The Board of Editors in the Life Sciences, a nonprofit organization formed in 1991, will hold its first tweet chat from 11 AM to noon EDT on Wednesday, August 7. The topic will be competence in medical writing, editing, and social media. The chat will be hosted by Don Harting, ELS, managing editor of The BELS Letter.
Q: What's a tweet chat?
A: Anyone with a Twitter account can log on from their home or office computer -- or smartphone -- and join in a conversation with other people around the world on a predetermined topic. Here's a basic guide if you're new to tweet chats.
Q: More basic than that: What's a Twitter account?
A: If you're still coming up to speed on Twitter, here's a lengthy but great guide to the basics, published by the London School of Economics.
Q: What is BELS?
A: It's an organization founded to evaluate the proficiency of manuscript editors in the life sciences and to award credentials similar to those obtainable in other professions. BELS administers a unique exam assessing a candidate's competency (knowledge and skill) in both language arts and life science.
Q: What's the hashtag for this chat?
A: #cmwesm, a special search code which stands for "competence in medical writing, editing, and social media."
Q: What's the host's Twitter handle?
A: @BELS_Editors
Q: I'm a veteran medical writer who achieved professional competence years ago. My customers love my work. Why should I attend this chat?
A: Social media are transforming how life-changing medical discoveries and treatment advances are published and disseminated. Leading physicians are developing flocks on Twitter. A workshop session on social media has been scheduled for the upcoming Seventh International Congress on Peer Review and Biomedical Publication in Chicago. Medical writers and editors without basic competency in social media could start to feel a bit clueless in the future.
Q: I'm a veteran medical editor who achieved professional competence years ago. My supervisors love my work. Why should I attend this chat?
A: Twitter didn't exist years ago. See answer to previous question.
Q: I'm not a BELS member. In fact I've never heard of BELS before this. Can I attend this chat?
A: Yes, the chat is open to all. Please remember, however, that the chat will be held in English.
Q: I'm thinking about a career in medical writing, but haven't made a final decision. Why should I attend this chat?
A: This chat -- and the series of tweets it is built upon -- will help you come up to speed quickly on the medical writing profession. You will learn rapidly about some of the key players and organizations.
Q: What 'series of tweets' are you talking about?
A: During the month of July, @BELS_Editors sent out one tweet per day (31 total) on the topic of competence in medical writing. Each tweet took you to a different educational resource on the Internet. Each resource was related in some way to one of the 68 competencies required of a professional medical writer. These competencies (also known as KSAs) were identified in 2012 in a survey conducted by the American Medical Writers Association. If you download the PDF and look at page 71, you may view the entire list of 68 at http://goo.gl/dUpkg.
Q: Do I have to go back and read all 31 tweets at #cmwesm to participate in the tweet chat?
A: No! You can find them all right here, below this blog post, in reverse chronological order. Before you join the chat it will help if you've read some of the tweets and formed an opinion on whether you like them or not. This will help you engage more fully in the chat.
Q: What if I can't participate in the live chat due to a schedule conflict?
A: There will be an archive of the chat posted at the Healthcare Hashtag Project Web site. You'll be able to see who participated and what they tweeted.
Q: Is this the first in a series of official BELS tweet chats on a regular schedule or some random event that may never happen again?
A: Good question!
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