The Dietitian In Social Media

The Dietitian in Social MediaA Guide to Branding “YOU”

By: Mary RodavichWVU Dietetic Intern Boot Camp 2012

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Outline

•About Social Media•Blogging•LinkedIn•ePortfolio•Facebook•Twitter•Pinterest•Questions?

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What is Social Media?

A general term to describe all kinds of internet platforms or forums whose contents are created, published, improved and commented on by the users themselves in order to encourage social interaction and an interactive dialogue.

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http://blog.brendanmitchell.com/category/infographics-statistics/

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http://www.socialmedia-max.com/2012/07/user-activity-popular-social-networking-sites/#.UBqZWdWvl2I

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“The beauty of the internet is that it doesn’t matter where you are physically, because you are virtually everywhere.” ~ Nadine Fisher, MS, RD, LD

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Opportunities for Dietitians•Building an online presence•Creating online resources•Connecting with colleagues locally, state-

wide, nationally, and internationally•Communicating, teaching, learning,

exchanging, sharing information and ideas•Use our credentials so the public isn’t

misguided by phonies•Promote you and your brand…it’s free

advertising!

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What is your social media identity?

•This depends on:▫Your passion▫The type of “brand” or “character” you

want to portray▫Who is in your social media “community”?▫Your expertise▫Your writing style

•Most importantly…BE YOURSELF!

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WVU’s Social Media Guidelines

1. Never post any personal health information (PHI) about an individual patient to any electronic media.

2. Never post a photograph or image of a patient to any electronic media

3. Never become an electronic "friend" of a patient in any electronic media

4. Maintain professionalism standards 5. Keep personal views separate from

University posts.

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6. Do not cite or reference colleagues or co-workers without their approval. 7. Before posting, consider your audience. Future employers may search the web to screen applicants.8. Find the full set of WVU guidelines here:

http://web.ur.wvu.edu/policies_and_guidelines/social_media

9. Find the full set of WVU Health Sciences guidelines here: http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/Admin/HSC-Policies-Guidelines/HSC-Social-Media-Guidelines

WVU’s Social Media Guidelines

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DO’s of Social Media

•Be yourself•Be professional•Differentiate yourself – find your niche •Use lots of pictures – be appropriate•Update, update, update•Be searchable (SEO)•Use proper grammar and spelling•Cite your sources•Be patient

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DON’Ts of Social Media

•Mix personal and professional sites•Use inappropriate or hostile language•Represent yourself or the university in a

negative light•Inappropriate profile picture•Neglect replies•Divulge very personal information•Plagiarize

Blogging 101

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Blogging

•A discussion or information site published on the internet consisting of entries or posts typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first.

•Types: ▫Personal blogs▫Corporate/business▫Genre – focuses on a particular subject (ie.

health, politics, travel, etc.)

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Wordpress is The Most Popular Free Blogging Site

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/08/02/blogging-statistics-facts-and-figures-in-2012-infographic/

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Purpose of your blog

•Journal of your dietetic internship experience

•Showcase your personality, voice, and overall philosophy

•Share nutrition knowledge•Be a “go-to” expert•Displays your talents to potential

employers and clients

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Blogging – Getting signed up Go to www.wordpress.com

Click “Get Started Here” Blog address:

Should have wvudietetics at the end of your name Username:

Should have wvudietetics13 at the end of your name ▫The number at the end of your username refers to the

year that you begin your internship rotations Update your profile:

Activate account through email you provided Choose a theme

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Customize your blog

•Choose a free theme▫Go to Appearance -> Themes in your

Dashboard •Header image/picture •Upload Gravitar Image

▫Your blog picture to be used as your blog image across WordPress.com. This image will be used to the left of the URL in the address bar.

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Posts vs. Pages

•Posts: Entries listed in reverse chronological order on the blog home page

•Pages: Are static and are not listed by date.▫Create an “ABOUT ME” Page

Subpages

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Steps to Writing a Post

Add a Title

Write Content

Choose Categories

Add Tags

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Blog Writing Tips

•Catchy headlines•LOTS of pictures, videos, Power Points•Easy to read posts

▫500-1000 words, lists, bullet points•Stay current•Run polls and surveys•Have fun and mix things up•Re-blog other interesting blog posts•Study other RD blogs

▫ Janet Helm, MS RD at nutritionunplugged.com▫ Jessica McGovern RD at greateatspectations.blogspot.com▫ Katie Hamm RD at healthyandhappyhour.com▫ Melanie Thomassian RD at dietriffic.com

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Categories vs. Tags

•Used to describe your posts•Assigning tags and categories to your

post increases the chance that other WordPress.com users will see your content

•Categories = Broad•Tags = Specific

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Categories vs. Tags

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Widgets• A fancy word for tools or content that you can

add, arrange, and remove from the sidebars of your blog.

• Appearance > Widgets• Example widgets:

▫Category lists▫Blog stats▫ Image of you▫Calendar▫Your top posts/pages▫Etc.

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Site Stats

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Site Stats

•Number of views•Views by country•Referrers•Top views and pages•Search engine terms•Clicks

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How To Get More Views1. Get social!

▫ Use social media outlets, widgets▫ Add your pages to StumbleUpon.com

2. Read and comment on other blogs3. Add links to other blogs and sites4. Encourage your “real life” friends and family to

read your blog5. Link all of your social media sites together (ie.

Blog, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc)6. Blog often7. Patience

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“Publicize” Feature• Settings > Sharing > Publicize• Publicize makes it easy to share your

WordPress.com posts on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Yahoo!, and Linkedin.• WordPress.com also sends your published

blog posts to several places to automatically promote them for you.

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“Publicize” Feature

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Sharing ButtonsAt the bottom of each post, sharing buttons allow you and your readers to share your content across a range of social networks.Settings > Sharing > Sharing buttons

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Can I Make $$$ Blogging?

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/08/02/blogging-statistics-facts-and-figures-in-2012-infographic/

Professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate of 100+ new members every

minute!

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What is LinkedIn?

•A social networking website for people in professional occupations.

•Networking and connections•Highlights your professional resume•Recent college graduates are the fasting

growing demographic on the site

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Features

•Find past and present colleagues/classmates

•Continuously updated resume•Job postings

▫Can follow different companies•Potential employers may look at a

candidates profile•You can see who views your profile

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1 in 6 workers use social networks to get hired.

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/04/23/48-significant-social-media-facts-figures-and-statistics-plus-7-infographics/

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Add Sections to Your Profile

•Professional picture•Work experience•Education

▫GPA, Courses•Clubs, extracurriculars•Certifications

▫ServSafe, Food Worker’s Permit, etc.•Honors/Awards•Professional memberships

▫The Academy, WVDA

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Add Sections to Your Profile

•Summary of your professional goals•Skills•Expertise•Blog and ePortfolio links•Publications•WordPress Application

▫Displays your recent blog posts•Recommendations

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Stats

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LinkedIn Tips

•Make connections!•Brand yourself•Seek recommendations•Join professional groups•Make sure profile is 100% complete•Follow companies•Link with other social media accounts•Stick to business•Make profile public

ePortfolio

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What is an ePortfolio?

•Electronic portfolios are selective and purposeful collections of work assembled to demonstrate personal achievement and abilities and are made available on the internet

•Basically an extended resume•Use Wix.com

•My ePortfolio:▫ http://maryrodavich.wix.com/maryrodavich

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Why should you create one?

•Job seeking tool: It is something tangible that you can show to a potential employer to prove what you are capable of.

•Showcases your best work•Permanent •Makes you stand out

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Ideas for your ePortfolio• About Me page• Career goals and objectives• Resume • Work examples

▫Projects▫Papers▫Presentations

• Nutrition-related photos of you• Organizations• Community involvement, volunteering• Activities• Competencies/skills• Contact info

Facebook

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Facebook Tips

•Use your cover photo to showcase your personality

•Update your education/work info often•Add milestones and images to further

enhance your image•Customize your privacy settings to hide

photos/posts that are unfavorable•Make your personal Facebook PRIVATE

▫Includes all photo albums•Make a separate Facebook account?

A Tweet is a “Micro-Blog”

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http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/04/23/48-significant-social-media-facts-figures-and-statistics-plus-7-infographics/

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“Twitter Lingo”

•Tweet - <140 characters

•Retweet - Re-posting of someone else's Tweet

•Mention - Mention another user in your Tweet by including the @ sign followed directly by their username

•Avatar – Uploaded image of yourself displayed on your profile

•Hashtagging - People use the # symbol before a relevant keyword or phrase (no spaces) in their Tweet.

•Trending – Popular topics at that particular tim

•Favoriting – When you like someone else’s tweet. Shows up under your ‘favorites’ tab

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Twitter Tips

•Privacy▫Protected – Only your followers can view your

profile▫Public – Anyone can view your profile

•Below your name:▫Add your blog URL as your website▫Add a short bio about who you are

•Tweet about current nutrition topics•Follow relevant RDs and nutrition experts

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Nutrition Experts to follow on Twitter

• Joy Bauer MS RD• Janet Helm MS RD • Claudia Zapata MS RD• Rebecca Scritchfield

RD• Dr. Mehmet Oz• Jenny Westerkamp RD• ChooseMyPlate.gov• Health Magazine• Mayo Clinic• Elisa Zied RD

• Nutrition.gov• USDA Team Nutrition• Jamie Oliver• Dr. David Katz• The Nutrition Twins• Nutrition Blog

Network• Women’s Health

Magazine• Today’s Dietitian• Eat Right (AND)

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What is Pinterest?A pin-board style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies, and more.

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Pinterest is GROWING

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/04/23/48-significant-social-media-facts-figures-and-statistics-plus-7-infographics/

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Boards and Pinning

•Boards are usually themed so pins can easily be organized, categorized and discovered by other users▫Ex: Food & drink, health

•‘Re-pin' images to you own collections or 'like' photos.

•Follow your friends who are also on Pinterest

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“Food & Drink” is #2 Most Popular Category

http://www.repinly.com/stats.aspx

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Questions?