Online Media

Multimedia

You don't have to be a professional videographer or radio technician to make the most of the user-friendly multimedia platforms on the market. Many of the tools available can be used independently (such as creating a YouTube channel for videos) or to supplement another platform (such as embedding your videos on your website).

For inspiration, check out how others have incorporated multimedia by visiting the galleries of Science, EurekAlert!, and NSF.

A few general pointers…

• Record and Review: Bring a recorder or video equipment when you give a public talk, appear at a science café, or go to a conference or the field. Ask audiences in advance if you can record them when they are asking questions. Any audio or video recordings from "on location" gives others a special behind-the-scenes look at your research.

• Video: Consider giving your audience a visual tour of your research facility, supplementing a blog post about your research with footage of your lab, or compiling frequently asked questions into a video where you can direct people. Look into hosting videos on Vimeo or YouTube, or consider creating a vodcast or video blog.

• Audio: You can use podcasts or other audio files posted online to reach listeners. Consider recording yourself answering FAQs or providing an overview of your work and posting it on your webpage, social networking sites or blog. Some blogging platforms also allow for audio reports to be recorded on your phone and posted directly to your blog.

• Images: Pictures really are worth a thousand words. Consider using images to make your website more visually appealing, or sending quick photo updates from your lab or the field to Twitter and Facebook.