Using Twitter in academia

1. Using Twitter in academia A starter guide to creating a Twitter account. Use it to disseminate research and build your online identity. Contact: Michelle Farabough 918-633-0825 Michelle.Farabough@okstate.edu

2. “If you’re in health care, social media is a critical element.” ~ Jason Frank, clinician-educator Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Social media in health care

3. “a decentralized system whose participants take care of distribution, deciding collectively which messages to amplify through sharing and recommendation” ~ The Economist “web-based and mobile technologies that allow people to monitor, create, share or manipulate text, audio, photos or video with others” ~ Canadian Medical Association What is social media?

4. “[Social media is] driven by people who are passionate about the information they disseminate and share; [it is] a living network that is constantly adapting and changing.” ~ Peter Gill,Honorary fellow at the Centre for Evidence-Based MedicinePhD candidate in primary care health sciences University of Oxford Be passionate!Create a network!

5. Disseminate your research. • Discover new research/researchers. • Connect with individuals to create a community related to your interests. • Establish yourself as an influencer/thought-leader with peers. • Boost your Altmetric scores. • Contribute to discussions on topics of interest. • Educate by commenting from within or outside your field of interest and disseminating information YOU find important. • Share relevant news and research. Why use Twitter?

6. Peer review is slow and favors conventionality. • Citation counting is helpful but insufficient and takes years. • Journal impact factor is incorrectly used to measure impact of individual articles. • Research is moving online. • Datasets are increasingly stored and shared online. • Articles are now stored online in reference browsers (e.g., Mendeley). • Hallway conversations end up in blogs. • One-third of scholars are on Twitter. Current system of dissemination is in flux

7. “[The] creation and study of new metrics for research based on the social web for analyzing and informing scholarship.” ~ Peter Gill,Honorary fellow at the Centre for Evidence-Based MedicinePhD candidate in primary care health sciences University of Oxford What are Altmetrics?

8. Sources of attention Altmetrics indicators

9. Another way to measure aggregate impact of research and social media strategy for dissemination • Track and measure the impact of research work outside of the ivory tower • Fast and open • Reflects/focuses on research, not venue of dissemination Advantages of Altmetrics

10. Most widely used social media for research • Fast • Concise (now 280 characters) • FREE to use; available to everyone • Horizontal network • Reaches wider audience (e.g., younger, educated, institutions, researchers, celebrities, every day people) • Searchability/findability with popular hashtags • Find/share new publications • Twitter events (e.g., conferences, chats, journal clubs) • Participating in theme days creates exposure Advantages of Twitter

11. “Who” are you representing (e.g., student, researcher, lab, yourself)? • Determine your online tone/voice/personality. (e.g., 1st or 3rd person). • What are your goals for tweeting? • Take time to consider your username/handle and short bio. Before you begin

12. Go to http://twitter.com and find the sign up box, or go directly to https://twitter.com/signup. • Work through the sign up experience by entering information, such as your name, email address, and password. • Twitter will send you an SMS text message with a code to verify your phone number. Enter the verification code in the box provided. (Alternatively, you may request a voice call.) • Once you’re signed up, you can select a username (i.e., unique identifier on Twitter). Twitter will indicate if the username you want is available. • Add a profile photo and cover image to make your account “human.” • Learn how to customize settings for your new account. Sign up for a Twitter account

13. Your username is the name your followers use to identify you and to send replies, mentions, and direct messages. • Forms the URL of your Twitter profile page • Must be fewer than 15 characters in length • Your bio is a 280-character elevator speech about you. • Be concise. • State who you are. • State your group, university, or institution affiliation. • Use hashtags. Choose a username/handle and bio

14. Find news sources, friends, peers, people you meet at conferences. • Follow news sources, friends, peers. (Click the “Follow” button.) • Search using keywords or hashtags (“#”) in the search bar. • Use a “#” to connect tweets about similar content. • Retweet something you like; spread the word instantly. (Click the icon.) • Like a tweet. (Click the heart icon.) • Tweet. Join or start a conversation by entering 280 characters or less into the compose box at the top of your “Home” timeline. You can include up to 4 photos, a GIF, or video in your tweet. First steps after you’ve created a Twitter account

15. Tweet!Develop Content…

16. Tweet!Develop Content…

17. Tweet!Develop Content…

18. “#” is used to index keywords or topics. • Do not add spaces or punctuation in a “#” phrase. • Include a “#” anywhere in a tweet. • For best results, use no more than two (2) “#” per tweet. • Use a “#” before a relevant keyword or phrase. • Clicking or tapping on a “#” shows you other tweets that use the same hashtag. • Popular “#” often become a trending topic. Hashtags

19. Clearly define your objectives. Are you highlighting content; sparking action; or encouraging awareness? • Know your target audience and tailor your message. • Keep content short and simple. (Use only 240 characters to make it easier for your followers to retweet your message without changing it.) • Shorten referenced URLs by using https://tinyurl.com/ • Establish a schedule for and frequency of tweets (per day/week) to ensure that your account is active and engages followers. • Engage your audience in 2-way interaction and communication. • Develop criteria for who to follow (e.g., relevant partners, influencers, organizations). • Establish a strategy for identifying and retweeting/replying to tweets. • Evaluate your metrics, lessons learned, successes/failures, increased traffic on blogs, websites, or other social media. • Establish a records management system to track posts, replies, retweets. Best practices

20. Make tweeting a part of your day… every day! • Determine a process. • Make your content relatable. • Share your feelings. • Be human (e.g., how scientific people work; what “we” do every day). • People want to learn about personal lives. • Explain why what you have to say is important. • Provide broader implications. • Consistent use will effectively build networks! • Add a hyperlinked Twitter logo to your email signature. • Use Twitter analytics (https://analytics.twitter.com/about). Commit to tweeting

21. Be supportive and complimentary. • Celebrate successes; congratulate others. • Retweet and “like” tweets. • Retweet all research. • Respond to tweets. • To gain followers, follow others, especially those likely to be interested in the content you tweet. • Send a “thank you” when people follow you. • Regularly check for direct messages or replies to your tweets. Twitteretiquette… build your network!

22. Lady Naturalist: https://twitter.com/LadyNaturalist?lang=en • Dr. Paige Jarreau: https://twitter.com/FromTheLabBench?lang=en • Dr. Amalina: https://twitter.com/DrAmalinaBakri?lang=en • Karen James: https://twitter.com/kejames • Kevin Pho: https://twitter.com/kevinmd • Matthew Katz: https://twitter.com/subatomicdoc?lang=en Examples

23. AAMC: Twitter is Trending in Academic Medicine: https://news.aamc.org/medical-education/article/twitter-trending-academic-medicine/ • CDC Social Media Guidelines and Best Practices: https://www.cdc.gov/SocialMedia/Tools/guidelines/pdf/microblogging.pdf • Gill, P. (2012). Why should I use social media? Retrieved from https://www.cebm.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/why-should-i-use-social-media20120905.pdf References