Digital Professionalism & Social Media for Post Graduate Researchers

Bernadette John Bernadette.john@digitalprofessionalism.com27th February, 2014

Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health & Dementia at SLAM

DIGITAL PROFESSIONALISM

• The competences and values expected of a professional when engaged in social and digital communication

Challenges presented by Social Media• Confusion about the extent to which information is

private• Ease with which information can be broadcast• Informality of social networking – can be quite

easy to fall foul of defamation laws or act “unprofessionally”

• Personal & professional boundaries can be rendered porous (J Shreather, BMA 2011)

GMC Social Media Guidelines - 2013

DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

A Digital Footprint is of interest to;

• You personally• Your Profession• Your Employer• Your Patients

You Personally

Your Profession

Your Employer

Your Clients

Excuses people give for using material from the internet• There was no "copyright" logo or any other

watermark on the photo• It is on the internet, therefore it is free to use• I won't make money off this photo. It's just for

teaching/academic purposes• I credited the photographer so it's good advertising

for him(Adapted from Greenslade 2013)

How social media is being used

REMEMBER

• If you are not a paying customer for the applications you are using, you are the commodity.

Case Study

• Select a role model from your Area.• Research that person online• List the elements that you find in terms of

positive and negative

• Profile pages on any institutional websites• Publications authored• Home address• Office address• Comments on publication websites and professional forums• Recommendations received on Linkedin• Recommendations given to others on Linkedin• Twitter/Flickr/Instagram of scholarly locations or events• Dialogue and membership of social forums• Affiliations and memberships (fan pages or groups on Facebook, professional group membership on LinkedIn)• Those they engage with on Twitter or Facebook• Communication skills • Size and quality of professional network• Evidence of dialogue and scholarly networking on social channels • Evidence of alcohol or illegal drug use • Conflicting information about qualifications, experience, input or activities• Provocative or inappropriate pictures• Nature and quantity of private information in the public domain• Level of security settings on Facebook and other websites• Actively sharing latest news• Usefully engaged with relevant topics• Collaborating and networking with peers and other established thought leaders

Analysis

• Is there anything specific that makes this person more appealing as a professional role model?

• Does this person create a good impression of those practicing this profession?

• As a client, would you feel that the material you have found impacts on your trust of the profession and the individual in a positive or negative way?

• Can you find any material online about this person at all?• How would that influence your perception of this person as a

professional?

Points for practice

• Search for yourself and conduct this exercise on yourself

• Reflect on what elements you feel you should be creating to embellish your professional profile and personal Digital Profile

Resources

• StrengthsFinder by Tom Rath - an online gallup tool to help establish your strengths

• Woolfram – analysis of your Facebook presence http://www.wolframalpha.com/facebook/

Privacy is Dead

• Professional is merging with public through the ubiquitous adoption of social media

SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTION

• http://youtu.be/x0EnhXn5boM

The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts” C.S. Lewis

Consciously architect your online profile- Your offline reputation too!Deliberately amplify the quantity of positive material to be found about you online and limit the damage of anything negative

Brand Yourself

• Open accounts across at least 5 platforms(Google +, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Slideshare, Wordpress blog)• Use a familiar avatar, make your self easy to find• Use a similar backdrop, theme, banner etc• Buy yourname.com• Consider everything that you do on your mobile device,

potentially public – Snapchat and Whats App too, even comments on newspapers

• Google yourself regularly

INFOGRAPHICS

• Visualising data via infographics, and promotion via social media can assist with achieving broader reach for research outcomes

LinkedIn

• Consider engaging in honest dialogue with other researchers on your study about the flaws and strengths of your research study – in a specified group

• Reach out to and engage in dialogue with established thought leaders in your area in that group

Twitter

• Consider reaching out to appropriate editors in broadsheet newspapers as a follower, build up rapport

• Follow thought leaders in your area• If numerous people speak from a dedicated project

account, sign your tweets• Establish who will own the followers when the study

finishes

Use social media to:

• Access networks for peer support, engage with thought leaders, engage in dialogue, reach research subjects, publish research outcomes

• Showcase values, strengths & qualities – give an authentic taste of who you are

• Establish thought leadership• Demonstrate fluency and Digital Professionalism – achieve an

edge in a crowded workplace• MAKE SOCIAL MEDIA YOUR UNFAIR ADVANTAGE