A quick thread on why academics (especially students) should be active on Twitter. 1/n
The short version: Twitter is like a global pub where fellow academics all hang out. You get both company for yourself and visibility for your work. You also learn about cool work from others!
The short version: Twitter is like a global pub where fellow academics all hang out. You get both company for yourself and visibility for your work. You also learn about cool work from others!
To start off with, Twitter is amazing at helping folks find and form a network. I've met so many folks here I've never met in real life. This usually translates into fun meetings when we travel and bump into each other! This networking is crucial - it's why conferences exist.
A second use is publicizing your work and learning about others work. I learn about so much cool PL, networking, and security research though I've never gone to a single conference in these fields. It helps you form the serendipitous connections that power ideas and creativity.
I also feel like CS folks as a whole spend too little time promoting their work and making sure it reaches the right folks for impact. Your university doesnt have a great PR team? Twitter can help you promote your work beyond those see it at conferences.
Another nice thing about Twitter is that people engage with ideas irrespective of rank or seniority. Nervous to talk to profs at conferences? You can talk to them on Twitter! This is why students can benefit a lot from the networking effect of Twitter.
Finally, Twitter has that whole "pub" feel. This is where you go to rant about reviewer 2, celebrate paper and grant acceptances, rant about acceptance rates, etc. Because people get it. They are going through the same thing you are. This is pretty amazing priceless.
Being an academic can be a lonely experience, whether you are a prof or a student or a researcher. The academic community on Twitter can help it be a better, less lonely experience.
This isn't to say Twitter doesnt have negatives like all social media. It can seem as if everyone is successful but you. It can be filled with trolls and harassers. I use mute and block liberally.
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