Social media to disseminate scientific knowledge – this is what 50 researchers discussed at the Ambassadors Club Summer Lounge of the Austria Center Vienna, upon the invitation of Managing Director Susanne Baumann-Söllner, in an effort to support leading Austrian researchers.
The way that people consume media has changed radically over the past 30 years: the majority of information is now acquired online. Media professional and social media expert Armin Wolf explained how to make the most of social media to position oneself, network with fellow professionals and share one’s research findings with a wider audience. To him, indeed, social media works just like any other form of personal interaction – users need to have something to say, learn to listen and take time over their content; followers will mainly recommend and share content if it is useful, as well as entertaining, and Twitter et al can be used as personalised news agencies and separate media channels.
“Content that is useful, entertaining and recommended by other people works particularly well,” Armin Wolf added. “For researchers, publishing useful content is the most promising approach, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to provide a little entertainment from time to time.”
“With exclusive talks and networking opportunities, our Ambassadors Club provides valuable support to the country’s academics, who have excellent contacts thanks to their seats on various international scientific committees and as such are very well placed to influence where the next major conferences will be held,” Baumann-Söllner explained.