Can I be the first fuddy duddy to say I don’t use it? While post-docing, I was sucked into the world of MySpace and would spend hours reading people’s favorite this and that, their comments, and looking at pictures. But I didn’t even know most of them. I made a conscious effort to cut the cord because it became such a time suck. I have so far resisted the urge to use Facebook and Twitter. I do have a profile on LinkedIn which I somewhat regret since it has turned into “professional” Facebook (do I really need to be connected to some person I overlapped with in graduate school that I never spoke to once?). Oh, and I also have a profile on ResearchGate but that’s it. And no, I am not ancient but rather junior-ish faculty.
That being said, I would really like to hear if/how using social media has benefited people in academia since I really don’t know anyone that actively uses it personally (although I know departments that do).
Ok, so an exception (as well as writedit’s blog). My apologies. I was limiting my definition of social media to things like Facebook and LinkedIn and hadn’t really thought of blogs in the same sense. My main point was that I am not actively using social media to communicate my professional work (or personal life for that matter). For example, if I click on the “+” icon above, I have only ever even used maybe 3 or 4 of the options (Outlook, LinkedIn, Google, etc.). But, I am really interested in how academics/labs can use some of these outlets to their advantage.
To be somewhat serious about your question, social media is more like traditional networking than it is like publishing a review article. If you expect transactional benefits, you will grow frustrated. Networks pay off variably in time and quality, social media efforts are like that.
I like using twitter to publicize our new pubs and to find out about the most recent pubs from the people in my network that I might have missed otherwise (I would likely not miss them entirely but it would take me much longer to notice them). I also run a journal club in my department and have decided that when I read a paper for the journal club that I find really interesting, I will highlight it on twitter to make sure more people see it.
I have made a lot of new connections by posting micrographs on twitter – people like to see images of their favorite structures, and that gets me a lot of new connections in the fields related to mine.
What if you use it, but then say something stupid by accident, and suffer a twitter-storm of abuse and righteous indignation? Does that still count, or does it depend on your attitude?
DrugMonkey 
February 18, 2016 at 10:42 am
Can I be the first fuddy duddy to say I don’t use it? While post-docing, I was sucked into the world of MySpace and would spend hours reading people’s favorite this and that, their comments, and looking at pictures. But I didn’t even know most of them. I made a conscious effort to cut the cord because it became such a time suck. I have so far resisted the urge to use Facebook and Twitter. I do have a profile on LinkedIn which I somewhat regret since it has turned into “professional” Facebook (do I really need to be connected to some person I overlapped with in graduate school that I never spoke to once?). Oh, and I also have a profile on ResearchGate but that’s it. And no, I am not ancient but rather junior-ish faculty.
That being said, I would really like to hear if/how using social media has benefited people in academia since I really don’t know anyone that actively uses it personally (although I know departments that do).
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February 18, 2016 at 10:46 am
You’re using it RIGHT NOW.
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February 18, 2016 at 10:56 am
And some days it’s more entertaining than others. Today is proving pretty hilarious.
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February 18, 2016 at 10:57 am
Ok, so an exception (as well as writedit’s blog). My apologies. I was limiting my definition of social media to things like Facebook and LinkedIn and hadn’t really thought of blogs in the same sense. My main point was that I am not actively using social media to communicate my professional work (or personal life for that matter). For example, if I click on the “+” icon above, I have only ever even used maybe 3 or 4 of the options (Outlook, LinkedIn, Google, etc.). But, I am really interested in how academics/labs can use some of these outlets to their advantage.
LikeLike
February 18, 2016 at 11:02 am
To be somewhat serious about your question, social media is more like traditional networking than it is like publishing a review article. If you expect transactional benefits, you will grow frustrated. Networks pay off variably in time and quality, social media efforts are like that.
LikeLike
February 18, 2016 at 3:43 pm
I like using twitter to publicize our new pubs and to find out about the most recent pubs from the people in my network that I might have missed otherwise (I would likely not miss them entirely but it would take me much longer to notice them). I also run a journal club in my department and have decided that when I read a paper for the journal club that I find really interesting, I will highlight it on twitter to make sure more people see it.
I have made a lot of new connections by posting micrographs on twitter – people like to see images of their favorite structures, and that gets me a lot of new connections in the fields related to mine.
LikeLike
February 18, 2016 at 8:19 pm
What if you use it, but then say something stupid by accident, and suffer a twitter-storm of abuse and righteous indignation? Does that still count, or does it depend on your attitude?
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