 So you're on Facebook and you watch YouTube videos and you're thinking maybe it's time to use social media for my science. Well, the good news is you're not late to the game. The numbers aren't well documented, but only a minority of scientists are using these platforms to communicate science. Which one are you going to use? Well, that really depends on your goals and your personality. If your science is photogenic, then maybe Instagram might be right for you. If you're an entertainer, then perhaps TikTok is your home. The most popular overall is Twitter. It's a great compromise between media and text, and it facilitates fast conversations. Plus, that's where the media and your colleagues are. But remember that all of these platforms serve limited audiences, and each audience is going to vary by education, age, income, and nationality. Plus, China has a completely different ecosystem. Before committing, weigh the pros and cons. I think the pros vastly outweigh the cons, but there are real trade-offs to going online. I'll put further information in the description. Okay, you've committed. You're going to be an outreach master, and in fact, you're going to be the next Bill Nye. Reality check, you're not. The average scientist has followers in the hundreds. Only a very small percentage break the thousand mark in a truly infantestible number to get beyond that. But that's okay. Even if you start with a small audience of mostly your peers, you're communicating, and you'll benefit from that exchange. But as you continue posting, your following will grow, and with it, your public impact. So how do you grow your followers? Well, obviously you've got to make content, but the content also has to be good. What is good? That strongly depends on your audience. If you're reaching out to farmers, your content is obviously going to be very different than to tweens. What I've found that resonates are things that add value to news or things that entertain. Images always help, as does a sense of humor, and if you're willing to take the risk getting a little bit personal and exposing yourself. Now, that's my approach, and honestly, your mileage with that is going to vary. Also, as a caveat, I'm not a social media influencer. But you know who is? Actual influencers. Here's a demonstration of the power of social media for networking and knowledge exchange. I just reached out and I asked. Now, you can check the whole thread out, and you can read the responses in detail. But these are scientists, working scientists, who have essentially one Twitter. They're Psycom Elite. Each one has followers in the order of tens or hundreds of thousands. And their advice is nicely summed up by this response by Steve Gibbons. Have fun, be honest, share what excites you, block the trolls without mercy, and above all, be kind. Have fun.