July 16, 2012                                                                                                   PITT DPT STUDENTS

“Tweet-torial”

Following the APTA’s large push to involve physical therapists in social media (or is it the other way around…?) there has been a lot more conversation occurring on Twitter recently. Some physical therapy students at the University of Pittsburgh are already very active, but many still have reservations joining the movement. If you’re intimidated or can’t quite figure out how to begin, you’re in luck! This week’s Monday Memo provides a ‘PT Starter Kit’ for the SPT (and others) looking to use Twitter as a professional platform to promote and advocate for our  profession.

Create a Twitter Account

1. Go to Twitter and type in your full name, e-mail address and the password you’d like to use for this account.
2. Twitter will verify your information and offer suggestions for your Twitter Username. Because this is a professional account, be sure to keep your Username professional. Many even include SPT or PT to further highlight their involvement with physical therapy. Create the account when ready!
3. After you confirm your e-mail address, you’ll have full access to Twitter. Tweak your profile and upload a picture. Sometimes updates to this information can take a day or two before it’s displayed so don’t worry if things don’t change immediately!

 General Tips and FAQs

• When I ‘tweet’, who will see it?  -  Your tweets will only be seen by people who follow you. That is, until someone decides to ‘retweet’ what you’ve said. If someone ‘retweets’ your original tweet, your original tweet will be seen by everyone who follows the ‘retweet’-er.
• What is a # ?  -  The # is called a ‘hashtag’. It’s used to describe a tweet’s topic. If you search for a hashtag term, such as #SolvePT, Twitter will show all tweets containing ‘#SolvePT’, regardless if you follow those people! 
• What happens if I go over the 140 character limit?  - If you attempt to tweet something with >140 characters, Twitter will not allow it to be sent. There are applications and programs that allow your message to be longer, but they’ll be displayed only after someone clicks a link in your tweet. Get creative with abbreviations to fit your whole message.
• Why do I see the @ before names?  - If you see @PittPT, it simply means you’re tweeting ‘at’ them. It’s like calling out their name so they can hear you! When someone calls out your name, they’re trying to ‘connect’ with you. Click the ‘@ Connect’ link to see all the Twitter activity that involves you, including recent ‘followers’, ‘favorited’ tweets, ‘retweets’ and other notifications.
  

 Follow PT Tweeps!

Social media is about being social. The best part about physical therapy and Twitter is the incredibly supportive, enthusiastic and inspirational community members who are just waiting to engage the newcomers! You’ll find people sharing articles, opinions, thoughts, problems, solutions and just about everything else regarding physical therapy- but you’ll just have to be sure you’re following the right people. After asking the community who their favorite PT related Tweeps are, a few names were repeated and popped up consistently. Follow someone, you might learn something!

Check out the ‘PT Starter Kit’ for a jumpstart on some of the people to follow! (Nowhere near a complete list, apologizes for leaving out recommendations… and not in any certain order)

	Description in 140 characters	Personal Notes
APTAtweets	The American Physical Therapy Association seeks advancements in physical therapy practice, research, and education.	Our national organization embracing social media! Finally!
SnippetTherPhys	Not sure where to turn for information on physical therapy? Wonder what a physical therapist thinks? Also an Ironheart Triathlete this year.	Queen of #SolvePT and infamous Tuesday night chats
PTThinkTank	Critical observations of health, science, & physical therapy profession. Brainchild of @EricRobertson. Contributions by @Dr_Ridge_DPT & @MPascoe	Always challenging the conventional with thought and logic.
ABesselink	Physical therapist-McKenzie Diplomat, endurance sports coach, author (RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach To Injury-Free Running), educator, Smart Life Project	True motivator and heavily invested in the future of physical therapy.
APTASA	The American Physical Therapy Association’s Student Assembly.	Follow to get great news affecting students
AHRQNews	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality www.ahrq.gov	Great way to stay current on the most recent Healthcare buzz
IMulliganPT	Assoc Prof Physical Therapy Saint Francis University Pennsylvania Physical Therapy Association President	Our passionate PPTA President… ’nuff said!
The_OMPT	DPT, part time faculty Daemen College adjunct at D’Youville College, SUNY Buffalo, Fellowship trained in OMPT	Entrepreneur and blogging fiend always looking to inform the public.
Therapydia	Therapydia is the largest online community dedicated to Physical Therapy.	Through their campaign, #PromotePT, they are using social media to elevate the profession.
PhysicalTherapy	Physical Therapist, founder of PT Development, Evidence in Motion, TexPTS & part of ProRehab and Breakthrough Rehab.	Entrepreneur, business-minded and incredibly involved- literally everywhere at once.
Physiopedia	Improving global health through universal access to physiotherapy knowledge.	Outstanding resource! It’s what the APTA’s PTNow wishes it was. INCREDIBLE!
PacificDPTweets	News, notes, & musings from the Department of Physical Therapy at University of the Pacific. Moderated by Todd E. Davenport, PT, DPT, OCS, Assistant Professor.	Fantastic stream of all things PT. Very responsive and engaging.
DrJarodCarter	Doctor of Physical Therapy with a Cash-based PT practice. Enjoys helping other PTs give 3rd Party Payors the finger.	Always good for some great motivational quotes and research articles.
PranaPT	Physical Therapist specializing in Trigger Point Dry Needling, Yoga Therapy, Pilates and Paleo lifestyle in Alexandria, VA. Rock climber, Yogini, Supermama.	Successful blogger and business owner who openly shares her visions and opinions.
ShannonMitchel	physician, physical therapist, ultramarathoner. interested in wellness, public health and nutrition.	Unique perspective of a physician and physical therapist.
Dr_Ridge_DPT	Doctor of Physical Therapy|Scientist|Blog@PTThinkTank|Interested in: Physical Therapist Practice|Health Care|Advocacy|Fitness|Neuroscience|Scientific Debate	Always questioning, challenging and pushing peers to think, learn and grow professionally.
PittPT	Representing all things Pitt PT- a source for students, faculty, research and news affecting our physical therapy profession.	Important especially if you’re a Pitt student!
DPT Students	I created a list of 300 DPT Students on Twitter. It’s not all inclusive but based on those who identified themselves in their profiles.	A great way to #unite #physicaltherapy #students from around the country!
SPTSAPTA	APTA’s SPTS serves our members, athletes of all ages/abilities, profession, & community via excellence in practice, research, education & development.	News from conferences, publications and more involving the Sports Section.
RobertSnowDPT	Physical Therapist, Small Business Owner, Avid Cyclist and Father of Four. Working hard to provide excellent patient care, and family time.	Superb example of a real-life-expert-clinician! Generously offers opinions and advice.
PTProblems	If you have something hilarious to share with other PTs, tweet something to @PTProblems or #PTProblems to get it retweeted.	PT school jokes. Must follow!
Jerry_DurhamPT	Physical Therapist in SF CA. Love Bikes, Music, Food and Wife. Own my PT practice. EOsf Member.	Incredibly passionate motivator, supporter and advocate of all things PT.
NPRHealth	Health coverage from the NPR Science Desk	Continuous stream of the latest health news.
AcuteCarePT	The Acute Care Section-APTA focuses on physical therapy practice, education, and research specific to the acutely ill.	Best example of APTA section participation in social media. Engaging and informative.
DrBenFung	Kettlebell Expert, Pain Relief & Wellness Specialist, National Speaker, DPT passionate to #SolvePT & improve public health.	Absolutely practices what he preaches! Very inventive
MikeReinoldBlog	Info for PTs, OTs, ATs, CSCSs, or any other orthopedic, rehabilitation, sports medicine, or sports performance specialist.	A first mover in PT blogs, puts tidbits and updates onto twitter feed
MoveForwardPT	A physical therapist can help you achieve & maintain mobility & quality of life without surgery or prescription meds, in many cases. Brought to you by APTA.	Public awareness and branding arm of our professional organization.
3BS_Therapy	Bringing Science to Life through Education. From Astronomy to Zoology we’ve got it all.	Always interesting and responsive!
JulieWiebePT	Sports Medicine Physical Therapist, women’s health evangelist and mom	Bringing together pain, sport and women’s health on Twitter and blog
BodyInMind	Lorimer Moseley and team focussing on clinical neuroscience and the role of the brain in health and disease.	Brain, mind and chronic pain topics. Very fascinating!

Contributors! Thanks for BEING THE CHANGE!

The best thing about using Twitter is the ability to connect with so many incredible people from all across the country that share the passion for physical therapy. I really appreciate the input, retweets and sharing from: @Jerry_DurhamPT, @DrBenFung, @Dr_Ridge_DPT, @AcuteCarePT, @PranaPT, @BrettfischerPT, @DrJarodCarter, @The_OMPT, @Jengalbraith, @laguna2019, @SandyHiltonPT and @JsalvaPT!