On Overview: Using the Tools of Social Media to Build our Community of Practice

On Overview: Using the Tools of Social Media to Build our Community of Practice     Social media applications can contribute to increased dissemination and partner engagement.  The key question-how and in what manner can social media be used effectively to increase audience engagement and better disseminate impactful and relevant health and safety information and what platforms have the most measureable benefits? This presentation will report on the general field of new media and more specifically early developments at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) using qualitative comparison data, click- thru metrics, content analysis of direct messages and focus group information on the use of four social media platforms, Wikipedia, Twitter, MySpace and the NIOSH Science Blog to deliver and measure the impact of occupational safety and health information and expand engagement with both professional and general audiences. Participants will develop and understanding of social media platforms and their unique characteristics through direct participation in exercises on their laptop.