How to Leverage Social Media as a Data Scientist
You may think that by choosing a career as stereotypically “nerdy” as data science, you can avoid having to use social media. But actually, data science being so new as a field, you can’t. Not only is networking worth everything in our insular field, but the content sharing and collaborative debugging that happens on social media is at least partially responsible for pushing the industry forward. I myself am constantly enriched and heartened by the data science community on Twitter, but my strategies stem beyond that to touch LinkedIn and Instagram as well. I hope you find these tips a little bit useful and if you’re not into social media, think of ways to apply these platforms’ assets in other ways.
Twitter for Collaboration
I’ve always known Twitter to be the magical place that can turn professionally-based connections into life-long friends. Especially in data science, the people that I’ve met through Tableau, R and Python networks specifically are people whom I now also turn to emotionally or just to goof around. Is it the best place to get your content noticed? Maybe not. But it is the best place to interact, have meaningful conversations about topics that matter to you and ask for help every step of the way with your projects.
I host a weekly Twitter chat on Tuesdays at 1pm ET (though it tends to last for a few hours when people asynchronously tune in) and if you’re into Tableau and R, there are a few hashtags that will drop directly into the center of those languages’ communities.
For Tableau, the hashtag #datafam spans across the whole dataviz network and is a great way to meet people. #MakeoverMonday is my favorite way to network with fellow Tableau users while tackling a weekly project that will grow your skills. The Tableau leaders post frequently about live online events that are happening so it’s a great way to stay in tune and show up to learn on the spot. The R community offers a similar setup through #TidyTuesday. If you follow the hashtag #rstats, you will see a lot of inquiries as well as information. I strongly recommend that you follow @WeAreRLadies, a wonderful channel started by a few leading members in the RLadies network with rotating weekly curators.
LinkedIn for Content
LinkedIn is a strange territory, made even more so by the fact that they just introduced “stories.” But the thing about LinkedIn is that you don’t have to master all of its offerings (Premium, Learning, etc) to get a lot out of the platform. I myself do have Premium because it allows me to view an increased amount of analytics surrounding the content I post, but it’s the content posting itself that is the key to the game.
Why? A lot of people tend to post about their accomplishments and work updates on LinkedIn, but there aren’t a lot of content creators posting original work. That’s a niche that’s very valuable to get into, especially if you, like me, write a lot about career hacks. People are scrolling looking for this type of content and if you can provide it, you will get a lot of interaction in the comments of your post - some of which may lead to long-term connections.
Instagram for Influence
My Instagram page has the most followers of all my accounts, which I find amusing, because until recently, I only used it for personal reasons. That began to change when RStudio approached me about the R-generated art I post there. I got the opportunity to be featured in one of their campaigns, which made me think about how Instagram and my presence on there could actually interact with the data science brand I’ve built.
With #DataFemme proceeding with a steady flow, I do have some mental space available to expand other parts of my business, namely add affiliate marketing to this newsletter. Doing so would provide a wonderful opportunity to interact with those products on my Instagram and consolidate the power of the channels I have towards the growth of my brand. How will it work? I have yet to see. But I’m happy to discover how much the R community loves its artists and in the process, realize that my Instagram could be more fit for business than I thought.
More questions about how to get started on social? Give me a shout-out and I’ll be happy to help you set up!