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Information on the Side-event "Tweets for Forest Research - Opportunity and Problems of
Using Social Media in Forest Science" which was given at the XXIII IUFRO World
Congress on August 25, 2010 in Seoul, Republic of Korea

The development of digital communication has rapidly accelerated over the past two decades and within this expansion, a vast range of social media channels have formed. The side-event, ?Tweets for Forest Research? presented and discussed the ways social media can be used to compliment global communication in the field of science.

Social media includes Internet and web-based technologies that enable individuals and communities to gather, communicate, share, and in some cases collaborate in a virtually instantaneous manner with the intention of disseminating information and encouraging the flow of new ideas and innovation through social interaction.

The following presentations were given:

Introduction to social media Randy McCracken, USA

Taking the plunge: encouraging institutional use of social media Roger Mills, UK

The value of Tweets in engaging with key audiences Cindy L. Miner, USA

Legitimizing forest policy by social media - democratic dimension, Daniela Kleinschmit, German

Donkey's new clothes? Erkki Kauhanen, Finland

The role of web 2.0 in evidence-based forestry Gillian Petrokofsky, UK

Investing the time to familiarize yourself with the many different channels for social networking can prove to be beneficial for you and the forestry community as a whole.

Begin with a definite idea of what you want to get out of it and most importantly, how to use the appropriate resources to do it well. ?Networking? is key: the success of social media is dependent on the collective initiative of individuals.

Eero Mikkola, GFIS Coordinator & Julia Eskins, GFIS Communication trainee
GFIS Coordination Unit