Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.  Today, six links that all deal in one way or another with communication (starting with flirting).  I’ve found out some interesting info through these articles and I hope they’re just as useful for you.

1.Time – Why We Flirt

[We do it even when we don’t want to.  A lot of it goes on in universities.  Some of us use flirting as a primary communication tool.  Some of us only use it when we’re uncertain.  Time Magazine explains all the whys for us on this special day.]

2. Times Higher Education – The art of asking

[Universities in the UK have generally found it difficult or embarrassing to ask Alumni for donations toward the institution they used to study at.  But as each year passes, the liklihood of being asked is increasing.  In a few years time, you may get used to being asked what you can do for your former place of study.  If you had the money to spare, would you choose to give back to your university?]

3. International Herald Tribune – To influence strangers, try a subtle form of mimicry

[There have always been a minority out there who are masters of influencing others.  Their clever copying tactics can win over all sorts of people, without those people even knowing about it.  If you’re not part of that minority, this piece in the IHT should give you some clues on how to join the club of the persuaders.]

4. Dumb Little Man – Stop Talking and Start Communicating

[Combine mimicry with true listening and understanding and you may think you’ve become a different person.  The brilliant thing is that all these techniques are free and pretty easy to build into your everyday actions.  And in caring about others, you’ll do better caring for yourself too.]

5. Communication Reports – How High Self-Monitors View Their Romantic Relationships

[Undergrads and their romantic relationships, huh?  A socially skilled high self-monitor is someone who is “particularly sensitive to the situational appropriateness of his or her social behavior and who uses these cues as guidelines for [regulating and controlling] his or her expressive behavior and self-presentations”.  Yet it sounds like high self-monitors find it more difficult to keep long-lasting relationships going.]

6. New York Magazine – Learning to Lie

[Fantastic: “The music had sounded like a ball.  The ball sounded black and white.”

Looks like clever kids lie the most.  And they get it from their parents.  How much do you knowingly lie?]

My apologies that posting’s been a bit shaky this week.  I’ve not been feeling too good.  Luckily, I stayed true to one of my blogging goals to write posts in advance.  They were ready to go, even if I wasn’t!

And now, slightly out of kilter on a Wednesday, here’s my first offering of EduLinks this week.

1. Education Portal – 10 Universities Offering Free Writing Courses Online

[The lessons cover many forms of writing.  Not just fiction, not just journalism, not just essays, but all these and more.  A great resource.]

2. MakeUseOf – Eliminate Writing Distractions with JDarkRoom

[Trying to write isn’t always easy, even if you’ve made full use of the courses above.  There’s software out there that can take away the little monsters that lure you away from the task at hand.  JDarkRoom may be just what you were looking for.]

3. Lifehack.org – I Won Science Fair with a Failed Project: The Skill of Presenting Failures

[Spot on information.  In some projects, being right doesn’t necessarily happen.  Even when the results haven’t worked out in your favour, communication and preparation can work wonders in getting you top marks.]

4. Lifehack.org – Seven Ways to Procrastinate for Better Results

[I know I posted about procrastination the other day, but this article suggests it’s not always a bad thing.  I thought it was a worthwhile addition.  Oh, the swings and roundabouts of it all!]

5. Personal Hack – 5 Reasons to Push Through Fear

[I enjoyed reading this article.  It’s one of those pieces where you know it would be great to take the 5 reasons and pin them to your wall, so you could look at them whenever the fear starts to set in.]

6. Things of Interest – The Great British Venn Diagram

[England, Great Britain, United Kingdom, British Isles!?!?  All will be revealved…]

1. Goldsmiths College – Problem solved: just keep an ‘open mind’…

[An open mind seems to help you find clues and make good use of them.  So let’s see no more negative mind-blocks please!]

2. Hack Your Day – Correcting bad habits

[The article’s right, we do all have bad habits.  So the first step to getting rid of as many as possible is to read this article!]

3. Independent – Against the Grain: ‘Students need to feel valued and trusted’

[Amen to this.  If a tutor can show an emotional drive toward their subject, it can draw students in more.  Interacting with students and showing enthusiasm toward questions make the experience so much better.  I hope you’ve got at least one lecturer who fits this box.  I was lucky enough to experience some better tutors and it certainly makes a big difference when they engage with students.]

4. BBC News – Graduate vacancies up, says study

[Good news for those graduating this year.]

5. Dumb Little Man – Improve Your ‘Hunched over the PC’ Posture

[While I always try to sit correctly, I was very happy to find this article.  Stretching is necessary and I look forward to doing some of these.  If other people are around at the time, it might give them a laugh too.]

6. Studenthacks.org – How to Conclude an Essay Exam in 5 Minutes

[I never liked the final paragraph stating “In conclusion,” either.  Here’s to stronger endings to all!]

7. Times Higher Education – Champion of students back to set agenda

[Maeve Sherlock, heading up the new National Student Forum, didn’t worry too much about getting a good degree.  That was back in 1981 and she realises that things are different now.  She does have a point, but I still say there’s a lot in the extra-curricular activities at uni that can overshadow whether you get a 2:2 or a First.  It’s about that B-word again…Balance.]

8. GearFire: Tips for Students – 4 tips for reading better and retaining more

[I love the tip “Read with a purpose”.  If you don’t have a reason beyond “I was told to read it,” it’s unlikely the reading will be wonderfully productive.]

9. Daily Mail – Students with more sexual partners get worst results, reveals Cambridge study

[A bit silly, because it doesn’t explain why the worse results occur.  One person commenting below the article thinks it could have something to do with going out more (finding more partners) and drinking more (less inhibitions).  Still, it’s very difficult to read your textbooks or write essays when you’re in the middle of sex.]

10. Telegraph – Just what kind of lover are you?

[And while we’re on the subject (kind of), here’s news of an online relationship test.  How and why do we love?  Are men or women more romantic?  Take part at www.mi-id.com and results should be announced by Valentine’s Day.  Ahhh!]