Working on an analysis of academic Twitter bios and have some thoughts for ya’ll 🧵🪡
Twitter is a professional platform for scientists - think about it as such. Is your bio accurate, descriptive, engaging?
Most of you have: [Title] Neuroscientist at [Institution]
& some of you… nothing at all (98% white dudes 👀)
Most of you have: [Title] Neuroscientist at [Institution]
& some of you… nothing at all (98% white dudes 👀)
What else? What makes you human? Interests, hobbies, projects, affiliations.
No one wants to follow a robot. Show some personality, humor, or a quirk or two
No one wants to follow a robot. Show some personality, humor, or a quirk or two
Add a website. Don’t have one? Think about making a simple one in Squarespace (student discount!) that houses your CV, papers, research interests, etc.
Twitter is a conference that never ends. You never know who will love the insights from your last tweet and want to recruit!
Twitter is a conference that never ends. You never know who will love the insights from your last tweet and want to recruit!
Avoid redundancy. If your location is set as “New York”, do you need to take up valuable space to have “New Yorker” in your bio? 👎🏼
Too many hashtags or tags in your bio (& posts!) can cause eye fatigue! Use these features strategically. 1-3 increase engagement, 3+ actually decreases!
Strategically pin a post and update periodically. Good pins: Recent tweetprint, research update, high engagement post, funny meme. Anything that you want people the see FIRST!
Remember: People can SEE who you follow. At @StellateComms we regularly peruse and analyze people’s connections - take a look periodically and clean them up! Unfollow accounts that could reflect poorly on you
Use the location field to show where you’ve been, in addition to where you are now! Like a mini CV!
Ex: UofM/ MIT / NYC
Ex: UofM/ MIT / NYC
Be smart about your handle!!! Is it one that people will think of when going to tag you?
@StellateComms we recommend a simple derivation of your name.
✅ @caitlinvwphd
❌ @c8vw_1988
@StellateComms we recommend a simple derivation of your name.
✅ @caitlinvwphd
❌ @c8vw_1988
Avatar / profile pic: Use the same one across professional digital accounts & promotional materials to build brand - Twitter, LinkedIn, lab website, talk flyers, dept website etc.
Use your header photo as another opportunity to show personality and interests. Microscopy image, fav backgrounds, art, nature pictures.
Avoid people. Too many questions and not enough explanation space.
And for the love of god, do not do a double headshot situation.
Avoid people. Too many questions and not enough explanation space.
And for the love of god, do not do a double headshot situation.
Thank you for coming to my Ted talk 😬💕👩🏻🔬
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