A Fresh Academic Perspective for a Successful Online Identity
Among the many factors that render online content – indeed, any content – universally appealing is a fresh perspective. That point of view may confirm or challenge a reader’s assumptions and still remain appealing, but if it is no more than an echo or reflection of so many other perspectives out there online, it ceases to be interesting. Generally speaking, a point of view tends to fall flat if it lacks authenticity, or, more accurately, the impression of authenticity. Establishing a professional online identity that comes across to readers as both unique and authentic constitutes an enormous challenge for many authors, and academics and scientists are no exception.

Academics and scientists do, however, have a significant advantage with regard to a fresh perspective. They are, after all, intellectual pioneers. They conduct advanced research, devise innovative methods, make new discoveries and construct original arguments. They also tend to be the kind of individuals who strike out into unknown territory and develop unique perspectives on the world and its problems. If they were not, they would not have chosen to be researchers, teachers and authors. The basic building blocks of an engaging online identity are therefore already present in the constitution and daily activities of most scholars, but it can be tricky to create from those raw materials an effective web presence.

Focussing on or rather from your unique perspective will not only provide you with solid ground on which to begin, but also serve as a skeletal plan of sorts as you continue to build your online identity. Let us say, for instance, that you are in the middle of an important research project and have decided to start your own blog about it, but each time you set fingertips to keyboard in the hope of writing that first article you find yourself stumped. Given that you are hoping to post an article every week, the situation seems untenable, but determining exactly what your perspective in relation to that research is and then conveying that point of view to your anticipated audience can be enormously helpful.

Perhaps you are a postgraduate student, for example, and you are engaged in research to earn your doctoral thesis through a university department. The perspective of the student exploring new concepts and procedures is perfect for expressing a fresh perspective. You are on a journey of adventure, probably conducting advanced research on your own for the first time, and each and every stage can be shared in the context of discovery. Settling into university and department life, meeting with your supervisor and other committee members, setting up your research project and resolving problems, conducting those first trials, gathering and analysing your results, tackling the writing of chapters and ultimately the thesis as a whole, surviving the examination – all of these are part of your research experience and your unique perspective on it. Indeed, in that short list alone there are the seeds for months, even years, of fascinating blog posts.

Other engaging perspectives might be the seasoned authority of the experienced professor sharing expert opinions and insights or the slightly contentious attitude of the independent scholar who conducts research a little differently and tends to share somewhat radical views on current concerns within his or her field. Whatever unique qualities your scholarly outlook may encompass, if they are true to your research experience and ways of thinking, they will come across to your audience as authentic and engaging.