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What is Social Media?

Social media is a collection of user-generated content that makes sharing and accessing information easier than ever.  From social networks (Facebook and Twitter) to forums, blogs, Wikipedia, YouTube, podcasts, and online games, social media is a growing online force that can help you with your research.



= = = = =Why Use Social Media to Research as a Professional Writer? =


 * It can be a great starting point for finding research ideas;


 * to help you establish trends and hot topics ;


 * to become informed of  general public opinion ;


 * to effectively gather data for market research ;


 * and to easily circulate stories and ideas , helping you <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">share your knowledge.

= = =<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 30px;">How can social media be used effectively? =

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">There are so many advantages to using social media in your research. Communicating and broadcasting your questions and answers has never been easier, and because there is a wide variety of social media outlets, there are likewise a myriad of strategies to capitalize on. Because of this vast array of outlets to choose from, there are countless tips to be offered, but on this Wikispace we'll offer tips on how to use 6 key sources: **Wikipedia**, **Facebook** , **Twitter** , **Youtube** , **Blogs** , and **Forums**.



<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">Wikipedia is a user-generated encyclopedia available in 283 languages. The English syndicate offers almost 4 million articles. Its home page features articles and pictures of the day, facts about current events, and a “this day in history” section. If you are using Wikipedia to build up knowledge, there are several useful tools to be aware of:

=<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 34px;">**When Should I Use Wikipedia for my research?** =


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">When you want to <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">identify background information on your topic;


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;"> define jargon and difficult terms;


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">or <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">find related topics easily.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28px;">**Which of the Wikipedia features are useful for my research?**


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 3em;"> Simple English Mode: This tool summarizes any article into its most basic points in simple English. It's really easy to use:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> 1) Look something up (I don't recommend Box Jellyfish, unless you never want to sleep again)



<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">2) Then click "Simple English" <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: left;">under language options

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: left;"> 3) Read the summarized version! (it's still scary)

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 3em;">Ta-Da!
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 3em;"> Reference desk: Like a library reference desk, you can ask questions (or search previously-searched questions) that are answered by volunteers. But be careful: your question must be very specific, and it can be a bit difficult to navigate.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 20px;"> Community Portal
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Do you want to share your research on Wikipedia?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Learn what's happening on Wikipedia?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Share information on whats new in Wikipedia?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Ensure reliability for future users?


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 20px;"> Help Desk
 * Post a question about how to use Wikipedia

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Wikipedia also has several "sister projects" on the go. We have leafed through them and determined which of them are the most useful to researchers, professional writers, and undergraduates alike.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28px;">**Which of the sister projects are useful for my research?**

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28px;">


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">Wikipedia Commons
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">This feature makes education media content (like images, sounds, and video clips) available through sharing
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">It offers a calendar-format of important dates in history
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Provides proper citations so you can easily incorporate media into your work.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">WikiBooks
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Collection of open-content textbooks (ie. freely available for modification, use, and redistribution) in hundreds of branches of studies


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">WikiNews
 * Free-content news (ie. articles can be written / uploaded by anyone)
 * Offers current events and important news issues
 * No opinion or commentary - all of the articles are unbiased, so you get just the facts.
 * Includes both synthesis articles (from other sources) and original reporting (first-hand news reports)


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">WikiQuote
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Free-content quote collection
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Every language plus translations of non-English quotes


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">WikiSource
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">free-content library
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">primary source English texts available in (almost) any language
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">even includes translations of some texts


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">WikiSpecies
 * Species directory for thousands of animals
 * Includes photographs, taxonomic ordering, and a featured species of the week.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">Wikiversity
 * Scholarly resources and articles useful for students from "pre-school to university".
 * Access to published research projects, class notes, bibliographies, journals, essays, presentations, tutorials, and workshops.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">Wiktionary
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Online dictionary and thesaurus
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Available in many languages
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Includes words of the day
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Discussion boards, where you can explore definitions and ideas in a variety of genres, including etymology, word history, policy, and technical discussions.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28px;">**What should I avoid ? **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Don't cite Wikipedia -- Wikipedia is not a definitive source, so you should always back up what you find with credible sources.



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Ok, so we've all been guilty of browsing through Facebook when we should be doing something more productive, but Facebook can be a great tool for researchers and professional writers: it's great for communicating both locally and globally, as well as for gauging public opinion. = = =<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 34px;">When Should I Use Facebook for Research? =


 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;">To broadcast about local events, organizations, and companies;


 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;"> <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;">target specific audiences (groups, grad classes, etc.);


 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;"> and easily share and receive information.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: left;">** What are useful Facebook Tips & Tools for my research? **
 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> Use the <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">"Like" <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;"> feature, user feedback, and comments, to find out about trends; [[image:Screen_Shot_2012-02-01_at_11.41.22_AM.png]]
 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Access the community forum for answers to your Facebook questions;


 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Create a private group to stimulate private collaboration;
 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> Communicate via mass messages or group postings to a specific group;
 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Share your research and <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">spread the word via a page.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: left;">** What should I avoid? **


 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Make sure what you put on Facebook <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">reflects how you want to appear to a wider audience;
 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Remember who's behind the page you're using for company background: avoid <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">using <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> biased information by backing up what you find;
 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Beware of over-generalizing public opinion based on the opinions of your friends.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: left;">** What are Facebook features that are useful for my research? **


 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">For **Marketing Research** : In regards to businesses and advertisements, Facebook Insights provides “metrics around users’s developments”, updated daily and is exportable __ [] __
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">So what does it mean? Businesses can <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">monitor trends in different demographics, user growth, and creation and consumption of content to improve their business.
 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">Internationalization API: translates apps and text to spread your message to a wider audience [|__https://developers.facebook.com/docs/internationalization/__]



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">While Twitter is primarily a tool used for following people, it can also be used to keep track of company endorsements, political parties, news station headlines, how-to guides, and much more. Because it is keyword-based (from people #tagging things), it is very easy to navigate and keep up with trends.

=<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">** When Should I Use Twitter for my Research? ** =


 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">To <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">track current, up-to-date trends ;


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> follow target audiences;


 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">search for topics through keywords ;


 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">and <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">organize and <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">find information about people and topics based upon individual preferences.

<span style="color: #1f1f1f; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 36px; text-align: left;">What are useful Twitter Tips & Tools for my research?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Bookmarking tweets to be viewed later []
 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Making “lists” to categorize who you are following[[image:Screen_Shot_2012-02-01_at_12.06.43_PM.png width="471" height="288"]]
 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Utilize advanced search options to find specific information


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">[[image:Screen_Shot_2012-02-01_at_11.56.55_AM.png height="603" align="left"]] Here you can look up exactly what you want, specifying certain words and tags, while excluding others, as well as choosing who or where you want to relate these searches to, and what attitude is associated with them.


 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Making information accessible by linking to other social media outlets
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Using Twitter translator for general translations []

<span style="color: #1f1f1f; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px; text-align: left;">What should I avoid ?
 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Be aware of <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">using promoted pages (politicians, businesses, etc.) as a definitive source;
 * <span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">and <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">watch your use of language in a personal twitter account.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">What are some additional Twitter features?
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Twitter for business: []
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Promoted tweets, trends, and accounts (only available to certain people and businesses) also purchased by politicians and political campaigns

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">As the internet grows and expands, blogs become an increasingly more prominent part of our culture. No longer the sole provider of online diaries, blogs are becoming the tools of research companies and news stations alike to broadcast their messages to a wider audience. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 28px; text-align: left;">When Should I Use Blogging for My Research?
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">To <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">share events and news items from your perspective ;


 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">find information on a difficult topic using accessible language, tone, and format ;


 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">generate a consensus when you are interested in user feedback ;


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">and <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">help the revision process using user commentary.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;"> What are the useful Blogging Tips & Tools ?

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Many newspapers, magazines, and other "print" media <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">hire people to blog, making select information very user-friendly and accessible. Log onto any major publication website to access these, and <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">make sense of those jargon-heavy sources.
 * <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">Make <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">your own blog and use it as a source of feedback <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">and public opinion for your area of research.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">An easy way to find blogs is to visit [|www.google.ca], select <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">More <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">and visit <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">Blogs from the drop down menu:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">What should I avoid? > >
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;"> Personal blogs - <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">reading someone's diary won't help your research.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">Don't <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">use a blog as a definitive source, unless you're sure it's a reputable source. You don’t know who’s being paid to write the blog, or the accuracy of the post.



=<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 30px;">When should I use YouTube for my research? =


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">When you want an instructional video to <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">explain a part of your research question you may not understand;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">To <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">gather quotes ;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">To <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">gather public opinion on a current event or important occurrence;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">To <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">upload videos so you can share your research;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">To embed a video so you can <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">present your research, or other useful videos.



<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">What are the useful YouTube Tips & Tools?


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">You can<span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;"> look up specific channels, users, or genres to find information;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">‘like’, ‘dislike’, comments, etc. to help <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">establish if the video is useful, or as feedback for your own video;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">Find related videos easily with the sidebar;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">Easy keyword search.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">What should I avoid on YouTube?


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">ambiguity if you <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">want to be found;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">make sure you can <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">distinguish personal YouTube accounts from business ones;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">VLOGs (ie. personal video-logs) vs. reliable channels and sources.



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: left;"> Forums are quickly gaining popularity to find specific, directed information about whatever topic you choose. They're a great way to find a variety of information, and depending on what kind of forums you turn to, it is possible to find reliable, detailed answers.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 30px; text-align: left;">** When Should I Use A Forum For My Research? **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">When you want to <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">leaf through several opinions on a topic;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">start or <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">engage in a discussion;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">find <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">specialized information on specialized forums;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Or <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">find really<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; line-height: 21px;"> basic information (eg. how do I do long division?)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 36px;">What Are Useful Tips and Tools For Forums?


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">Know what you are looking for: If you are <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">researching something to do with motorcycles, you probably will have better luck looking on a motorcycle forum than ask.com;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">Most Blogs will have ratings of answers, so you can quickly <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">skim through to find what readers found most helpful;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">Also, categories on forums are a great way to<span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;"> narrow down what kind of information you are looking for.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">One easy way to find forums related to you is to visit [|www.google.ca] and select <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">groups <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">under the <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">More <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">tab:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Some useful forums also include ask.com and answers.yahoo.com if you want immediate answers. You can direct your question in specific forums, and set time limits for an answer period.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24px;">What Should I Avoid?


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">Keep in mind that forum responses do not always <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">come from experts (even if they claim to be experts);
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">While popular magazines are often seen <span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;">quoting forums or blogs, for academic purposes this is not usually an option;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14px;"> Use your judgement on how good a given point is.

//Created by Brigitte Dreger-Smylie and Nicole Rutherford// //February 2012//