14 Dec 2018

Social media dos and don’ts

DO
- share cases, information & interesting content
- strive for accuracy, but don’t always try to be right!
- remember that not everyone’s first language is English
- acknowledge sources or ask permission

DON’T
- retweet or like or share content you haven’t read or from accounts you know nothing about
- post misleading information or look like you’re marketing products
- post when you are angry – what’s online lives forever
- pretend information is yours when it is not

Always respect patient confidentiality – never identify a patient: never post recognizable photos of patients or images that contain patient names or potential identifiers (even in closed groups!)
Don’t “Friend” or follow your patients
Always avoid discriminatory or insulting language
If patients have questions, direct them to websites that provide medical advice, unless you are part of a tweetchat about a specific condition
If you’re not comfortable with being « yourself », use an avatar to start off with
Personal photos can provide a « human » side to your profile, but not everything should be on social media J

There is no peer review process, no control, anyone can speak
There is peer control because other experts can see what is said and will question it. Twitter for example has become a fast-track post-publication peer review process!

Journals and societies can be trusted, social media can’t
All Journals and Societies are on social media today (NEJM 1.5 mio followers)

It takes up too much time
It’s the best curation tool, and can actually save you time to keep up with research & congresses. Up to you to curate who you follow – only follow people/organisations you trust

If you make a mistake, it will be out there forever
Best not to make mistakes J - think before you post!

Lots of journalists on social media
Just like in any media, be careful of what you say!