I'm going to begin this post by stating my conclusion. My task to you -- Get a Twitter account and follow some fellow Tweeters. See what all the fuss is all about. As much as you may try avoid to Twitter, it's here to stay. Might as well jump in.What is Twitter?
Twitter is a social media platform which allows you to microblog. You can only post 140 characters per post. It forces you to be concise. However, you actually don't have to post anything. You can just read the posts of those whom you "follow". To avoid having Twitter be idle chatter and noise for you, be selective in who these people are. Avoid those who post trivial things like "eating dinner now" or "the sky is blue".
For example, I use Twitter primarily for work-related posts (and Oprah, of course). A snapshot of my twitter page looks like:
As an emergency physician, I have found a few interesting people and sites to follow for work. For instance, I follow CNN Breaking News, CDC Emergency, Dr. Mel Herbert (USC), and ACEP News. You can check Tweets from your computer or your handheld device. I check and post from my iPhone, using the free app called TwitterFon.
In this month's Annals of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Eric Berger eloquently explains the power of Twitter and its potential impact for us as emergency physicians. An example of Twitter's potential to quickly disseminate critical information was the real-time updating of the 2007 San Diego fire.
Sample Twitter posts:
("RT" means that it's a "re-tweet", or re-posting from another person/site.)
CNN - Aspirin fights heart attacks, but daily doses aren’t for everyone. Read what experts have to say http://bit.ly/aUpZC
CDCemergency - RT @CDCFlu Update 8/14/09: 7,511 hospitalized cases of novel H1N1 flu, 477 deaths, 51 states/territories reporting: http://is.gd/2gXiV
ACEPNews - Study shows quality improvement in a trauma center more important than experience of surgeon http://bit.ly/AOz99
melherbert - Rounds LIVE tomorrow at www.emrap.tv/live. ETOH withdrawal, sedation, C-Spine injuries, vertebral dissection, board review etc. 9am PST
m_lin Wishing I could clone myself. SELF A would see patients and deal with hospital inefficiencies. SELF B would teach. Lots of eager learners.Resource:
Berger E. This Sentence Easily Would Fit on Twitter: Emergency Physicians Are Learning to “Tweet”. Ann of Emerg Med. 2009 Aug; 54(2):A23-25.