Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research

Twitter’s potential to enhance professional networking

Power, A. (2015) Twitter’s potential to enhance professional networking. British Journal of Midwifery. 23(1), pp. 65-67. 0969-4900.

Item Type: Article
Abstract: Twitter is a microblogging service where users can ‘tweet’ short messages of 140 characters. Historically it was seen as a platform for personal communication; however, more recently it has been adopted by a growing body of health professionals and academics to communicate, access, share and disseminate professional information. Tweets can include links to blogs, web pages, images, videos, journal articles or provide real-time feedback from a live event such as a conference, thereby disseminating information to a potentially global audience. In the UK it has been suggested that its widespread acceptance by health professionals in a professional context is slow, with ‘workforce knowledge deficits or the fear of reprimand and retribution’ being cited as barriers to its adoption (Ferguson, 2013: 746). Could these barriers be responsible for midwives’ hesitancy to engage with Twitter? Twitter can be used effectively and productively for professional discourse and networking if used judiciously with appropriate privacy settings in accordance with The Code (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2008). This ‘how to’ guide will take you through the registration process, introduce you to Twitter jargon and provide you with suggestions of key accounts to follow. Finally it will provide you with an opportunity to ‘meet’ experienced and novice tweeters to demonstrate the potential for Twitter to support and inform midwifery practice.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Twitter, professional networking, social media, continuing professional development, online communication
Subjects: R Medicine > R Medicine (General) > R858 Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics > R859.7.S63 Social media in medicine
R Medicine > RT Nursing > RT50 Nursing informatics > RT50.5 Social media
R Medicine > RG Gynecology and obstetrics > RG950 Midwifery
Creators: Power, Alison
Publisher: MA Healthcare Ltd.
Northamptonshire and East Midlands: Health
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Faculty of Health & Society > Midwifery
Faculties > Faculty of Health & Society > Midwifery
Date: 3 January 2015
Date Type: Publication
Page Range: pp. 65-67
Journal or Publication Title: British Journal of Midwifery
Volume: 23
Number: 1
Language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12968/bjom.2015.23.1.65
ISSN: 0969-4900
Status: Published / Disseminated
URI: http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/7274

Actions (login required)

Edit Item Edit Item