Social media for science communication

Sarah KeenihanPhD B Med Sci Grad Dip Sci Comms

@sciencesarahsciencesarah.wordpress.com

Outline

• Case study: Science for Life.365 • A bit about brand • Refined use of twitter• Other social media platforms • Balancing your personal and

professional online presence

What does a science writer even do?

• Digital news and feature stories• Copywriting for universities, museums,

research institutions, industry bodies• Specialist writing & editing

eg grants, papers ,reports• Feature articles for glossy mags• Workshops• Book reviews• Social media content

early August 2012

Employed scientist, communicator freelance writer

• Why?

• Where?

• What to write about?

• Who for?

• How to market?

• How often?

• How much?

• Public portfolio, conversations, accountable

• Wordpress + Facebook

• Science for life!

• Scientists, colleagues, friends, family, networks

• National Science Week, twitter, Facebook sharing

• Daily commitment

• Varied lengths + great image

My answer = blog

http://scienceforlife365.wordpress.com http://www.facebook.com/scienceforlife365

SFL365: my publication routine• Write the post in Wordpress• Find a great image (my own or Flickr CC)• Publish in WP• Send >1 tweets with link to WP post• Copy/paste the text and image as a new post in

to FB community page• Publish in FB• Share FB post from my own personal account• Year 1 vs Year 2 vs Year 3

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/blogging.png

Build it, and they might come

Some people read it

Science for Life.365: Wordpress stats

Some people like it

Science for Life.365: Facebook stats Re

ach

Enga

gem

ent

ClicksLikes/comments/shares

A tale of two audiences

• Facebook readers liked:- animals, science humour, new ways of thinking about science, personalised aspects of science and learning

• Wordpress readers liked: - art, food, fashion, literature, writing, discussions around journalism /communication

personal

networks

professional networks

Social media = networking

• Find other brands that are relevant: National Science Week, Australian Science Communicators, Universities, TEDxAdelaide, scientific societies, museum, magazines, other bloggers, community groups

• Find other people like you: writing courses, public events, training opportunities, professional groups, conferences

It’s not just about the stats: benefits of blogging

Branded and public portfolio of writingDevelop your writing ‘voice’ Know strengths/weaknesses as a writerLearn to connect with online audiencesFind relevant and supportive communities Refine use of social media for marketingGet known in your field in Aus and OS

Different types of science writing

PhD

views = 13

Blog

views = 30K views = 30K+?

Freelance writing

Different types of science writing

PhD

views = 13

Blog

views = 30K views = 30K+?

Freelance writing

PLUS SOCIAL MEDIA

Your writing helps create your brand

• Brand is the face and personality of you and what you do

• All your public and professional activities contribute to your brand

• Yes, scientists can have brands! eg Corey Bradshaw, Tanya Monro, Cameron Webb, Mia Cobb, Upulie, Brian Schmidt

Ingredients of my writing brandScience training

Science experience

Science networks

Blogging – WP + FB

Website

Twitter + other socmed

Real life events

Real life professional groups

Real life places

My own writing

Writing for clients

Socmed interactions

Let’s talk more about twitterhttps://twitter.com/sciencesarah

Twitter can help you:

• Establish an online presence• Find an engaged audience• Find peers and mentors, even clients • See what others are up to• Source references and reading material• Keep up to date with what’s hot

5 quick ways to tweet better

1 Make your bio meaningful 2 Use a great profile photo3 Be a person not a robot4 Craft content uniquely for twitter

[not the same across many platforms]5 Don’t abuse the DM

What makes a good pro tweet?

• A great image or clip• A link (full or shortened) • A relevant hashtag• 1-2 relevant other accounts • ~120 characters (NB new RT)• Great copy:

- an enticing quote- something funny or quirky - tap into zeitgeist

Twitter for marketing: SFL365

Day 32 of Science for Life.365: Waste. Best school excursion ever "I saw 8 seagulls get killed" http://ow.ly/dFMiJ #science365 #adelaide Day 38 of Science for Life.365. Spitfire. Or is it 'oil vomiter'? http://ow.ly/dOOMN #science365 #adelaide @reemarattan @Mozziebites Scientist? Had a baby? This may strike a chord. A post by @annahuddo for #SciMs & #science365 #onsci http://t.co/nAFhjcHakA

Become ‘known’ on twitter

• Live tweet from pro and networking events • Find your people – search and follow• Find new audiences through common ground• Use hashtags• Tailor content to your audience • Follow and interact with ‘rocur’ accounts

eg http://twitter.com/realscientists

Tweets aren’t just for broadcasting• Engage in real-time conversations• Be useful: share what you’re reading, thinking• Don’t just RT – add value • Give credit where credit is due • Find a favourite and watch how they operate• Look for twitter chats/communities

eg #onsci http://bridge8.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/onsci/+ see paper at Proceedings of an Australian Science Communicators Conference at http://www.asc.asn.au/

How do I know I’m doing it right?

• Relevant people follow you (follow back!)• You’re having professional conversations• You appear in other people’s lists

http://twitter.com/sciencesarah/lists • Look at the data - Twitter analytics are free

What about other social media?

• Medium – publishing platform http://medium.com/@sciencesarah

• Instagram – images http://readwrite.com/2013/09/25/best-instagram-accounts-for-science-geeks

• Vine – looping clips https://vine.co/u/1053360364614029312

• Periscope – live footage • LinkedIn – online social CV• YouTube – AV content• Soundcloud – audio content • Snapchat – image-based temp chat + discover

http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/13/8949981/snapchat-discover-live-events-stories-update

• RSS feeds

Sarah Keenihan - freelance writer -

Instagram

WB blogSLF365

FB blog SFL365

FB personal

Vine

LinkedIn

twitter@sciencesarah

Sarah Keenihan- person -

Medium

Personal & professional aspects of social media

#science365

website

sciencesarah

#deathatyorkes

#Adelaide#Adelaide

#Adelaide

#Adelaide

Summary

• Social media can support your professional activities as a scientist and a communicator

• Your social activities help you develop a brand- but get the personal/pro balance right

• There are many social media platforms – pick those you get value from and enjoy

• Don’t be shy – JUST START

More reading

• Social Media for Marketing Science (2012) https://bridge8.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/socmed-marketing-sci/

• 10 Digital Media Tools for Science Communicators (2014) https://medium.com/@sciencesarah/10-digital-media-tools-for-science-communicators-78e4f795868