10 Tips for Scientists on Blogging and Social Networking
By Hsien-Hsien Lei, PhD, HUGO Matters Editor
In our final installment of the Scientists and Social Networking Primer series, here are 10 tips for scientists interested in getting involved with the social media scene. It’s more fun and rewarding than you can imagine! For those of you who are already active, please share your personal experiences in the comments. (Also see part 1 on blogging, part 2 on social networks, and part 3 on HUGO’s social media plans.)
Here are my tips on how build your social media profile:
1. Fill out your profile. Although it might be wise to exclude personal data, such as birth date, phone number, and address, it is important to share your personal background including a photo to foster trust and believability.
2. Be sincere and consistent. The best compliment someone can give when meeting you for the first time face-to-face is “You’re the same online as well as off.” No surprises, no hidden agendas. In this case, honesty really is the best policy.
3. Identify your goals for social networking. Are you interested in career development? Or are you interested in online social networks for personal reasons, such as to get back in touch with classmates or update family members? This will help you determine the amount of time you want to spend in social networking and where to concentrate your efforts.
4. Figure out your comfort level for sharing. Are you interested only in talking about science or are you ok with sharing personal news? It’s important to remember that anything on the Internet is recorded for posterity. Even if you think no one can find what you posted 10 years ago, there’s a good chance that someone will be able uncover it.
5. Sculpt your identity. Would you like others to view you as the go-to person for all things related to genome-wide association studies? Or maybe as the scientist with a sharp eye for the ironic side of science? Your personal brand and identity are enhanced if you keep your updates and the information you share largely on topic.
6. Don’t be afraid to be opinionated. Social networks are fun and more useful if you boldly share your viewpoint. This doesn’t mean that you should go on the attack. Thoughtful commentary is valued online even more than offline because of the noise inherent in social networks.
7. Connect with people who have shared interests. Just as in the offline world, relationships develop if there is common ground. People will help you spread your message and help you network if they are truly interested what you’re about.
8. Separate your connections into groups. On Facebook and Twitter, it’s possible to sort friends and follower into groups which will help streamline the way you keep track of the latest news and events. Grouping people will also help you determine the type of information you want to share with one group but not another.
9. Respond to comments and direct tweets or messages. No one likes to be ignored, particularly online. Building a relationship is as simple as acknowledging someone’s response to your links and posts, and it is also good Internet etiquette.
10. Stay active. It’s easy to drop off people’s radar when there is so much information online. Social networking is an investment that may only start to take off after several weeks or months of regularly posting quality, relevant content. Also, people will not immediately respond to you until they see more of you. Just like any relationship, building your online network will take time, but it is worth it.
Do you have any other tips to share?
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[...] 10 Tips for Scientists on Blogging and Social Networking (HUGO Matters): Fantastic tips for scientists from Hsien-Hsien Lei. [...]