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Using social media in Economics (suggested reading)

The winter newsletter is out from CSWEP and may be of particular interest to readers of this blog. I'm tooting my own horn a bit because I was the co-editor, which means I chose the theme and badgered found people to write the articles, but I think the result is definitely worth reading. The three featured articles all have something to do with blogging and social media. From the introduction:

In “The Impact of Economics Blogs,” World Bank economists and bloggers Berk Özler and David McKenzie discuss the role of economics blogs in the dissemination of research. They point out that blogs provide both private benefits, in the form of increased recognition and prestige for bloggers themselves, and external benefits, in the form of increased recognition for the authors of papers that are mentioned on (at least the top) economics blogs, as well as increased knowledge and changed perceptions among readers. John Whitehead (who also blogs himself) turns from research to teaching in “Teaching with Economics Blogs.” His summary of a recent survey of bloggers and blog readers suggests that blogs can be an excellent way to have students begin engaging with economic material and learning the way that economists think. Finally, Rachel Connelly explores the idea of using technology to facilitate self-promotion, providing some concrete suggestions for how to get started in “Using Social Media for Self-Promotion.”
The winter newsletter also has the summary of the annual report on the status of women in the economics profession; as in the past, the levels are somewhat sad, though the trend is encouraging. Do check it out!

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