The use of social media tools to disseminate our scientific research and discover new collaborations has grown exponentially. We present here few suggestions to help you share your research through social media, so it is accessible to all people:
Alternative Text (Alt Text) describes the appearance or function of an image on a page. Alt text increases accessibility for those visually impaired users by reading the alt text aloud.
Twitter/X
- Insert alt text before posting. This is not available retroactively.
- When you see images or gifs, reply to other posts with “@ImageAltText,” and the bot will reply with the alt text that was inserted by the original poster. This is very helpful if the image is about your upcoming talk, or you are promoting other colleagues research, job posting, etc.
- To receive reminders when you post something without alt text, follow @AltTxtReminder so you can quickly delete and repost with alt text.
Instagram/Facebook
- Proactively and retroactively add alt text* to all posts.
- Include image descriptions in your captions or a pinned comment.
- If sharing a short video, add a transcript of any speech, either directly to the video captured or in the description.
Video
- If releasing a YouTube video of meetings (e.g., Board of Governors, Business and Award Meetings) please provide captions and a downloadable transcript. You can use a transcription software, such as Otter AI, Temi, Trint, or others, to generate a transcript, edit any mistakes, and share them with your deaf, hard-of-hearing, English as a second language learners, and every other member of our society.
Hashtag Tips
- Keep It Simple and Relevant: Your hashtag should be short, precise, and simple to spell. It should give your audience a clear idea about the topic of the conversation.
- Utilize Trending Hashtags: a trending hashtag is a great way to get your message across to a much larger audience.
- Don’t Overuse Hashtags:
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- Twitter/X: Because of character count restrictions, avoid using more than 2 hashtags per tweet for best engagement.
- Facebook: Use 2 hashtags on Facebook; one popular hashtag and one custom hashtag for your brand.
- Instagram: It allows up to 30; however, keep it to no more than 9 per post for better engagement.
- Search the Hashtag Before You Use It: to save yourself from any embarrassing error.
Inclusive Language
- Try to use easily understandable language.
- Feel free to write posts in English and in additional languages if you are multilingual.
- Adopt good practices for gender-inclusive language. These practices are not always intuitive or automatic. The links below aim to raise awareness and guide learning:
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- Avoid Sexist Language, by Jennifer Klein, Hamilton College
- Good Practices: Inclusive Language, by University of Maryland
- LGBTQ-INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE DOs and DON’Ts, by The Safe Zone Project
- , by MAP and GLAAD
This document is the result of joint efforts and contributions of the four DEI’s societies (ASIH, HL, SSAR, and ASE).