With the recent launch of the new guidance for producing and translating blogshots we have spent a lot of time thinking about the way dissemination products are stored. Previously, in January 2017, the guidance was that blogshots in English and other languages should be sent to the Knowledge Translation Department where they were stored centrally on both the Tumblr site and a central Dropbox. However, as the number of blogshots has increased the task has become overwhelming and so changes were needed.  We had to ask ourselves….

What is the purpose of saving blogshots?  

Simply put, we store blogshots to minimise duplication of effort!  Ensuring other members of Cochrane community can see what blogshots have been produced in different languages means that blogshots can be translated, updated, adapted for different audiences and shared more effectively. We looked at the different options, asked a few people and came up with a solution….

Dropbox!

Whilst this isn’t the ideal solution, Dropbox provides a place where blogshot producers can upload their documents themselves.  It also allows everyone in Cochrane to be able to see which Cochrane reviews have blogshots and in which languages. Dropbox works with the translation software Memsource which means that integration into the language translation teams’ processes is simplified.

Groups producing and translating blogshots should ensure that the files are saved in the ‘blogshots’ folder of the ‘Cochrane Dissemination Products’ Dropbox. The files saved here should be the only version of the blogshot, rather than a copy. By avoiding saving other versions locally, we can make sure that the version in the Dropbox is the up-to-date blogshot.

The Blogshot Dropbox folder is arranged by Review Group but using the search facility means that blogshots for a specific review should be easy to locate. We have written up guidance to help with labelling, storing, searching for and updating blogshots which we hope will support the process. But as we mentioned, while it may be more practical, it isn’t very pretty, which leaves some people asking…

What will happen to blogshots on Tumblr?

The Cochrane Tumblr site has always been ‘owned’ by Cochrane UK and they have decided to continue using this platform to host their own blogshots for external audiences – in addition to using the Dropbox. Others in Cochrane are welcome to continue to use this Tumblr account, if they wish. However, this should not be a substitute for using the Blogshot Dropbox folder.

Now that all Groups should be using the Dropbox folder, you do not have to use Tumblr. However, if you do, please ensure that you keep the blogshots uploaded there up-to-date and replace out-of-date versions. If you no longer wish to use Tumblr, you are welcome to delete existing blogshots. You can also let the Cochrane UK team know and they can remove them for you.

Spreading the word!

We are happy to help you share your blogshot! You can send the blogshot to Muriah Umoquit (mumoquit@cochrane.org) who will promote your blogshot through the weekly Comms Digest and central Cochrane social media accounts. The following information is needed: Name of Review, URL to Review, URL to Dropbox folder, Suggested tweet/Twitter Handles to tag, and the language if not in English.

But this isn’t the end of the story!  We are still looking for more elegant options for storing blogshots and other future dissemination products. We would love to hear your ideas!