One of my goals as Editor in Chief of JDS Communications is to increase the speed of communicating our science. Here, I will explain how communicating science through social media can be quick, effective, and rewarding. Social media is a global resemblance of one of my favorite parts of the ADSA Annual Meeting: the poster session. For 2 h each morning of the meeting, there are no scientific sessions, only an exhibit hall filled with people excitedly sharing their research, asking questions, and discussing potential collaborations. Many research ideas have been hatched during the poster sessions of ADSA meetings. But why do we wait for these meetings to have conversations about dairy research when most of us love to talk about our science with others? Through social media, we can dialog with international dairy scientists, share article links, and ask questions year-round!
JDS Communications is perfectly positioned to facilitate an exchange of ideas via social media, as one of our founding principles is to publish concise and quality science quickly. Several members of our dairy science community engage in discourse via social media regularly, and one of the reasons I was selected as Editor in Chief was because of my social media presence. But let's be honest here: I am no influencer! This means the social media bar is not that high, and just having an online presence can be an important factor in the recognition of one's science. Below are 4 pieces of advice for colleagues, trainees, or anyone who wants to engage with dairy science on social media.
How Can We Engage on Social Media?
Be True to Yourself
Having an online presence is a personal choice. Whether you include your scientific ups and downs, the achievements from your research laboratory, or focus solely on research endeavors is up to you. Think about what you want to communicate, how you want to communicate, and on which platforms you want to communicate. Give yourself grace on the time you can commit to social media as well—even just 10 min on a platform per month, quarter, or even year can produce powerful results over time. Some of us communicate better with words, others with photos, and still more via video clips. Regardless of your methods, be true to yourself and your values, and keep it professional.
Share Your Science
Although it can seem daunting at first, engagement with dairy research via social media can be extremely rewarding in expanding one's scientific network. This is especially important for early career dairy scientists, as social media allows us to become better known in our areas of expertise. It is also well documented that social media attention is positively associated with future citations. In addition to celebrating your publications, dairy science community members enjoy engaging on a personal level, regardless of the scientific outcome. Were parts of your study particularly satisfying? Share them! Were your results confusing? Ask the opinions of other dairy scientists! Did you perform a new technique or intricate sample-collection process? Show us how you did it! I personally love photos of a research team collecting data, as they provide a reminder that behind every article is a great group of people who did the hard work. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and tag people and organizations on your posts when necessary—nobody does research alone. In the end, attempt to present information that inspires others to ask questions, share information, and learn. This is what being part of a scientific community is all about!
Involve a Broader Audience
In the past, when I read an article that I found particularly interesting, I shared it with the graduate students in my laboratory and discussed it with my colleagues at a “Journal Club.” More recently, I challenged myself to share articles from JDS Communications and the Journal of Dairy Science on social media with the hope of creating a discussion around the work of others. It is especially meaningful when we share the work of up-and-coming scientists or those new to our dairy science community, and this is an area in which established researchers can have a substantial impact on creating belonging within our organization. It is also a great place to provide your expertise by adding a thoughtful response to queries or dropping in a link to an article that provides an answer. These actions support the exchange of information between a broader audience than we experience at ADSA Annual Meetings. And really, who doesn't love learning that someone noticed their research and said something nice about it?
Don't Forget the Hashtags
For many of us, this is a learned use of the pound sign (#), which I originally learned represented a unit of weight or mass. We now use it on social media to qualify a key word or phrase to allow people interested in the topic to find other related posts. For example, if at the end of each social media post I share from a JDS Communications article, I add #DairyScience, clicking on that hashtag will lead me to other posts that have tagged dairy science (I use capital letters before each word to make hashtags more accessible for screen readers rather than all lowercase, which can be difficult to read). Hashtags draw attention to your posts and encourage interaction. Have a few hashtags you're particularly interested in? Several social media platforms allow you to follow them, meaning you can easily be alerted when new conversations, recently published articles, and communities pop up for the same topic. Ultimately, they help your social media post expand into a larger discussion, which is what scientific communication is all about.
Embrace the Challenge
I challenge us all to open our minds to this aspect of scientific exchange. It has the potential to highlight a broader network of dairy scientists, expand our community, and share science more quickly. These are my goals as Editor in Chief!
#JDSCommunications
#DairyScience
#AmericanDairyScienceAssociation #SocietyPubs
#WeLoveCows
Cheers,
Jessica A. A. McArt, DVM, PhD, DABVP (Dairy Practice)
Editor in Chief, JDS Communications
Associate Professor, Ambulatory and Production Medicine
Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences
Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine
jmcart@cornell.edu | jdsc@adsa.org