As well as live-tweeting from the conference, Ed Yong has written up <strike>three</strike> four in-depth accounts covering the <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/world_conference_of_science_journalists_-_new_media_new_jour.php">New Media New Journalism session</a>, the <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/wcsj_flat_earth_news_with_nick_davies_-_a_discussion_on_the.php">discussion with Nick Davies on Flat Earth News</a>, the hard-to-forget <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/does_science_journalism_falter_or_flourish_under_embargo.php">Embargoes debate</a> that was, for many, the highlight of the event, and <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/on_cheerleaders_and_watchdogs_-_the_role_of_science_journali.php">what exactly science journalism is (cheerleader or watchdog?</a>). These have prompted replies from scientist bloggers <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/mikethemadbiologist/2009/07/on_scientific_embargoes_what_e.php">Mike the Mad Biologist</a> on embargoes and <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/stressrelated/2009/07/investigative_science_journali.php">another by Kim Hannula</a> on Investigative Science Journalism).<br /><br />Ed was of course also the <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/i_just_won_the_association_of_british_science_writers_best_n.php">winner of the ABSW Best Newcomer 2009 award</a>, presented at the Gala reception in front of hundreds of science journalists, one Diplodocus and a statue of Charles Darwin.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Just a Theory</span><br />ABSW Executive Committee helper and Imperial SciCom student Jacob Aron was not only a volunteer at the conference, he was blogging the event too!<br /><a href="http://justatheory.co.uk/2009/06/29/world-conference-of-science-journalists-2009-day-one/">Monday </a><br /><a href="http://justatheory.co.uk/2009/07/01/world-conference-of-science-journalists-2009-day-two/">Tuesday </a><br /><a href="http://justatheory.co.uk/2009/07/02/world-conference-of-science-journalists-2009-day-three/">Wednesday </a><br /><a href="http://justatheory.co.uk/2009/07/02/world-conference-of-science-journalists-2009-day-four/">Thursday </a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SciDev.Net</span><br />It was hard to miss <a href="http://www.scidev.net/">SciDev.Net</a> at WCSJ, with development a major strand and many of the delegates (myself included) current or ex-staff or freelancers. <a href="http://scidevnet.wordpress.com/category/6th-world-conference-of-science-journalists-wcsj2009/">SciDev.Net's blog</a> provided great coverage of the conference from the developing country point of view.<br /><br />They also reported <a href="http://www.scidev.net/en/search/results/?archive=false&term_main=Conference+Journalists&typeID=0&author=&source=&organisationname=&location=&subTopicId=&startAt_day=23&startAt_month=6&startAt_year=2009&startAt=%7Bts+%272009-06-23+00%3A00%3A00%27%7D&endAt_day=&endAt_month=&endAt_year=&endAt=&orderBy=relevance">several news stories</a> from the conference, including the <a href="http://www.scidev.net/en/news/cairo-to-host-next-world-science-journalists-confe.html">success of Cairo in hosting the next WCSJ</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nature</span><br />Nature's reporters were <a href="http://blogs.nature.com/news/blog/conference_reports/world_conference_of_science_journalists/">reporting from the conference on their In the Field blog</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.nature.com/news/blog/2009/06/a_fishy_beginning.html">A fishy beginning</a><br /><a href="http://blogs.nature.com/news/blog/2009/07/what_climate_coverage_would_da.html">What Climate coverage would David King like to see?</a><br /><a href="http://blogs.nature.com/news/blog/2009/07/fraud_endemic_to_medical_publi.html">Fraud "endemic to medical publication" </a><br /><a href="http://blogs.nature.com/news/blog/2009/07/embargoes_broken.html">Embargoes debate </a><br /><a href="http://blogs.nature.com/news/blog/2009/07/scrutinising_big_pharma.html">Scrutinising big pharma </a><br /><a href="http://blogs.nature.com/news/blog/2009/07/swine_flu_dont_believe_theres.html">Swine Flu - don't believe the hype </a><br /><a href="http://blogs.nature.com/news/blog/2009/07/achieving_global_coverage_for.html">Achieving global coverage for science – a workshop </a><br /><a href="http://blogs.nature.com/news/blog/2009/07/london_to_cairo.html">London to Cairo </a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BBC Radio 4 Leading Edge </span><br />Geoff Watts, who took part in the Embargoes debate, had a brief audio package on the conference in his Leading Edge programme. You can<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00lbt42"> listen again</a> for the next few days.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scientific American podcast</span><br />John Rennie, former editor of Scientific American, <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=future-of-science-coverage-09-07-06">expands on his comments</a> at WCSJ that what we need is less science journalism.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Financial Times Science blog</span><br /><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/scienceblog/2009/07/02/science-journalism-no-crisis-after-all/">Clive Cookson's take on the WCSJ</a> and the supposed 'crisis' in science journalism.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Columbia Journalism Review</span><br />Two excellent reports, one on the accusation that <a href="http://www.cjr.org/the_observatory/nsf_underwriting_coverage.php">the National Science Foundation is 'underwriting' science coverage </a>and other models from the 'New Media, New Journalism' session. The other is on t<a href="http://www.cjr.org/the_observatory/some_optimism_for_the_future_o.php">he Future of Science Journalism</a>, cherry-picking bits from the 'Blogs, Big Physics and Breaking News,' Science Editors and other sessions.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lindau Nobel blog</span><br />Freelancer <a href="http://www.scienceblogs.de/lindaunobel/2009/07/a-non-debate.php">Matthew Chalmers writes on science journalism and blogging</a>, following the Blogs, Big Physics and Breaking News session he took part in.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">WCSJ News and the Naked Scientists</span><br />The<a href="http://www.wcsjnews.org/"> official WCSJ news website,</a> while not updated very often, does carry some <a href="http://www.wcsjnews.org/reviews">reviews</a> and short reports of sessions as well as the<a href="http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/specials/wcsj/"> daily 10 minute <span style="font-weight: bold;">podcasts</span></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>presented by Meera Senthilingam of the Naked Scientists (I've heard longer podcasts of some of the sessions may soon available as well).<br /><br />You may also have noticed the photographers floating around the place -- which explains this <a href="http://picasaweb.google.ca/wfsj.web"><span style="font-weight: bold;">photo gallery</span> of the event</a>.<br /><br />And for those who disappeared to the booze before the final speeches were over, here's the summary video shown at the end.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kiso01abbfs&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=nl&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kiso01abbfs&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=nl&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Update 5/7/09 22.50 Added Lindau Nobel, Mike the Mad Biologist and Kim Hannula links. Thanks to </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.twitter.com/boraZ">@BoraZ</a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Update 6/7/09 22.18 Added links to Columbia Journalism Review (thanks </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.twitter.com/simon_frantz">@Simon_Frantz</a><span style="font-style: italic;">), Scientific American podcast and session summaries on WCSJ news website (thanks <a href="http://www.twitter.com/absw">@absw</a>).<br />Update 7/7/09 09.47 Added extra post from Not Exactly Rocket Science.<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-84598116896596498952009-06-29T10:59:00.000+01:002009-06-29T10:59:00.380+01:00A few questions on your professional situation<a href="http://www2.lse.ac.uk/methodologyInstitute/whosWho/mbauer@lseacuk.aspx">Martin Bauer</a>, Head of the <a href="http://www2.lse.ac.uk/methodologyInstitute/Home.aspx">Methodology Institute</a> and Director MSc Social and Public Communication, at the London School of Economics, is using the World Conference of Science Journalists as an opportunity to conduct <a href="http://www.psych.lse.ac.uk/surveys/wcsj_2009_questionnaire/">a survey of science writers</a>.<br /><blockquote>"We are undertaking a survey on the backgrounds, employment situation and daily practices of science journalists and the future of the profession. Whether you are taking part or not in the events, you are most welcome to tell us your opinion."</blockquote>Lots of interesting questions in there "on your professional situation, your working practices, and the future of the profession".<br /><br />Martin promises that "It will take you less than 10 minutes to answer these questions."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02098922985675075011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-80061097595395906492009-06-19T14:10:00.000+01:002009-06-19T14:10:53.729+01:00New Scientist editorial trainee schemeThe world's best science magazine has opened its doors for the <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17308">New Scientist editorial trainee scheme</a>.<br /><br />If you are "a graduate with a good science degree and a burning desire to be a science journalist" then you have until 13 July to make your presence felt.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02098922985675075011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-39059003124278636982009-06-11T16:29:00.002+01:002009-06-11T16:31:13.016+01:00ABSW special meetingABSW member are invited to a special meeting on Monday 29th June, from 6-7pm at the Dana Centre (165 Queen's Gate, South Kensington). We should like to discuss the future of the ABSW, the revamped newsletter, our new website and the awards. We should welcome ideas for events and activities as well as setting our priorities for the future and talking a bit more about how we hope to operate. We should also like this to take this opportunity to show our appreciation to Ted Nield and <span class="il">Barbie</span> Drillsma for all their work and dedication to the ABSW.<br /><br />Natasha Loder, science correspondent for The Economist and next chair of the ABSW, and Colin Blakemore, President of the ABSW, will host the discussion. The Studio of the Dana Centre can accommodate up to 100 members. To register for this event, please fill out <a href="https://absw.wufoo.com/forms/absw-event-booking-special-meeting/">the form</a><br /><br />The first 30 folk to register will also be invited to attend the Media Reception of the World Conference of Science Journalists, being held nearby at the Science Museum, from 7-9pm.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-87826181108549847572009-06-11T16:10:00.002+01:002009-06-11T16:14:19.557+01:00ABSW's How to publish a popular science bookThose attending the World Conference of Science Journalists, are invited to attend the ABSW's How to publish a popular science book on Wednesday 1st July, between 13.30 to 14.30.<br /><br />From an idea in an author's head, to a book in a reader's hand, there is much about the science book trade that may surprise. This session aims to unlock the mysteries behind writing a book proposal, such as getting an agent, making proposals to editors at publishing houses, how editors have to sell books to their sales/marketing teams, doing deals and getting book buyers interested. The session offers potential authors the chance to ask burning questions of those directly involved in the business in order to shed light on some of the less-well known aspects to the science book trade, such as editing, publicity, and how a book gets reviewed. This<br />session also hopes to address the question of whether the books that become bestsellers are the best books or those which publishing companies have spent the most money.<br /><br />Speakers:<br /><br /> * John Gribbin, Author<br /> * Peter Tallack, Agent<br /> * Will Goodlad, Publisher (Penguin)<br /><br /> Chair:<br /><br /> * Sara Abdulla, NatureUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-80139720716175939212009-06-08T18:20:00.002+01:002009-06-08T18:23:12.710+01:00Epilepsy journalism awardAnother award for specialist journalism with decidedly scientific leanings. The International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and UCB, "a global leader in the biopharmaceutical industry," are behind the awards for <a href="http://www.ibe-epilepsy.org/activities/excellence-in-journalism-award">Excellence in Epilepsy Journalism</a>.<br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"The international award is open to consumer, health and medical journalists from around the world writing for print, broadcast or online media and will celebrate journalism that challenges stereotypes."</span><br /></blockquote>The award is for material published or broadcast between 1 July 2008 and 30 June 2009. There are three categories; medical print/online, consumer print/online and Broadcast.<br /><br />Prizes come in the shape of travel vouchers worth €4000 for each category, with the suggestion that the vouchers "could be used to defray travel costs related to further journalistic research and publications about epilepsy in an international context".Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02098922985675075011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-22835778278095846712009-06-07T12:02:00.001+01:002009-06-07T12:02:56.355+01:00Max Perutz science writing award 2009The Medical Research Council has posted details of the <a href="http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC006092">Max Perutz science writing award 2009</a>. Open to MRC-funded PhD students, the award, worth £1000, "has attracted more than a thousand entries since it began 12 years ago".<br /><br />Winner and runners "will be invited to an awards ceremony in central London on 26 August 2009 and will secure a place on a masterclass with professional writers". The judges include Alok Jha, the Guardian’s science and environment correspondent. Entries have to be in by 29 June 2009.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02098922985675075011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-7883979975645250222009-06-04T12:19:00.000+01:002009-06-04T12:21:08.909+01:00Guild of Health Writers’ Writing Awards 2009<p><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="color:#ff9966;">Good writing deserves good rewards!</span></strong><br /><br />The Guild of Health Writers invites entries to its prestigious Writing Awards. They will be presented at a gala reception at Chandos House, London on October 13th 2009. The total prize fund is £6000.<br /><br /><strong>PRIZES</strong></span></p><span style="font-family:verdana;"><ul><li>Winners £700, Runners Up £300</li><li>Best consumer magazine health feature</li><li>Best national newspaper health feature</li><li>Best regional newspaper health feature</li><li>Best trade and specialist publication feature</li><li>Best online health contribution</li><li>Best freelance feature (chosen from categories above)<br /></li></ul><p>Closing date for entries <strong>June 30th, 2009</strong><br /><br />For entry form go to <a href="http://www.healthwriters.com/">www.healthwriters.com</a> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-75986429361566029172009-05-22T07:53:00.003+01:002009-05-25T14:09:17.826+01:00Framing research with the Danish Science Journalists' AssociationThe Danish Science Journalists' Association is hosting a conference on June 11 and wants you to go along.<br /><br />From their blurb:<br /><br />"The rise of new media (blogs) and social media (twitter, del.icio.us) has changed the rules of engagement in science communication. New types of media platforms emerge by the minute, print media circulation numbers are dropping and communication takes place in an ever more fragmented digital media reality. Regardless of whether you are a science journalist, a science communicator or a scientist - a new approach towards science communication is emerging.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What impact will this have on you?</span><br />At this years' interactive conference the Danish Association of Science Journalists will take a peek into the future by proposing your reality to expert prognoses from our invited national and international speakers:<br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Matthew Nisbet</span>, ph.d., associate professor, School of Communication, American University, Washington</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Anne Knudsen</span>, Editor-in-chief, Weekendavisen<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Gross</span>, ph.d., science Writer, England </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Barbara Ann Halkier</span>, dr. scient, associate professor, Dept. of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jacob Skovgaard-Petersen</span>, professor MSO, Dept of Cross-cultural and regional studies, University of Copenhagen.<br /></li></ul>We aim to draw the current landscape of science communication, inspire you with new tools to optimize your impact particularly focusing on the concept of 'framing' and we will formulate three focus points for our common challenges in the future of science communication.<br /><br />The conference takes place on June 11. at the Danish School of Education, Tuborgvej 164, 2400 Copenhagen NV."<br /><br />If that isn't all perfectly clear, here's some <a href="http://www.dissensus.dk/">more information on the conference</a> including the programme, registration form and a participants list.<a href="http://www.dissensus.dk/" target="_blank"></a>MNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10636639432679604084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-62005422984387860492009-05-19T21:00:00.003+01:002009-05-22T08:22:26.485+01:00Simon Singh speaksUnless you've been away or had your head in the sand, you'll most likely have heard that <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090513/full/news.2009.479.html">Simon Singh was on the wrong side of a High Court libel verdict</a> a couple of weeks ago. On Monday night some 250+ (possibly as many as 400) people packed into a Holborn pub to show their support and hear what Simon would do next.<br /><br />The long and the short of it is that, while many were anticipating Simon's decision, he still can't say for certain. While he very much hopes to appeal in the European courts, he and his lawyers remain in discussions, determining whether they have a defensible case or not. He hopes to reach a final decision by 28 May. But he did have this to say (as the <a href="http://blog.newhumanist.org.uk/2009/05/simon-singh-hopes-to-appeal-chiropracty.html">New Humanist blog </a>reported):<br /><blockquote>While mounting an appeal is risky because he may lose, Simon gave three reasons why it is the right option - 1) he <span style="font-style: italic;">might</span> win, 2) he wants his day in court to talk about what the Guardian article actually meant, and 3) most importantly this case is about broader issues that the validity of chiropractic - it is "about the need to be able to write about issues fairly and reasonably without being intimidated". It is something that matters for all journalists, and ties into the wider issues concerning British libel law.</blockquote>Needless to say, he very much had the support of the crowd and thousands more nationwide and across the interwebs, all of whom are aware that this is about more than just one writer and a single court case.<br /><br />It was an inspiring evening, with the fabulous attendance matched by a variety of strong speakers, including the comedian and author Dave Gorman, journalist Nick Cohen and Evan Harris MP. One of the most interesting aspects for me was Gorman's admission that he, like many others, knew little of chiropractic and regarded it as just a legitimate form of treatment for back pain. By suing Simon Singh, the British Chiropractic Association has, he said, brought attention to the full range of treatments they offer.<br /><br />There are already several good accounts of the night in the blogosphere, so I'll point out to a brief selection:<br /><br />>> <a href="http://blog.newhumanist.org.uk/2009/05/simon-singh-hopes-to-appeal-chiropracty.html">New Humanist</a><br />>> <a href="http://gormano.blogspot.com/2009/05/chiro-bullies.html">Dave Gorman's Blog</a><br />>> <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/05/singh-case-highlights-dangers.html">New Scientist blog</a><br /><br />The best source for up-to-date information remains the <a href="http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/">blog of Jack of Kent</a>, the lawyer who has been a staunch supporter of Simon since the beginning.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-14315906024915178062009-05-07T10:02:00.001+01:002009-05-07T10:04:38.679+01:00ABSW Seminar: Journalism 2.0 - taught by Mike NagleABSW members are invited to attend a training seminar on Tuesday May 26th. Bring along your laptop and be brought up-to-date with some of new methods of working and collaborating using the internet. RSS feeds & readers. Twitter. Pimp your Browser. Collaboration with Google Docs and more. In fact, anything you want - just email Mike your questions beforehand. (Note it isn't intended for broader hardware or software problems with laptops). To take full advantage of this session members need to bring a laptop equipped with working wifi.<br /><br />The event will be on the Tuesday 26th of May, at Wellcome's meeting rooms on the Euston Road. The event is 6.30pm for 7pm start, and will finish at 8pm, and likely end up in the pub. There is a 2 pound booking fee to secure a place at this event. Light refreshments will be served. This event is likely to be very popular so please book early as numbers will be limited.<br /><br />To book this event, please complete <a href="https://absw.wufoo.com/forms/absw-event-booking-journalism-20/">the form. </a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/About-us/Contact-us/Travel-information/index.htm">Directions to Wellcome</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-40845269406119075882009-05-02T11:26:00.003+01:002009-05-02T12:20:47.328+01:00Say hello to PhrasefinderI’ll let you into a professional secret, I don’t always think up my own headlines and captions. While "Twin Peaks", the headline to a story about how researchers used twin research to show that genes partly explain why women can't reach orgasm, was all my own sometimes similar inspiration is harder to find. Particularly under pressure of a deadline.<br />So I started to subscribe to a service called <a href="http://www.phrasefinder.co.uk/">Phrasefinder</a> to help inspire me. It is an online thesaurus but finds phrases rather than single words. You an enter a word related to the subject and using some intelligent searching wizardry it will generate a list of phrases related to the word—many that would be hard to think of straight away. It is a great way of instantly generating a wide variety of options for headlines and captions.<br />From its sample search on the word “fish”, you would receive many of the obvious phrases such as “Fish out of water”, but also: All at sea; Angle for; Cast a long shadow; Hunky dory; Jail bait; Off the scale; Old trout; Prize catch; Ray of light; Red herring; Whale of a time; Whipper snapper.<br />Anyway, you don’t have to trust me. Because the ABSW has set up a one-year group subscription for 100 members. If the feedback is good, perhaps it will get renewed or extended. To apply for a subscription to phrasefinder, fill out <a href="http://absw.wufoo.com/forms/absw-phrasefinder-subscription-form/">this form</a>. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Individual subscriptions to this service cost £28</span>, so anyone using this in their work should find ABSW membership particularly good value. Please note that this offer is not available to lapsed members. However if you are intending to pay your 2009 subscription before May 30th, you may apply for Phrasefinder access indicating this, and you will then have a period of grace in which you can renew your ABSW membership and then receive access details for Phrasefinder.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29595416.post-66069624654028997572009-04-27T16:46:00.002+01:002009-04-27T16:52:04.181+01:00Euroscience media awardsYou have until 30 June 2009 to enter the <a href="http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=57253&CultureCode=en">Euroscience media awards</a>.<br /><br />The awards are:<br /><ul><li>The Euroscience Stiftung Young Journalists Award<br /></li><li>The Euroscience Stiftung Lifetime Journalism Award<br /></li><li>The Johnson and Johnson Award for R&D/Science TV journalism Award<br /></li><li>The AlphaGalileo Award for Research Public Relations Award<br /></li></ul>The awards will be €5000 each "apart from the Young Journalist category where the sponsors reserve the right to award one award of €5000 or two awards of €2500".<br /><br />You have to enter for the TV and media relations awards <a href="http://www.eurosciencemediaawards.org/">via the web site</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02098922985675075011noreply@blogger.com