Scientist at Work is a New York Times group blog, showcasing the writing of scientists from many disciplines. The Times  calls it “… the modern version of a field journal, a place for reports on the daily progress of scientific expeditions — adventures, misadventures, discoveries.”

Reports range from the lyrical writing of Mary E. Blair, a postdoc at the American Musem of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, as she strives to understand the life history and genetic diversity of the slow loris, to Jeff Opperman, a senior freshwater scientist with the Nature Conservancy, describing his once-in-a-lifetime trip down Southeast Asia’s Mekong River with his wife and two children, ages 8 and 10.

Well worth reading and following if you’re looking for examples of how scientists can use blog to lend their personal voices to the work they do, and to express the sense of gee-whiz wonder that can come with the practice of science.

Blogger Matt Shipman describes his Communication Breakdown on Scilogs.com as “… a blog about science communication: what works, what doesn’t and what I’m still trying to figure out.”

Writing for an audience of researchers are interested in communicating about scientific topics (including their own work) and professional science communicators, Shipman aims to address “everything from best practices when using social media to emerging research on science communication.”

Lots of food for thought, and some great resources for people who want to – or need to, or are required by their jobs to – communicate science, including this recent compilation: Wise Words (From Other People) on Science Writing and Social Media

• Read Communication Breakdown
• Subscribe to Shipman’s RSS feed

(I’ve just added him to the blogroll here, too.)

Check the latest episode of the Geek Whisperers podcast for an interview with Rakesh Bharania, who works as part of the Cisco Tactical Operations team. The team’s main job in emergencies is to help get large-scale communication and network systems back online when natural or man-made disaster strikes – but they also use a well-developed, coordinated social media strategy to help disseminate crisis information, rumor control and emergency coordination.

http://geek-whisperers.com/2013/05/episode-9-social-media-during-crisis-we-are-mall-cops/

How might organizations such as Sea Grant, which have people on or close to the scene of coastal disasters & emergencies, develop our own strategies for using social media and similar tools to broaden our effectiveness in times of crisis?