OVERVIEW OF SOCIAL

MEDIA PLATFORMS

Lillian Erdahl, MD – Department of Surgery Azeemuddin Ahmed, MD, MBA – Department of Emergency Medicine

Disclosure ◦ No conflicts of interest ◦ We are not endorsing any specific social media platform – just sharing insights and

experiences

Who Are We? ◦ We are involved in academic

medicine like you! ◦ We are using various social media

platforms to spread the word about our medicine, training programs and research

◦ We continue to learn every day on how to better leverage the growing social media landscape

What is Social Media? ◦ forms of electronic communication (such as websites

for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos) ◦ Merriam-Webster

◦ First known use of the term was 2004

http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-

research/

Pew Demographics ◦ 7 out of 10 adults ◦ Most daily to weekly

Social Media and Academic Medicine

◦ Quickest and most efficient way to share your academic medicine profile and portfolio ◦ Build a network of people interested in similar academic pursuits – exchange ideas and

potentially collaborate ◦ Recruit patients for studies/build your practice ◦ Can spread educational and clinical pearls ◦ Recruit trainees and faculty ◦ Build your “brand” in academics – reputation nationally and globally

Doximity ◦ Medical Professional Network

founded 2011 ◦ Medical Advisory Board ◦ HIPAA Secure Messaging

Sharing Your Resume - Doximity

ResearchGate ◦ Professional Network Founded 2008 ◦ Designed for sharing research and collaborating ◦ Follow and communicate with researchers in your field ◦ Track your effectiveness

Blogs ◦ Highly variable ◦ Personal vs. Professional ◦ Comments on or off ◦ Social Media users want a personal connection

Dangers of Social Media ◦ Bad social media habits can lead to significant ramifications

◦ HIPAA violations = fired from your job ◦ Profane language, offensive material – can have negative effects ◦ Nothing is private ◦ The internet never forgets

Social Media Tips for Success ◦ Your profile matters ◦ Study the platform ◦ Practice mindfulness ◦ Remain active ◦ Be timely ◦ Stay engaged ◦ Posts last forever ◦ Nothing is private

Conclusion ◦ Social media is now a standard in academic medicine ◦ Much more efficient use of your time to seek and disseminate information ◦ Be regular and precise in your postings – going off the grid makes people lose interest

Questions/Comments?

Discussion Questions ◦ How do you find time to tweet/post? ◦ How do you decide what to share? ◦ Do you use social media for research or to follow journals, institutes, media, etc.? ◦ What are some of the positive outcomes from your social media efforts? ◦ Any negative comments or outcomes, and if so, how did you handle those?

References

◦ https://www.aaas.org/pes/communicating-science-online ◦ http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/social-media/ ◦ https://about.twitter.com/company ◦ https://www.doximity.com/signin ◦ https://www.researchgate.net/login ◦ http://www.amaliacochranmd.com/ ◦ http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/colo-doctor-fire-michelle-obama-

monkey-face-remark-article-1.2893666

References ◦ http://bcsm.org/ ◦ https://www.mbcproject.org/