Table 1.
The do’s and don’ts of social media
| Content | Suggestions | Potential pitfalls | URLs |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Short status updates |
Post informative, interesting or engaging updates, e.g. “I am presenting a poster at conference X, come and say hi!” |
Avoid boring or too personal updates (“I just had a sandwich”), gossip, personal attacks or excessive negative feelings. Be aware of the sensitive nature of posting about unpublished data, proposals, reviews, collaborators, students etc. |
http://www.twitter.com |
| “Has anyone got experience with technique Y?” |
http://www.facebook.com |
||
|
Longer text |
Informative: current research, new papers, conference reports. |
Shorter texts (500–700) words are more likely to be read in full. Use images, hyperlinks or multimedia to make text more engaging. Avoid jargon. |
http://www.wordpress.com |
| Discussion: Opinion pieces, reflections, |
http://www.blogger.com |
||
|
http://www.tumblr.com | |||
| Creative writing. |
https://plus.google.com/ |
||
|
Photos |
Snapshots from live research, lab/field trips. Data that might not be published otherwise. Use tags or hashtags to contribute to existing image pools and make images accessible. |
Avoid using pictures protected under copyright or without appropriate creator attribution, photos of people without having their permission, images you might want to use in a publication. |
http://www.flickr.com |
|
http://www.pinterest.com | |||
|
http://www.instagram.com | |||
|
http://www.facebook.com | |||
|
Video |
Short clips taken with camera or smartphone. |
Make use of captions to provide additional information. Think about appropriate length (shorter might reach more people). Avoid using copyrighted music. |
http://www.youtube.com |
| Interviews, techniques, lectures and talks. |
http://www.vimeo.com |
||
|
http://www.vine.co | |||
| Data that might not be published otherwise. | |||
| Creative videos (e.g. songs, cartoons). | |||
|
Links |
Use link shorteners to save space and track clicks. |
Avoid posting links without any or with a vague description. |
http://www.twitter.com |
|
http://www.reddit.com | |||
|
https://plus.google.com/ | |||
|
http://www.facebook.com | |||
|
Audio |
Soundbites of field trips, events. Longer audio pieces, e.g. interviews, recordings of talks or podcasts. |
For longer pieces pay attention to microphone quality and acoustics of the surroundings. |
http://www.audioboo.com |
| Science songs. |
http://www.soundcloud.com |
||
|
Publications and CV items |
Invest time to create a professional online presence and keep it up to date. |
Before uploading full-text versions or pre-prints, carefully check publisher conditions. |
http://www.academia.edu |
|
http://www.researchgate.net | |||
| http://www.linkedin.com |