I was an early adopter of Twitter and have found it a wonderful resource for finding like-minded people both professionally and personally. I have found, in general, the community that uses Twitter well is very generous in sharing their knowledge about how to use the tool and other social media channels, and also their knowledge about specific topics of interest.
There are lots of people that don’t really get Twitter, and I respect that. There are others that wonder how to use it, but don’t really know how to get started. I’m not here to tell you whether or not Twitter is for you. I just know I have found it immensely helpful for broadening my perspective, knowledge and professional contacts, especially beyond my own shores. Given the #WhyClinicalTrialsMatter campaign is focussed around Twitter, I thought I’d give a few tips to those that might want to participate, and are not sure how to get started.
Marie Ennis-O’Connor (@JBBC) produces some fabulous social media How-To’s. If you are interested in joining Twitter, but don’t know where to start, then I highly recommend Marie’s “Beginners Guide to Twitter” which will give you a step by step guide to getting started. Also follow @JBBC for lots of great advice about social media, as well as patient engagement in healthcare, if that is one of your interests.
The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter from Marie Ennis-O’Connor
Once you get your account setup, and start following people, you may start to get overwhelmed with how to manage the content and people you follow. A google search will yield lots of advice for how to try and manage your account.
#WhyWeDoResearch Aus Tweetfest
#WWDRaus Thurs 19 May 2016
Following hashtags (ie #sometopic, like #WhyClinicalTrialsMatter) will help you find people with common interests to yourself. If you are in healthcare, then check out the Symplur Healthcare Hashtag project to find some hashtags you might be interested in following.
With the #WhyWeDoResearch tweetfest this week, and this #WhyClinicalTrialsMatter social campaign, now is a great time to dip your feet in. This article from Buffer Social provides some good tips for getting involved in Twitter chats and the tools to help.
With that, I will make a plug for you to join the #WhyWeDoResearch tweetfest, Australian session (#WWDRaus), to be held on Thursday this week (19th May), from 8.30am. Keep an eye on the #WWDRaus for topics of discussion, including a section on clinical trials from 8.45-9.15am. Also, be sure to tweet your thoughts and/or photos using #WhyClinicalTrialsMatter in time for International Clinical Trials Day (#ICTD2016), May 20th.
And just to be clear, I’m not getting paid for any of the information sources or campaigns mentioned in this post.
Happy Tweeting and I hope to see you joining the #WWRDaus Tweetchat, and sharing your thoughts on #WhyClinicalTrialsMatter!