You get to choose what is in your social media feed. That choice is made in at least 3 ways. The accounts you are connected to, the posts you interact with, and the tags you follow. All of those things are deliberate choices you make – and get to make – every time you check your social media feed.
One of the things I think is important, as a researcher using social media to further your work is to make very deliberate choices about what accounts and hashtags you follow. So, I thought I’d give you an insight into a small number of my choices. Now, these aren’t how all my choices are based. There are definitely accounts I follow because they are friends or clients or potential clients. But in all cases, the reasons are deliberate and conscious. And when I no longer feel the content is useful to me, I unfollow the account.
| Account or tag | My understanding of the content | Why I follow it |
| @whiteboardlessons | Life advance from the perspective of a former personal trainer and gym owner. | For life advice. To share relevant content with others. To see what kinds of content works for them. |
| @silli_scientist | Science journey of research student in North America. Some rants. Many funny, but also serious. | Learn about the life of a research student in North America. Gain perspective on challenges faced by (female) research scientists. To see what kinds of content works for them. |
| @scientist_rhi | Research journey of a (former) PhD student, now PostDoc in Australia. Also includes life experiences. | Learn about the life of a research student in Australia. Gain perspectives faced by (female) research scientists. Learn about what a leading social media science communicator does on their social media. |
| @garyvee | Business advice. Business of social media, venturing into general life advice. | Learn about social media. Learn about business, and social media. Understand how an influencer might be impacting social media trends. |
| #careers | Anything with #careers as a hashtag. Usually involves some kind of biographical piece. | Learn about different careers. See who might have good advice regarding careers. Learn who might be seeking career help and help them. |
| #thesis#dissertation | Anything with #thesis or #dissertation as a hashtag. Usually involves advice, meme or question. | Learn more about thesis writing. Understand what current thesis or dissertation writing students are going through. Learn who might be seeking help with their writing and help them. Improve my use of the hashtag. |
| #researchers | Anything with #researchers as a hashtag. Usually involves market research, and the application of research to industry problems. Limited academic research content. | Understand what industries use research, and therefore how a PhD student might be able to transition to that industry. Learn how people are using the researchers hashtag and thus improve my use of the hashtag. |
If you have an account or hashtag you follow – let me know by sharing and tagging my on social media.
Dr Richard Huysmans is the author of Connect the Docs: A Guide to getting industry partners for academics. He, in collaboration with Jane Anderson, has built the only LinkedIn program for research translation. He has taken that approach and delivers high quality practical advice to the education, research and government sectors in the use of social media for academic and career progress. He is driven by the challenge of helping researchers make use of practical tools for greater impact. He knows social media and how make it work for research.
To find out more, call 0412 606 178, email (Richard.huysmans@drrichardhuysmans.com) or subscribe to the newsletter. He’s on LinkedIn (Dr Richard Huysmans), Twitter (@richardhuysmans), Instagram (@drrichardhuysmans), and Facebook (Beyond Your PhD with Dr Richard Huysmans).