BACK of the BOOK
The Break Room
@BLDCANCERDOC,
OR HOW I LEARNED TO
STOP WORRYING AND
LOVE TWITTER
By Navneet Majhail, MD, MS
am a recent convert to Twitter. For a while, I
was the average Twitter Joe – following a few
important people and being followed mainly by
my colleagues at Cleveland Clinic (who I suspect
chose to follow me more out of courtesy than
anything smart I had to say).
Ahead of the ASH annual meeting last December, I
had no premeditated plans to boost my tweeting habits at
the meeting, but a few days ahead of the meeting, I saw
Twitter light up with excitement. Before I knew it, I was
sucked into this alternate reality.
So, while my esteemed colleagues were likely making
important contributions to medicine, building collaborations, and advancing science, I immersed myself in the
Twitter-verse.
My experience with Twitter at the ASH annual meeting
changed my views on the value of the 140-characters-orless social media platform, though. Here are some of the
lessons I learned at the conference, and the takeaways that
I’m continuing to use in my daily Twitter habits. One note:
For the benefit of my non–Twitter-initiated colleagues
(and to the chagrin of my Twitter colleagues), I have used
significantly more than 140 characters for most comments.
• It was a great way to follow the meeting because I could
“virtually” attend several sessions simultaneously. My
fellow hematology “Tweeps” and I were providing realtime details of other presentations, and since the tweets
were short, I could get the gist of other presentations
literally in a few seconds.
• Following the Twitter timelines was a great way to
filter out the riff raff. The ground-breaking and truly
interesting research was posted on the top of the
timelines, as several people would “retweet,” “quote,” or
“favorite” those tweets.
• There was real-time commentary and
discussion, including comments by
experts and stalwarts in the field (yes,
people with white hair and bifocals
can learn to use Twitter). At times, it
was more robust and spirited than the
questions that were being posed to
speakers.
• Many patients, patient advocates, and
patient advocacy organizations were
present and tweeting at the conference –
I could get their perspective on advances
in the field and understand what really
mattered to them.
• Twitter was a great way for people to
“virtually” attend the meeting. Initially, I
was oblivious to the fact that I was being
followed by patients at the meeting, but
I was deeply touched when a patient
thanked me for helping her be a part
of the meeting. Patients also reached
out for help in translating the scientific
jargon and for my opinion on the data
being presented.
• Before joining Twitter, I did not know
many of the clinicians and researchers I
now call my “Tweeps,” but we bonded in
the cloud. When we physically ran into
each other at the meeting in December,
we met as if we had known each other
through several reincarnations.
ASHClinicalNews.org
• Over the course of the meeting, we developed a
close-knit ASH Twitter community, and I became a
Twitterati! I gained close to 100 new followers, and I
became aware that I was being followed by some very
important people (my boss at Cleveland Clinic, Brian
Bolwell, for one!).
• It was a great (and free!) way to spread word about
the great work and research being done by younger
colleagues, trainees, and mentees. As a resident or a
fellow, I would have been overjoyed if my mentor had
shared my research on Twitter for the world to see.
My views of the
140-characters-or-less
social media platform
changed drastically at
the annual meeting.
I was sucked into the
Twitter-verse.
Overall, becoming more acquainted with Twitter and its
uses at the annual meeting was a more rewarding experience than I would have guessed, and I am certain there
were other intangible benefits. My tweets also must have
reassured my bosses that I was actually attending the meeting. Occasionally, Twitter even served as a fun distraction
from the intense and data-packed sessions – especially for
the people I corralled for my Twitter photos. My texting
speed and accuracy have certainly improved, as well,
which I hope will raise my “coolness” factor in my teenage
daughter’s eyes.
Like any other new and exciting tool, Twitter does
have some drawbacks. For one, I could no longer hide
– my “followers” knew where I was. Then there are the
health-related side effects: I have very likely contributed to
premature neck and finger arthritis, and, after a few near
misses, I learned that Twittering while walking is not safe. I
also have to reluctantly admit that I have become a Twitter
junkie; I might have to check into rehab soon.
On the plane trip home from San Francisco, I had
already started to miss my ASH Tweeps – but am already
flexing my phalanges for #ASH15. ●
Navneet Majhail, MD, MS, is director of the Blood & Marrow Transplant Program at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. He
tweets at @BldCancerDoc.
ASH Clinical News
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