Blog
Add source code to pages
You can now add source code to your pages. Source code highlighting is done automatically to make your code easier to read. It looks like this: To add source code to your page, edit the content of your page. Add a block and select "Source code" in t... (Link)
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Old documents as resources for PhD students?
The responses to this Twitter thread by @DanikaPfeiffer has been super insightful. Danika asked if old documents from time as a PhD student would be a useful resource for other PhD students. So many ideas on what to include in your academic website. ...
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Content checklist for your personal academic website
You might find this checklist if you are: Planning to create a personal academic and don’t know where to start Thinking about content to add to your existing academic website. If you’re just starting, pay attention to the Essentials section. You don... (Link)
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Twitter threads about academic websites for May 2021
Here are some Twitter threads about academic websites I saw in the past month. You might find these threads useful if you're still on-the-fence about having an academic website.
Owlstown Newsletter #29: May flowers
Hello Owlstowners! The saying “April showers bring May flowers” proved true in Boston this year. It was quite rainy in April. Now, it’s May and we’re seeing a lot of flowers on our neighborhood walks. In April, I also started a bunch of improvements ... (Link)
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Picture block
Picture block allows you to have more control over the pictures that you add in your page content. You can edit the following: The maximum width of the picture. The caption that appears under the picture. Below is an example of a picture block. The ...
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Icons for social links
Finally, I've added icons next to social links. Many Owlstowners have requested for this feature. I'm grateful for their patience. The icons are determined automatically based on the URL of the social link. If the icon doesn't exist in the list below,...
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Fix link dialog
I love getting feedback from users. They help improve Owlstown for everyone. In this case, an Owlstown user alerted me that they couldn't add links to their academic website. I found that the dialog for adding links was broken (see Old version). The ...
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Owlstown Community
Owlstown Community is a feature that lists the latest pages and blog posts from academic websites made in Owlstown. It's one way for academic content from you and fellow Owlstowners to reach a wider audience. Each listing links to a page and has: The... (Link)
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Owlstown Newsletter #28
Hello Owlstowners! I have lots of updates in store for you in this newsletter. I wrote blog posts for each of the updates, so I’ll just link to them below with a short description. Visit each post for more details. The Owlstown Editor has a new desig...
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Less clicking on the Editor
I changed the Owlstown Editor to be easier to use. The old editor separated the editing screens into sections: Profile, Content, Design, and Config. This required clicking on a section before reaching an editing screen. In the new editor, editing scre...
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Elbowpatch theme
I just released a new theme called Elbowpatch (demo). It's the eighth theme in the list of Owlstown themes. Elbowpatch is a simple theme. The header has a small title and subtitle on the top-left corner, and a small avatar on the top-right corner. Whe...
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Pageviews
Ever wonder how many views your academic website is getting? Owlstown has a new feature called Pageviews that can help. Pageviews displays the number of pageviews your website receives everyday. Pageviews is a simple feature that preserves your visito...
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Unsplash pictures
You can now add beautiful pictures from Unsplash to your Owlstown website. Here’s an example: Not familiar with Unsplash? Unsplash is a free service where you can find awesome pictures to use on your website. It has millions of pictures that talente...
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Your academic website needs a sitemap
One way that people find your academic website is to use a search engine. They do a search with your name or your research topic, and your website appears as one of the search results. Of course, this depends on how well your website ranks among other ...
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Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, Owlstowners! I hope you’re enjoying your much-deserved break. Or if you’re busy, I hope you're making good progress. Hello, you’re awesome! I started Owlstown a few years ago with the mission of helping academics share their research ...
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Markdown support
I’ve added support for Markdown for content fields in Owlstown. You can use Markdown with any of these content types: about, courses, custom pages, posts, projects, and publications. Just select Markdown editor on the content field. If you have edited ...
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Member Highlight: Melody K. Waring
This week’s member highlight is Melody K. Waring. She has been using Owlstown since June 2019. You can find her academic website at http://www.melodywaring.com. Melody is in her fifth year of doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s S...
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Your academic website should have your contact info
Okay, so you have an academic website. That’s great! Now, make sure that you have your contact info is on that website. And make it easy to find. You’d be surprised how many academic websites don’t have this information or make it difficult to find. ...
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Support for blog posts
Hi Owlstowners! I just added support for writing posts on Owlstown, which means you can use Owlstown like a blog for your academic work. You can also post short snippets if you prefer posting short updates. This same feature is the same blogging plat...
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Share project pages, not just publications
TLDR: Share pages that describe your projects. It will help introduce new readers to your work. The internet is full of places to list/share your publications: Google Scholar, Academia.edu, ResearchGate. They are super useful because they help dissemi...
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The smallest academic website you can make
TLDR: When creating an academic website, start small. And finish small. Then grow from there. So you want an academic website, but you don’t have the time. That’s okay. You’re an academic. You’re busy. Creating an academic website feels like a daunti...
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Using a .com domain name for your academic website
TLDR: A domain name ending in .com is fine for an academic website. I’ve seen many people ask on blogs or on Twitter whether it’s okay to use a domain name ending in .com for an academic website. The main concern from askers is that a domain ending in...
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Should you use your university’s domain or your own domain name for your academic website?
TLDR: Get your own domain name for your academic website. First of all, what is a domain name? A domain name is the address where Internet users can access your website. For Owlstown, the domain name is owlstown.com. For a university, it probably ends...
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Custom pages in Owlstown
You can now add custom pages to your Owlstown site. For example, you can add pages such as your teaching statement, your list of achievements, an FAQ, or any page you may need to share more of your academic work. User interface to add your custom page...
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Prettier websites with banner images
Hi Owlstowners! I just added a new feature to Owlstown to make prettier websites. You can now add banner images to pages. Here's an example: I added the feature to all themes, so you should be able to add banner images to your pages. To use, go to ...
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Course pages
Happy summer, Owlstowners! I hope you're enjoying the sunshine. Owlstown now supports adding courses to your website. You can add courses that you're teaching or have taught. Each course has its own page where you can describe it and add links to its ...
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