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The use of social media in online communications news has seen a massive expansion within a few short years, and now begins to dominate popular culture and threaten traditional forms of media. You use ...

The use of social media in online communications news has seen a massive expansion within a few short years, and now begins to dominate popular culture and threaten traditional forms of media. You use Facebook, play with YouTube and Flickr, heard of Twitter, but what’s it got to do with science?
In this talk I will give a brief overview of these tools, and perhaps some you haven’t heard of, to discuss how social media can be used to boost your scientific impact. Regardless of whether you’re a shrinking violet or a true wallflower, there is something to suit every scientist and personality. I will draw upon ideas gleaned from a recent workshop, as well as my own experiences to show how using social media could help you to develop on online presence, build professional networks, and improve your science communication. Most importantly, showcasing yourselves and your work online could help prevent the fate that all scientists dread for their research: dying a slow death in the pages of scientific journals, untouched by the human eye.
* You can also read Cindy Hauser’s article in Decision Point #35 on blogging and other social media tools.