Hi,
I use the web to gather mostly pictures and videos.

To get information, I often refer to "Scientific American" for science news, and gather science education resources at http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/.
I also like the journals of the OCIM, though it is in french http://www.ocim.fr/spip.php?article93.

Hallo,

thanks for your contribution.

What about Science blogs? it's a platform which aggregates many science bloggers which blog both on the science they do and on that they know because of their background:

http://scienceblogs.com/

in fact, there is the possibility to choose between different categories and there are editor's pick as well.

Is anyone else using it? Or maybe some other science bloggers platforms?

but do these science bloggers work as part of their research institutes communication strategy or are they independent? one example of the first case is that of bloggers who work as researchers at CERN, who are the ones updating the Quantum Diaries

http://www.quantumdiaries.org/author/cern/

I think they are very good at what they do but they do share their institution's point of view as well.

And in any case, How do you use the blogs you are mentioning? do you actually interact with them or you keep up to date with their posts and just use them as a source of info?

the web is an obvious place to keep up to date, see what's happening. but - in particular if your are developping things which have a longer temporality than the news, nothing can replace the direct contact with researchers. spending time talking is still the best access to information for me.
matteo

an exhibition, or a science events, are things that takes time to build, so there is also time to spend time calling up researchers, asking for advices, etc. I am. it saying that the web is not useful: I use it a lot and with a lot of joy. but it is not the most important or most useful source when you organise exhibitions or events or other "long term activities". with my young collaborators I often have to struggle to convince them to stop sometimes searching the web and make a couple of phone calls and go and talk to people!
mat

Relations with scientists (but it is true woth all cathegories, i.e journalists) needs time in itsealf to be built. I mean you need to build trust and familiarity. You can't just make a ohone call to a reasearch insitute and ask 'waht do you think about....'.

But yes, you and your organizations have to cultivate a good network. What the sense to make science communication and science education without involving sceintists somehow?! Not much in my opinion.

I don't go to proper scientific conference. No time. Moreovere thy are too specific for me.
On the other hands It is a good opportunity to attend to conference ad ECSITE or PCST or HANDS-ON International.

I use websites such as New Scientist and Scientific American etc. for ideas. I also read the Wellcome Trust's blog and their magazine Wellcome News.

I also receive e-news bulletins from the communications team at Queen Mary University in London where the science centre I work at is located.These bulletins help to keep me informed of the research that is taking place around me. A Centre for Public Engagement is being set up and this will help to centralise all the different projects that are taking place in many different institutes.

I like collaborating with reserachers at the university, especially when developing multimedia tools that require quite a lot of input from them. Face-to-face meetings can be so much more productive than emails. But I have also worked with researchers from other countries to develop interactive games about the work they do.These collaborations work well if the researchers are very interested in the project and are fully aware of the committment involved from the beginning.

I don't tend to go to scientific conferences, but I do attend as many science communication events as possible. I have found the Ecsite conference and the British Science Association Science Communication event helpful for discovering interesting projects and developing new partnerships. Here is the archive of the 2011 British Science Association conference where you can access the presentations and other useful resources.