Social media for cardiac imagers: a review

Abstract

Cardiac imaging plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases. In the burgeoning landscape of digital technology and social media platforms, it becomes essential for cardiac imagers to know how to effectively increase the visibility and the impact of their activity. With the availability of social sites like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook, cardiac imagers can now reach a wider audience and engage with peers, sharing their findings, insights, and discussions. The integration of persistent identifiers, such as digital object identifiers (DOIs), facilitates traceability and citation of cardiac imaging publications across various digital platforms, further enhancing their discoverability. To maximize visibility, practical advice is provided, including the use of visually engaging infographics and videos, as well as the strategic implementation of relevant hashtags and keywords. These techniques can significantly improve the discoverability of cardiac imaging research through search engine optimization and social media algorithms. Tracking impact and engagement is crucial in the digital age, and this review discusses various metrics and tools to gauge the reach and influence of cardiac imaging publications. This includes traditional citation-based metrics and altmetrics. Moreover, this review underscores the importance of creating and updating professional profiles on social platforms and participating in relevant scientific communities online. The adoption of digital technology, social platforms, and a strategic approach to publication sharing can empower cardiac imaging professionals to enhance the visibility and impact of their research, ultimately advancing the field and improving patient care.

Keywords: cardiac imaging techniques; cardiology; networking; publications; social media.

Graphical Abstract

MAP-PR, a proposed strategy to summarize steps towards an effective post on social media: A social media post should represent a map of public relation between the author and the target audience on social media, hence, the acronym MAP-PR: First the author has to Monitor the platform in regard to the topic of interest (e.g. Hashtags #) and identify who is interested (e.g. mentions @) and what are the trending topics, to maximize the impact of the post; second, whether the post discusses a publication or another target, it has to Acknowledge those involved in the whole process until its presentation on social media to endorse the team spirit and enhance the discussion from different point of views; the next step is to Prepare the post itself, while keeping in mind the target platform (e.g. character count, what to be written in text, and what is better presented in the attached media); as soon as the materials are ready for publication on social media, it is time to Post it online and share it among the target audience, when eventually it requires the poster to Repeat the aforementioned steps, with a shift of the endpoint on social media: transitioning the focus from releasing and promoting the post-release phase of a social media post to promoting the original post, and allow a fruitful discussion, with the social and personal considerations in mind on the social media platforms.

Figure 1

By creating professional profiles and joining relevant scientific communities, cardiac imagers can connect with peers, share their work, and foster collaborations.

Figure 2

An increasing number of cardiac imagers and cardiac imaging conferences have adopted social media as a means of disseminating highlights.