How to Keep Abreast of Scientific Developments with the Help of Social Media

The area of science is an expansive one and one that is constantly in flux. With this being the case, it can be hard to keep track of the latest advances that the various sectors of the scientific community throw up. Of course, the biggest stories are going to make the news and grab all the headlines but there are also developments being made on a smaller scale that deserve to be acknowledged and should be shared on a larger scale for the benefit of those interested in the world of science.

For professional scientists, there is an endless line of magazines and journals to sign up to and browse through. However, for amateur scientists, i.e. those of us with an interest in the area, it can be harder to know where to look or which sources are to be trusted. Similarly, given that there is such a large amount of information out there and it refers to a considerable amount of different topics, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Therefore, a lot of these people are looking for guidance from someone who knows what they are talking about. There is one medium which has proven to be incredibly helpful in this area and it continues to grow in terms of the relationship it has with all things science-related. This medium is social media.

What connects social media and science?

While social media initially started out as a place for friends and family to keep in touch, it has evolved into something far greater. People began to use it as a place to share their opinions with the wider world, something that became more relevant as the number of social media users began to explode. Currently, it can be seen as a place to exchange ideas with several billion people spread across the globe. This is the case for a whole range of topics and the many branches of science are amongst those included. As such, if you are interested in science, this can be a simple enough way for you to stay in the know about what's going on. Additionally, if you have your own thoughts and ideas about science and you are interested in sharing them with a massive potential audience, it is worth your time exploring social media and thinking about how you can get the most attention. There are many ways in which this can be done. The crucial thing is maximising the attention you can get and here we will give you some ideas on just how you can do that.

Paying for social media features

The popularity of one social media user over another is not always as simple as being down to the quality of the content that both parties offer. An important factor when it comes to popularity on social media, and one that is becoming increasingly more relevant, is the levels of interaction that each social media profile has. The more interaction an account gets, the more visible it will be. This makes it more likely to pop up on people's feeds and in search results, thus making it easier for unfamiliar people to discover it. Interaction comes in many different forms but some of the key features that will prove useful are views, likes, comments and followers. These features will come to your profile organically over time but if you want to speed up the process, it is possible to go out and purchase these features. Insta4likes.com is a typical example of the numerous websites out there where you can buy them. Have a look through it to get an idea of the offers available.

Other ways that can be used to make a name for yourself on social media

In addition to paying for your social media features, there are other approaches that can be used to attract the interaction required to give your profile a boost. However, these approaches do not offer the guaranteed results that come from the purchase of social media features.

Hashtags

Hashtags are an incredibly useful tool when using social media. Hashtags can be one word or several of them joined together. They serve as a way to help social media users identify the content of your post without having to read all the way through it. This can be very helpful if you are looking to catch the attention of people who are looking for a specific topic. It is recommended that you use about eleven hashtags per post. This gives you a chance to mix general and specific hashtags and, therefore, help you grab the interest of even more people. At the time of writing, there are currently just over eleven million Instagram posts using the #science hashtag. #science is probably the most general hashtag possible for this area so by adding a hashtag or several of them which give more of an idea about the exact topic, you are also able to catch the attention of those who specifically search for topics like #space or #biology.

Following other users

This is a way for you to get your name on the radar of other science fans as you will be recommended to others who are interested in the topic. In addition, you should follow the social media accounts of big names in science and engage with them. You can also use their content as inspiration and see what works for them and what might or might not work for you. By engaging with other members of the social media scientific community, you will have their attention brought your way.