Twitter Guide for Cancer Center Members
Learn how to create a professional profile, network with your peers and keep up with research news.
The UF Health Cancer Center has joined Twitter - have you?
In recent years, Twitter has been used by a growing number of academics and health care professionals to develop professional networks, consume research news, share discoveries, motivate current and potential patients and provide important and relevant health information to the Twitter community.
The social media platform can serve as a powerful tool to support education, awareness and advocacy between cancer patients, professionals and the public. The platform allows for the public to ask questions of physicians and for physicians to collaborate with others in their field.
Twitter has also become an important element at cancer conferences to start, enhance and influence conversation, comments and questions. Some professionals with large followings even have the opportunity to impact health policies and outcomes, establish a national dialogue and promote topics that cut across disciplines and demographics.
Why Join Twitter?
In a YouGov Healthcare survey, more than half of consumers said a hospital’s social media presence would strongly affect their decision to seek treatment there. Consumers also said they correlate a strong social media presence as a sign that a hospital is more likely to offer leading-edge technology.
But Twitter is not just a tool to communicate with cancer patient populations. Cancer experts can also use Twitter for:
- Professional networking and collaboration
- Learning about and contributing to trending cancer-related topics
- Discussing interesting/difficult cases (Patient confidentiality is critical, but you can garner opinions on treatments/techniques)
- Promoting local health events
- Encouraging the public to look for cancer signs and get check-ups, such as mammograms and colonoscopies
- Sharing cancer research and expertise with a larger audience
- Bolstering the reputation of your institution and yourself as a cancer expert
Twitter Tips
We asked our very own Twitter-savvy cancer experts, Dr. Thomas George, M.D., F.A.C.P., and Dr. Merry-Jennifer Markham, M.D., to explain why and how they use the social media platform and to share Twitter tips with their fellow Cancer Center members:
Why did you join Twitter, and how do you use it?
Dr. George: I first joined Twitter out of curiosity. I had heard from professional colleagues that the communications platform might be valuable as a means to educate, engage and interact with peers and the larger cancer communities, so I jumped in to see what the fuss was all about. I haven’t looked back since.
I use it exclusively in a professional context (no family photos), but that is just my choice and not necessarily right for everyone. In that way, I use it as a means to contribute scientific facts and perspective as a cancer specialist to a conversation and dialogue that is happening in social media anyways. Being in that space offers me a microphone to share thoughts on recent scientific articles, provide commentary on meeting proceedings, support peers and positively promote the professions and people engaged in the eradication of cancer.
Dr. Markham: I first joined Twitter for personal use and increasingly saw the benefit to professional use. I created a professional profile and now use it to share cancer-related information and participate in conversations with other oncologists, researchers, patients and advocates about things that are important to me – gynecologic cancer care, medical education and more.
What's your advice for cancer professionals/researchers who are just getting started on Twitter?
Dr. George: Don’t be scared to try it. It doesn’t bite. You can start off as a wall flower, looking around passively and not engaging until you feel the calling to say something. The important thing at first is just being present to better understand what conversations are relevant to our patients and profession. You can get caught up fairly efficiently with current events and timely news stories as a secondary objective.
Dr. Markham: Sign up, follow people you’d like to listen to, follow profiles that THEY follow and just listen in for a little while. Pay attention to conversations, and just join in. Be authentic. Remember that this is just a communication tool, and how you communicate online should reflect who you are (same as your in-person communication does).
What advice do you have for those looking to increase their following?
Dr. George: Be genuine in your posts and responses so that your online reputation aligns with your professional reputation. Engage in the dialogue that is currently happening without you. Followers will come as your voice adds value to the important conversations being had. As a cancer professional, your voice is important in balancing the conversations.
Dr. Markham: Building your community is best when it happens organically, through sharing quality information, participating in conversations and being authentic and kind.
Common Twitter Pitfalls
A public platform with high visibility can result in negative consequences if it is used incorrectly. While Twitter is a great resource, Cancer Center members should be wary of dangers such as:
- Information lacking quality and reliability.
- Tweets or retweets potentially damaging to professional image.
- Posts violating patient privacy.
- Online communicating with existing patients, as it may violate the patient-health care professional boundary.
- Posts violating professionality; U.S. licensing authorities have reported HCPs for these social media posts, resulting in disciplinary action.
- Responding to a question sent via social media by providing specific medical advice as this could result in a lawsuit.
Avoid these pitfalls:
- Fact check the sources of the information you are sharing or retweeting.
- Refrain from posting unprofessional content.
- Do not violate HIPAA, even when sharing other people’s tweets. When in doubt, check with your communications department.
- Keep in mind the patient-health care provider boundary.
- Do not give direct medical advice to individuals over social media. Instead, encourage people to make an appointment or ask their primary care physician, or share resources to reliable online cancer-focused information (such as Cancer.net).
How to Set Up a Twitter Account
Step 1: Sign Up
First, go to www.twitter.com/signup and fill in the blanks. You’ll want to use your real name, email address, phone number and a strong password.
Step 2: Verify Phone Number
When you first sign up, Twitter will ask for your phone number and will text you a verification code. Type in the verification code to continue.
Step 3: Choose a Twitter Handle
Twitter will suggest a handle for you, but we recommend that you create one for your professional account with your first name and last name — as well as your title, if you like.
For example, “@DrJohnSmith,” “@DrSmith,” “DrSmithUF,” “@RogerSmithMD” etc.
Step 4: Confirm Your Email Address
If you used your email address, go to your email account and click the verification link in the Twitter confirmation email. If you used your phone number, type in the verification code that was texted to you. Voila, you’re officially on Twitter!
Dr. Markham has nearly 5,000 Twitter followers! Check out her username, professional profile picture and biography.
Step 5: Fill Out Your Profile
Before you start following people or tweeting, make sure to spruce up your Twitter page. To do this, click “Profile” and then “Edit Profile.”
We recommend you upload a professional headshot for your profile picture, select a nice header image and write a short biography that encapsulates profession, area of specialty and location. You can even add a link to your professional website. For more profile tips and examples, click here.
You can easily create a header image that is sized correctly by adapting a free Canva template. Canva is a drag-and-drop design tool that is very easy to use. If you need help with this — or need help finding a particular photo, email communications@cancer.ufl.edu.
Step 6: Start “Following” People
Now it’s time to let people know you’re on Twitter. You can search for people you may know by importing your contacts or by just using the search bar. To start building your professional network, follow colleagues, friends and organizations you like or are associated with.
Don’t forget to follow @UFHealthCancer!
Step 7: Send Out a Tweet
Say hi to the Twitter community!
When tweeting, you now have 280 characters to say what you need to say. You can also add pictures and videos, which don’t affect word count, and links and hashtags, which do affect word count, to your tweets to reach a larger audience.
Click here for a guide to Twitter for Health Care Professionals.