Hashtags, hat-tips and #hpmglobal: using social media to enhance palliative care practiceElissa CampbellAdvanced TraineePalliative Care Masterclass, 24 May 2014

Audience survey• (public shaming)

What is social media?

What is social media?• websites and applications that enable users to create and

share content or to participate in social networking.• Includes:• Blogs (Blogger, wordpress, tumblr)• Video sharing (YouTube, Vimeo)• Facebook• Twitter• Instagram• Pinterest• Snapchat• Foursquare• and countless others

Different social media

What social media to use?

What is Twitter?

• Online social networking and “micro-blogging” service• Users (“tweeps”) send and read 140 character text

messages (“tweets”)• Unregistered users can only read messages, not send

them• Users have handles (usernames) • e.g. @Elissa_Campbell

• Users may follow others’ tweets – tweets appear in reverse chronological order in the user’s twitter feed• Users may retweet (RT) others’ tweets• Users may group tweets into topics using #hashtags

What is Twitter?• RT• MT• HT• Hashtags• #ff

Hashtags to follow• #hpmglobal• #hpm• #hpmjc• #palliative• #hcsmanz• #EoLC• #dyingmatters

Benefits of Twitter• Engage with palliative care doctors, other healthcare

professionals, consumers, policy-makers, politicians – it’s a level playing field

• Palliative Care Journal Club (#hpmjc)• The latest, relevant literature (and mainstream media articles)

curated for you by your fellow Tweeps• Follow conferences (#hpm14, #PCNA14, #PallCareConf)• Start a movement (#hellomynameis, #YODO, #CoPayStories)