L.Wicks@hw.ac.ukJ.M.Roberts@hw.ac.uk

+44 (131) 451 8267

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The �rst port of call people make for information is the internet. With googling a word in its own right, any science outreach activity planned today almost always includes a signi�cant web-based component. With that in mind, we relaunched the www.Lophelia.org website, a cold-water coral resource designed to raise awareness of cold-water corals and the threats they face.

AcknowledgementsSmall-Media-LargeSir David AttenboroughXtra-Large Recording

Cold-water coral outreach – developing the Lophelia.org website

The power of the internet

J Murray Roberts, Laura C Wicks, Lea-Anne Henry, Sebastian Hennige, Juan Moreno-Navas

From age 5 to 105

Social media In the 21st century, websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Google Earth are important tools for scientists, allowing quick communication of information, images and videos.

By using social media and news stories, we can keep www.lophelia.org up to date and people can easily follow updates we make about new discoveries from cold-water coral researchers around the world.

The site is designed to be accessible and interesting for all ages. Information is arranged using a series of ‘Go Deeper’ links that take the visitor through gradually more detailed information culminating in a list of primary scienti�c literature and technical reports. With this intrinsic design the site can cater to anyone from school children working on projects through to scienti�c colleagues looking for particular information in one of the website’s Case Studies, or Conservation Status summaries.

In order to draw people to the website, we created a short �lm with Sir David Attenborough, highlighting the importance of coral conservation in Scotland and around the world. By premiering the �lm at a launch event with strategic publicity, Lophelia.org was featured throughout the national press, increasing website tra�c tenfold.

Centre for Marine Biodiversity &

Biotechnology, School of Life

Sciences, Heriot-Watt University,

Edinburgh, Scotland,

EH14 4AS, UK

www.lophelia.org