Monday, May 16, 2011

Online Reputations: A Nature poll reveals how researchers guard, and sometimes burnish, their online image.

The Internet offers ways for researchers to steer public perceptions, for bad and good.

“My reputation grows with every failure,” said Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw. And that was before the Internet. Shaw would no doubt be amazed by how quickly electronic bulletin boards such as Facebook and Twitter can now spread the word of deeds both good and bad.


Online reputation is important to most researchers, and about 10% of respondents to our survey complained that they or their work have been misrepresented on the Internet. The web has a long memory, and rumours, lies and bad information can spiral out of control to be remembered by posterity.


Source: Nature

Link to online editorial | Link to Nature article | Link to survey infographic

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