Anatomy of a Tweet workshop: how to use social media as an academic tool

This workshop welcomes novices and existing social media users alike, to collaborate and participate in using social media in order to disseminate information and network with other delegates. This workshop will inform delegates how social media can be effectively used long-term for both professional and educational purposes, beyond the conclusion of the conference. New users will be inspired to create their own academic Twitter accounts and to become confident in tweeting, while existing users will be encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge of Twitter for professional use. Recent literature that has described how social media is being used in medical education will be presented by the workshop facilitators, all of whom are actively incorporating social media into their teaching and academic practice at three separate UK medical schools. Their individual experiences of using social media in this way will be presented for discussion as well as recent research data that they have collected. Participants will experience how the presenters (as individual academics) and the Anatomical Society itself (as a professional body) is using social media to increase dissemination and outreach across the anatomical, medical, research and education communities. How such utility, ideas and concepts are transferrable to delegates who wish to increase their social media presence and digital literacy skills will be highlighted. The workshop will conclude by setting delegates a list of conference-associated-challenges on Twitter, with the intention that participants will develop their social media skills and their professional networks by completing these tasks during the Summer Meeting.