It Takes a Village

It Takes a Village: 

Uma Andorinha Não Faz Verão

Worldwide, many thousands of researchers and engineers devote themselves to "Magnetism and Magnetic Materials".   At this time I'd estimate a lower bound on "magneticians who use Twitter" at 200.   I'd guess that the vast majority of those occasionally tweet about their work.  I've seen many tweets from conferences, but others announcing a newly published paper or sharing information about some event or happening that matters to us.

As magneticians, let's seek inspiration in Ferromagnetism:  a cooperative phenomena that is breath-taking when comprehended.

A handful of  Twitter-users will not have much impact on MMM61 -- or on the future of the conference, much less the overall demographics magnetism-related activity.

To coin yet another phrase illustrating the importance of cooperation, "one spin does not a ferromagnet make".   Feel free to create and tweet a better one.

Call to Action   (casual crowd-sourcing?) 
Choose one or more of the following multi-step items:
A) Recruit Veterans:

1. Identify one or two fellow magneticians who use Twitter.  
2. Follow them on Twitter
3. Invite them to follow @MagnetismOrg
4. Repeat 

B) Recruit Newbies: 

1. Identify a magnetician who you believe is susceptible (no pun intended)
2. Show them the sort of stories, facts, figures, images available to us via Twitter
3. Show them that even before setting up an account, they can follow thousands of topics of interest on Twitter, including the world of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials
4. Coach them through setting up an account and setting up a list of sources to follow, including @MagnetismOrg
5. Repeat

C) Identify low-hanging fruit for (A) -- good choice if you are, shall we say, shy.

1. Think of magneticians who might possibly already be Twitter users, possibly referring to current journals or to past conference proceedings
2. Attempt to locate them on Twitter
3. If you find them, tell us (@MagnetismOrg admins) about it.

D) Contribute to discussions about Social Media and Science (MMM or otherwise)

1. Share your thoughts on what can be accomplished with Twitter and other Social Media channels
2. Share your observations on how existing users are already illustrating (1)
3. Get specific:  for the MMM conference series, what are some unique contributions to be made by users of Social Media?

FaceBook for Scientists? (discussion opener)

Educated and employed as a scientist, you have a Facebook page.   You probably use it primarily for interactions with friends and family.  You share photos, videos.   Maybe you post silly remarks, or perhaps others tease you by posting remarks or photos that are not flattering to you.  It's your FB page, for crying out loud, not a professional journal.   So what does it have to do with your identity as a Scientist?    And if you come out of the closet as being a Chemist, Mathematician (yes, I call them Scientists too), Materials Scientist, Astronomer, Biologist...   are there any recommendations for how to achieve maximum benefit to the World and to your Career while limiting possible embarrassment vis-a-vis your hardcore Science friends?   Is this discussion significantly different from a more general discussion of Social Media vs. Career/Work for any random profession?

This is a blog entry, so much of the value (ideally!) will come from remarks added by you, the reader.
It's also just one of many entries I'll offer on this subject.   Let's start with some basic suggestions and concerns.   Then we'll build on it.

1. Audience awareness.  On FB, we tend to address remarks to widely differing groups of people. And unlike Twitter, FB allows us to carefully control the visibility of each post.
2. Forums, groups, pages:  They abound.   Many target professionals (scientists or otherwise)  of a particular area, but are open to the general public.    Learn about these resources, learn from them, and contribute your thoughts, ideas to (yes!) help make the World a Better Place -- and maybe  advance your career in the process.
3. Friending:  Policy, philosophy, ethics.   Not all users who join a discussion in forum will want to immediately accept "add as a friend" requests.   Formulate your own policy, and be prepared to communicate a "No" when necessary - politely.   If you are liberal with your  "friending" habits, do not be offended if somebody else ignores or refuses your request to be their "friend".  Remember... there's always LinkedIn.  Of course even there, many users prefer to restrict their formal "contacts". 
4. Profile:  if nothing else about your profile is public, then at least the material you list here should be screened and evaluated for acceptability and impact when people follow the link from your remark in a forum to your page.   
5. Potential:  Here's where I believe FB and Twitter truly have a great deal to offer to our profession.  Lower the "potential barrier" between those inside the ivory towers or corporate research centers and 'regular citizens'.   Be mindful of confidentiality and IP ownership issues, but engage The World in ways that make it easier for the general public - citizens, voters, and taxpayers! -- to appreciate what we do.   Attract more youngsters into careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  Ensure their expectations are better matched to reality once they arrive.   And last but not least, consider the possibility of involving science enthusiasts of all walks of life and all portions of the planet in generating new scientific knowledge, insight into The Awesome World. 

More some other time.   I'm heading out the door for an early-morning run.  By the way:  if you've come across (or written) material similar to what I am posting, share it  with us!   The more, the merrier.

Apology for accidental re-tweet

Learning about the hazzard of maintaining two Twitter identities.

To followers of the #MMM61 Twitter account:       please excuse me for retweet shared from @MagnetismOrg yesterday.   It has no connection to the conference nor to topics directly related to the conference.

Published by the New York Times, it's very interesting collection  of valuable data on a contemporary dilemma faced by citizens of the United States.    I did not realize my device was "pointed" at the MagnetismOrg accouont when I hit the "ReTweet".

Am grateful to have learned that the corresponding "button" in twitter essentially toggles a retweet on and off: no major difficulty removing the item from the profile.

- Daniel Lottis
  (Supporting 2016 MMM  as Social Media Coordinator)