Enhancing AOML science communications via social media platforms

With the development of more affordable technology, the presence of online informative and social media websites promoting public awareness of science has increased. The communications department at AOML began using two new forms of social media, Twitter and Publiscize, to enlighten the public on its science policy issues. To gauge if Twitter and Publiscize are effective tools for AOML to increase the traffic on its website, we analyzed both forms of social media during the summer of 2014. We also looked at the use of Publiscize as a tool for individual scientists to use in promoting their own research and over the course of five months we consistently updated the both sites with new content. Using websites such as Google Analytics, Twitter Analytics, etc., we learned both Publiscize and Twitter, compared to the previous year, increased in not only the number of sessions via social media on AOML’s website, but enhanced the amount of energy put into AOML’s online presence. Due to the relatively recent introduction of Publiscize to the scientific community, individual scientists did not make using this website an immediate priority, but with a continued effort within the site, we believe it can become a valuable transitioning tool from the scientific community to the public. We recommend a continuation of these analyses and constant updating of protocols on both sites to ensure and demonstrate how these social media sites can benefit AOML in terms of informative output