The ‘dinosaur’ magazine in the age of social media

The ‘dinosaur’ magazine in the age of social media

Author: David Salt – Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Australia

Does the newsletter or research magazine have a place in the age of social media? These days anyone can tweet, blog or instagram to everyone in real time at the touch of a button. Newsletters and magazines takes weeks or months to produce and, when they do eventually come out, who has time to read them? Why bother?

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions has been producing it’s research magazine Decision Point for ten years (and has put out over 100 issues). It goes to over 6,000 subscribers and has helped build a community of interest around environmental decision science (a term that didn’t even exist prior to the magazine). It has helped build and support a network of scientists, managers and policy makers that has transformed many aspects of environmental policy and management both within Australia and overseas.

In this paper, David Salt, the Editor of Decision Point, will describe the unique value that a research magazine can impart to an institution and network. In the age of the internet, the magazine may seem like a ‘dinosaur’ form of comms yet there is still enormouse value in this old fossil. If done well, it can establish and consolidate a brand, create and sustain a community of interest and act as a symbol. And, it’s your best handout at every networking event (try handing out a tweet). David will present evidence on the impact of Decision Point and reflect on the necessary ingredients of effectiveness for a research magazine.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Individual paper
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Influencing policies through science communication