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by Rebecca Zacuto, Neuro-Oncology Department Communications Fellow
A knowledge evaluation exhibits the worth of the @NIHBrainTumor X (previously Twitter) account as a useful resource for sufferers, caregivers, and advocates, in addition to neuro-oncology suppliers and researchers.
Social media is a well-liked mode for sharing scientific content material with the general public. X (previously Twitter) has lengthy been a beloved platform amongst scientists and teachers. Dubbed the “discourse app,” X lends itself to sharing concepts and knowledge in bite-sized (280-character) snippets.
In 2016, the NCI Heart for Most cancers Analysis’s Neuro-Oncology Department (NOB) created an X account known as @NIHBrainTumor. It’s the solely public-facing social media account for the NOB and its Most cancers Moonshotsm-funded program, NCI-CONNECT.
@NIHBrainTumor goals to satisfy a beforehand unmet want by sharing content material about central nervous system (CNS) cancers, which signify lower than 2 % of cancers identified every year in the US. The content material contains instructional data, assist sources, medical care, analysis, and therapy advances. It’s tailor-made to the NOB and NCI-CONNECT viewers base: folks with CNS cancers, caregivers, advocates, neuro-oncology suppliers, and researchers.
Just lately, X has undergone important adjustments. These embody lowering content material moderation and introducing a “For You” tab that exhibits content material curated by an algorithm. A staff of communication specialists, led by NOB Communications Fellow Rebecca Zacuto, not too long ago carried out knowledge analyses to grasp how these adjustments have affected @NIHBrainTumor’s efficiency and viewers engagement.
“The CNS tumor group is small as a result of these tumors are so uncommon,” Zacuto explains. “Our X account offers tailor-made content material for this group and fills a distinct segment. We share sources and knowledge that in any other case is probably not extensively out there.”
In August 2023, the staff started by creating an in-depth calendar to trace the X content material they printed. In February 2024, Zacuto started using analytics.twitter.com—which robotically captures X knowledge—to trace metrics from January 2022 to January 2024. Zacuto additionally carried out a literature assessment to find out how the scientific group at massive has been impacted by adjustments to the platform. Lastly, the staff collaborated with social media managers inside NIH to glean insights into how different authorities X accounts are performing.
Zacuto targeted on the three metrics that supplied the richest perception: impressions, engagements, and engagement fee.
Prime three performing posts by impressions (descending from left to proper) from March 2023 to January 2024. The leftmost put up can be the highest performing put up by each impressions and whole variety of engagements.
Credit score: Rebecca Zacuto
Impressions are the entire variety of occasions a put up has been seen. Between August 2022 and January 2024, @NIHBrainTumor’s posts obtained a complete of two.4 million impressions. Typically, extra impressions imply extra visibility for the account. They’ll additionally assist social media managers perceive if the X algorithm favors particular posts and decide the kind of posts that carry out the perfect.
Zacuto recognized the highest posts as those who obtained the most important variety of impressions. Posts about scientific publications, consciousness holidays (corresponding to Glioblastoma Consciousness Day and Mind Tumor Consciousness Month), particular occasions, and movies topped the checklist. A variety of subjects constantly obtained a number of impressions, together with glioblastoma, metabolism analysis, meningioma, most cancers statistics, survivorship, and affected person sources.
Engagement fee comparability for various X accounts at NIH: @NIH (Nationwide Institutes of Well being, 1.1 %) in 2023; @theNCI (Nationwide Most cancers Institute, 1.5 %) from January 2024 to March 2024; @NCIResearchCtr (Heart for Most cancers Analysis, 2.3 %) from January 2024 to March 2024; and @NIHBrainTumor (Neuro-Oncology Department, 2.8 %) from January 2022 to January 2024. @NIHBrainTumor’s fee was the very best total.
Credit score: Rebecca Zacuto
Engagements signify the entire variety of occasions a person interacts with a put up. This contains likes, replies, retweets, mentions, hyperlink clicks, media views, and extra. Engagement fee—the variety of engagements divided by the variety of impressions—is taken into account the perfect indicator for the success of an X account. @NIHBrainTumor had an engagement fee of two.8 %, which was larger than comparable accounts together with @NIH (NIH), @theNCI (Nationwide Most cancers Institute), and @NCIResearchCtr (Heart for Most cancers Analysis).
“This discovering excited me,” Zacuto says. “Our sturdy engagement fee exhibits that we produce content material that reaches and resonates with our key audiences. A smaller group brings the chance to create extra particular content material, which in flip positively impacts our engagement fee.”
As of June 27, 2024, @NIHBrainTumor had 7,811 followers. It averages about 1,080 new followers every year. Finally, the staff concluded that—regardless of X’s current adjustments—the @NIHBrainTumor account persists as a precious useful resource for its key audiences as a result of it offers the mind and backbone tumor group with distinctive, clear, correct, and curated content material.
“The content material can assist folks with these uncommon tumors perceive their analysis, make choices about their care, and enhance their high quality of life,” Zacuto says. “To me, that’s the most rewarding a part of our social media account.”
Comply with @NIHBrainTumor
