#ACR15 Tweetup – San Francisco

Paul SufkaConferences, Education, Social Media

FB-AM-Tweet-Up
“It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much.” — Yogi Berra

#ACR15 Tweetup

The Tweetup has become an yearly event at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting, and the use of Twitter at medical conferences is now so ubiquitous that it is indexed and searchable on Symplur, which includes the meeting hashtag for this year: #ACR15.

Twitter has shown huge value in allowing individuals to build their own personal learning network, but nothing compares to forming and strengthening these connections in person at events like the Tweetup. (If you’re relatively introverted like me, I highly suggest this YouTube video on networking by Tim Ferriss: How to Rock SXSW in 4 Hours).

At this point, if you’re not using Twitter as a tool for lifelong learning, you’re missing out. Influential physicians such as Dr. Eric Topol (@EricTopol) have discussed how Twitter has helped him maximize his productivity, and the Dean of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Jeffrey Flier (@jflier), was recently profiled about the value of Twitter in the Wall Street Journal.

As Dr. Bryan Vartabedian has written, we’ve reached the point of application of social media:

”We’ve reached a point where social media is now part of the professional workflow. While it’s a minority that understand and leverage these tools, the ones who are onboard are helping reshape the image of our organizations and our profession. Those of us creating, curating and conversing in the great wide open will continue to benefit from our public presence.”

If you’re new to Twitter, don’t worry. A quick primer can be found in last year’s ACR Social Media Bootcamp presentations:

The goal of the Tweetup is always to give people a chance to connect on the topic of social media in rheumatology and medicine. Every year, it leads me to new projects such as #RheumJC, the recently formed Rheumatology Twitter-Based Journal Club. I hope others find similar opportunities from attending.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Tweetup!