This comprehensive, introductory guide will help interested physicians establish a presence on Twitter.

1. Social Media 101
A Physician’s Guide to Getting Started on
Authors
Eric Glazer, Vice President, Physician Engagement & Social Media, Best Doctors |@EricGlazer
Kelli Slimp, Content and Programming Producer, Physician Engagement & Social Media, Best Doctors |@kellislimp
Physician Instructors
Garry Choy, MD, Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts | @GarryChoy
Howard Luks, MD, Orthopedic Surgery, New York Medical College and University Orthopedics, New York | @hjluks
Matthew Katz, MD, Oncology, Radiation Oncology Associates, New England | @subatomicdoc
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc

2. Table of Contents
I. About Best Doctors V. Defining Your Twitter Objectives
II. What is Twitter? a. Questions to Ask Yourself
III. Why are Physicians Using Twitter? b. Develop Goals
IV. Getting Started c. Keep it Personal and Social
a) Username and Password d. In Short
b) Following Other Users VI. Who is Using Twitter?
c) Account Bio a. Physicians and Others Using Twitter
d) Account Settings b. Hashtags to Follow
e) Finding Other Users by Keyword Search VII. Use Twitter more Effectively
f) Composing a Tweet a. Mobile Twitter
g) Direct Mentions and @-Mentions b. Twitter Aggregate Tools
h) Hashtags c. Link Shorteners
i) Retweets and Modified Tweets VIII. Glossary of Basic Twitter Terms
j) The Value of Retweeting IX. Contact the Authors
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc

3. About Best Doctors
Best Doctors provides expert medical consultation services to over 30 million people globally.
We do this through a medical analytical process in which we bring together the right
physicians to evaluate a patient case at the right point in time
Our expert physicians or Best Doctors are identified through a nationwide peer-polling
process.
In the US, Best Doctors is hired by large employers such as Home Depot, Procter & Gamble
and Pepsi to help individuals and their treating physicians be absolutely sure they have the
right diagnosis and right treatment.
We believe in the importance of collaboration amongst medical peers, and between patients
and physicians. Social media channels has the potential to be a live altering communication
tool in certain cases and as such we are happy to provide this Physician’s Guide to Twitter.
Best Doctors was founded in 1989 by two Harvard professors.
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc 3

4. What is Twitter?
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc 4

5. Think of Twitter as a Networking Reception that never ends ….
• Short updates on users’ interest or activities
• Opportunity to connect with those talking
about your interests
• Ability to share content succinctly and with an
engaged, far-reaching audience
• No reason to listen to those who have
unrelated or irrelevant content
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc What is Twitter? 5

6. Twitter describes itself as, “a service for friends, family, and co–workers to
communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers
to one simple question: What are you doing?”
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc What is Twitter? 6

7. At its core, Twitter is an online social networking platform which allows
users to share text-based content of up to 140 characters with their
followers.
This allows each tweet to be part of a worldwide conversation which can
translate to powerful and connected patient-to-physician or peer-to-peer-
physician communication.
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc What is Twitter? 7

8. Why are Physicians using Twitter?
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc 8

9. There are currently ~1,500 physicians on Twitter, and the number is growing
Physicians use Twitter to:
• Stay abreast of trends, news and research in the
medical profession
• Connect with patients in real time
• Interact with other physicians or specialty peers
• Establish collaborative relationships with other
physicians and healthcare professionals
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Why are Physicians Using Twitter? 9

10. Twitter can provide physicians with:
• Links to clinical resources via other physicians’ posts
• News and links concerning medical politics
• Information on current patient concerns
• Notes and discussion with peers on complex cases
Twitter can allow physicians to:
• Establish a foundation of followers for a blog or website
• Post links to interesting news articles or blog posts
• Engage in online dialogue and develop peer relationships
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Why are Physicians Using Twitter? 10

11. Getting Started
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc 11

12. Username and Password
• Go to www.twitter.com
• Enter your real name
• Enter your e-mail
• Choose a password
• Click “Sign Up”
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 12

13. Upon registering, you will receive an e-mail with a link to click on to confirm your registration.
Enter your REAL
name. Twitter is
about real people
Insert your e-mail
address and password
Choose a username If you share your computer
that will most with others, we advise you to
accurately describe you NOT check this box. This will
help protect your privacy.
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 13

14. Twitter will take you through a series of steps to help you build a quick network of interest
Follow the on-screen instructions
Your tweet stream
will show on the right
Click on Next
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 14

15. Following Other Users
By following people that have the same
interests as you or educational leaders and
organizations, you can create a powerful
learning network on the fly
Click on “Follow”
You can skip any of the following
presented steps by clicking on “Skip this
step” to the bottom left
Don’t feel obliged to follow someone - your
twitter experience will be determined by
those who you follow, so follow reputable
sources.
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 15

16. Account Bio
Upload a photo of yourself
Say something about
yourself that will give
potential followers a
sense of what you do or Dedicated to physician collaboration
your interests via social media
You can always access your
Account Settings by clicking
the Account icon and choosing
“Settings”
eglazer@bestdoctors.com
Make sure that your
biographical information is
professional and takes your
privacy into account
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 16

17. Your Account Bio should resemble this when completed:
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 17

18. Account Settings
Change your time zone to the
appropriate selection
Choose if you want others to see
your location (you will then be able
to locate others near you)
Un-check ‘Protect my tweets.’ Do NOT
protect your tweets – your post will not
display in the conference stream if you do!
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 18

19. Finding Users by Keyword Search
Search for colleagues by typing relevant keywords into the search bar
If you like what you
see, click “Follow”
Before you follow
someone, first click
on their name to
learn more about
them
You can always unfollow someone if
they do not add value to your Twitter
experience
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 19

20. Composing a Tweet
Tweets are in reverse chronological order with the newest at the top.
Your tweet stream appears on the right.
Write your new tweet (status update) here
Or click here to
open a new
tweet window
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 20

21. Direct Mentions (DM) and @-Mentions (@)
There are 2 ways to communicate with another user on Twitter
@ will send a
public message Direct Message (DM)
to a user will send a private
message to a user
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 21

22. Hashtags (#)
You can also include a hashtag before keywords in your own Tweet so that when another user performs a
hashtag search, your Tweet will be added to the conversation.
Searching keyword(s)
preceded by a hashtag (#) lets
you follow conversations
about the word(s)
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 22

23. Retweets (RT)
‘Retweeting’ allows you to tweet an exact copy of another’s post
This is a post which has been
‘retweeted’ (RT) from @ericglazer
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 23

24. The Value of Retweeting
The value of RT is that you become a filter for your followers and
create relationships for a powerful network
• Check the resources first
before passing it on!
• Think if you REALLY want to
pass it on!
Re-tweeting means that you value the information and feel that it is worthwhile to pass on. It adds value to
your followers’ experience.
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Getting Started 24

25. Defining Your Twitter Objectives
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc 25

26. Ask Yourself…
• Will you engage with patients, physicians or both?
• What is your purpose in posting status updates?
• Have you identified credible Tweeters or hashtags (#) to follow?
• Will you use Twitter to inform others of your own work or as a means of linking to
interesting news and articles?
• Will your Twitter channel present a strictly clinical profile, or will you share personal
thoughts and opinions?
• How will you respond to legally sensitive questions or situations?
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Defining Your Twitter Objectives 26

27. Develop Goals such as…
• Increase interactions with patients
• Engage in meaningful professional dialogue with physician peers
• Stay abreast of medical news
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Defining Your Twitter Objectives 27

28. Keep it Personal and Social…
• Use the keyword search bar to find others tweeting about topics relevant to you, and
then follow them
• Engage others in conversation if appropriate
• Retweet (RT) others’ posts to your followers
• Post your own thoughts or opinions, and be sure to use a hashtag (#) to highlight
relevant keywords
• Be sure to curate content from around the web to post as well, and always give credit to
content sources
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29. In Short…
• Follow colleagues/friends
• Follow those who are tweeting relevant news
• “RT” other news
• “Reply” to other members on twitter – start a conversation
• Follow hashtags
• Follow conversations or tweets of those that interest you
• Identify topics that you may want to become more actively engaged in sharing content
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Defining Your Twitter Objectives 29

30. Who is Using Twitter?
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc 30

31. Physicians and Others in Healthcare Using Twitter
• Kent Bottles @KentBottles
• Garry Choy @GarryChoy
• Val Jones @drval
• Matthew Katz @subatomicdoc
• Ronan Kavanagh @RonanTKavanagh
• Howard Luks @hjluks
• Berci Mesko @Berci
• Kevin Pho @kevinmd
• Mike Sevilla @drmikesevilla
• Michael Thompson @mtmdphd
• Bryan Vartabedian @Doctor_V
• Mayo Clinic: @MayoClinic
• Stanford University School of Medicine: @SUMedicine
• Duke University School of Medicine: @Duke_Medicine
• Harvard Medical School: @HarvardHealth
• American Medical Association: @AmerMedicalAssn
More doctors are listed at http://twitterdoctors.net/
For a full list of over 300 doctors on Twitter, email Kelli Slimp at kslimp@bestdoctors.com
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Who is Using Twitter? 31

32. Hashtags # (Areas of Interest) to Follow
• #mdchat
• #epatient
• #ehealth
• #hcsm
• #sxsh
• #HealthIT
• #informatics
• #GlobalHealth
• #HITsm
• #healthreform
• #hcsmin
• #BCSM
• #phealth
• #ptsafety
• #(enter your specialty or other relevant disciplines)
More hashtags are listed at http://www.symplur.com/healthcare-hashtags/
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Who is Using Twitter? 32

33. Use Twitter more Effectively
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34. Mobile Twitter
• Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Twitter and others offer apps for
your smart phone
• Using apps, you can upload photos to Twitter
• Many websites allow you to ‘share’ an article to Twitter
from that site without having to log in to Twitter and
manually post a link
• You can also access Twitter from your smart phone by
going to your mobile browser and typing in
m.twitter.com
• In your Twitter settings, you can opt to receive texts
when you receive direct messages or get mentioned
(Look in ‘Settings’ under the ‘Mobile’ tab)
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Use Twitter more Effectively 34

35. Twitter Aggregate Tools can help you organize and manage the lists, hashtag searches or
users you follow (Shown here: Hootsuite.com | Also popular: Tweetdeck.com)
This feed displays all
Shown here are all posts This feed displays all posts from the ‘pharma- This feed displays all
from users you follow mentions of #mdchat and-hcs’ list mentions of @EricGlazer
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Use Twitter more Effectively 35

36. Link (url) Shorteners will help you keep Twitter’s 140 post limit. Copy and paste a long link
(such as one garnered from an article or blog you’d like to post) into the site’s text box and the
site will shorten it to better suit Twitter’s character limit.
Shown here:
• Bit.ly
•Tiny.cc
Paste a long url (link)
into the text bar and
click ‘Shorten’
A newly-shortened link
will appear below
which you can then use
in your tweet
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc Use Twitter more Effectively 36

37. Glossary of Basic Twitter Terms
Character
Each individual typed text unit is a ‘character.’ This could be a letter, a space, a number or a special
character like a ‘#’ or ‘!” A limit of 140 characters is allowed per tweet.
Reply: @
The @ symbol allows you to reply to another Tweeter by answering one of their tweets directly
(messages of up to 140 characters). This is also how you engage in a conversation with someone.
When you wish to reply to or address someone, you either use the reply link or you can type @
before their Twitter user name.
Direct Message: DM
This is a message that only the recipient will be able to see. It is also subject to the 140-character limit.
Either use the direct message link via the interface or type d followed by a space in front of the user
name at the start of your message. For example: d kimvallee How are you doing?
Retweet: RT
Typing the letters RT before your message allows you to repost the tweet of someone else. The text
will be verbatim the original post.
Hashtags: #
These were invented by users as a quick way to follow all conversations surrounding an event, a topic
or a brand. You add a hashtag simply by prefixing a keyword with a hash symbol: #keyword. You can
also follow hashtags on Twitter to track conversations pertaining to a particular keyword.
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc 37

38. Contact the Authors
Garry Choy, MD Howard Luks, MD Matthew Katz, MD
Radiology Orthopedic Surgery Oncology
Massachusetts General Hospital NY Medical College/University Ortho. Radiation Oncology Associates
gchoy@partners.org hluks@uopc.org matt@roa-ne.com
@GarryChoy @hjluks @subatomicdoc
Eric Glazer Kelli Slimp
Vice President Content and Programming Producer
Physician Engagement & Social Media Physician Engagement & Social Media
Best Doctors Best Doctors
eglazer@bestdoctors.com kslimp@bestdoctors.com
@EricGlazer @kellislimp
@BestDoctors | #bestdoc 38