Our @salfordpsych Twitter account has been up and running for a month now. Last week, BSc (Hons) Psychology and Criminology student Catherine Thomas (a.k.a. @kitty_cat86) took us to a whole new level. She inspired a presentations expert (@viperblueuk) to write a blog post with advice on poster presentations to help Level 5 students with their Social Psychology assignments. Below, Catherine reflects on what she gained from curating @salfordpsych and how Twitter can be a useful resource for university students. If you would like to read Catherine’s tweets from the week, they have been archived here on Storify.
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How did you find your week curating the @salfordpsych account?
I loved it – have to admit I was really dreading it at first, mainly because I was worried that if I didn’t do it right I would look like a ‘bad psychology student’. I felt like the spotlight would be on me and didn’t want to look stupid in front of peers and professionals at uni. This was not the case – I was encouraged throughout and loved every minute.
Did previous curator’s tweets shape your approach to tweeting as @salfordpsych?
They gave me an idea of how/what to tweet and reading through their tweets was very encouraging. I think if I had been the first to curate I would have been much more reserved in what I tweeted.
What motivated you to be a part of the initiative?
I was asked to do it, accepted and then the dread arrived 🙂 I knew that anything related to my degree could help me in my studies, and of course I love psychology so that helped.
What did you enjoy about it?
Networking; speaking with other students and professionals. It really helps when you speak with someone who has ‘been there done that’. Up to date studies that were tweeted were great. They help with your studies as well as just being an interesting read.
What surprised me is that in doing this you highlight what areas of psychology you are interested in by what catches your eye and what makes you want to ‘re-tweet’. In my case, looking through my tweets, I tweeted a lot in regards to clinical psychology. It wasn’t until I noticed this that I realised that it must be something that I am really interested in. This made me think further about career paths and further education.
Was there anything you didn’t enjoy?
Honestly, not really. I very much enjoyed the whole week and was gutted when the week was over.
Favourite twitter moment of the week?
When I got responses to questions regarding my assignment, people were so helpful.
Least favourite twitter moment of the week?
None
Which accounts would you recommend to other students?
Anything psychology related really – a lot of accounts tweet up to date studies and such which can really help with your own studies.
How can social media play a role in learning?
It can massively play a role in learning. If nothing else, it brings people together with shared interests who can encourage each other to learn together; people who you would not normally come into contact with.
How can we strengthen a sense of community at Psychology at Salford?
This has been a great tool to strengthen the Psychology community at Salford. Doing this has made me realise just how important it is to speak with other students in different levels of study.
Why do you use Twitter?
I signed up to twitter out of curiosity but now I love it. It’s great as it can enhance all things that we encounter in our lives outside of social networking.
Would you recommend being a curator to other students?
Absolutely. I have already 🙂
Any tips for future curators?
Don’t panic (like I did) about making sure you sound like the perfect psychology student. If you are stuck with something, ask while you are the curator, everyone is happy to help.
What role do you think social media will play in your future?
A huge one. It’s going to get bigger and bigger, and I can’t wait.
What would you like to see @salfordpsych do next?
Continue to encourage students to actively participate in the department. It really helps!
Top tweet of the week
This time next year I’ll be ordering my cap and gown…hopefully 😉 #Graduate #AllBeingWell
— SalfordPsych (@SalfordPsych) April 7, 2013
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If you would like to curate @salfordpsych for a week, please get in touch with Jenna Condie on j.m.condie@salford.ac.uk or @jennacondie.