What an interesting result! Out of the 309 who took the poll, about a third use Instagram, many of you use other media, and no one uses Pinterest! Let's capitalize on that and talk about different platforms and their pros and cons https://twitter.com/iamscicomm/status/1326176666247454722

I'll start by going through the different media I use. Starting with Pinterest (1/4) Many of you might wonder why using Pinterest could help you gain reach when there is little to no text, but to me, as an artist there is great beauty to that.

Frankly, there are lots of days when I just want to arrange pictures by color, or be inspired for my next idea. Pinterest helps me do that in ways Twitter can't. But what does this mean for scicomm? Well, you can use Pinterest to pin blog ideas, find infographics (2/4)

And even promote your own content. All you need is an image editor with text input! You can even use PowerPoint to create a front cover for the pin, and add a link to your blog, website, podcast, etc. Here's a link on how to do just that: https://www.seo.com/blog/how-to-create-killer-pinterest-graphics-with-powerpoint/ (3/4)

Of course, Pinterest is not optimized for many reasons, including its general lack of access to the Disabled community. However I don't use Pinterest as my main media platform, but rather as a resource to others who might find my pins. Next up is Instagram (4/4)

Insta can be a great place to share stories in the form of video and pictures. You can also use Instagram to promote tweets. I've seen many science accounts that take screenshots of tweets and post about it on their Insta stories. (1/8)

One of the main cons of both Instagram and Facebook, you could say, is the blatant disregard for stopping misinformation from spreading, especially in terms of the election. Instagram has done a better job in my opinion, but there is a lot to be desired of the owner (2/8)

Lots of people decide to only use Insta for personal uses. And that is completely fine! I actually have a private account and a public account ( @Marinebioartist) (3/8)

One thing that I have noticed, however, is the spread of misinformation, especially when it comes to signing random petitions that don't do anything for conservation (I.e. shark finning and plastic + its role in polluting the ocean). (4/8)

There are several scientists on Insta, but my hope is that one day there will be as many as there are on Twitter. We can't fight misinformation unless we do this together! (5/8)

Since I am an artist, I can create visual stories to help change the perception and gain the attention of a particular topic! You can even ask questions in the form of "stickers" and have a mini Q&A session to get feedback from my audience! You can also do live videos (6/8)

Don't consider yourself an artist? Don't have photos to share? Collaborate! Especially with non-scientists like poets, artists, and photographers. You might not have a personal budget as a student, but if you are a full-blown academic or have a researched- focus job (7/8)

You can put it in your company or grant's budget (please don't expect them to work for free). By doing this, you create opportunities for students and younger folks who have an interest in science but aren't trained in it. Two birds one stone. (8/8)