Using Twitter to communicate conservation science from a professional conference.

Area of Science:

• Conservation Science
• Science Communication
• Social Media Analysis

Background:

• Scientists increasingly use Twitter for science communication.
• Twitter offers rapid dissemination and broader audience reach but risks misinformation.
• Data on Twitter's effectiveness in communicating conservation science is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine live tweeting for conservation science communication at the International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB).
• To quantify and compare user groups sending and receiving live tweets.
• To compare presenters' intended audiences with actual audiences reached via tweets.

Main Methods:

• Live tweeting analysis during the 2013 ICCB conference.
• Quantification of user groups involved in tweeting.
• Surveys of presenters regarding intended vs. actual audiences and perceived tweet effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Twitter reached 14 additional professional audience categories beyond conference attendees.
• Audiences reached were often not the presenters' intended groups (e.g., policymakers, NGOs).
• Plenary talks received significantly more tweets than other presentation types; over half of presenters found tweets effective.

Conclusions:

• Twitter can extend conservation science communication beyond conference walls to diverse audiences.
• Presenters should create "Twitter-friendly" summaries with hashtags and usernames for accurate and broad dissemination.
• Current live tweeting practices may not consistently reach key stakeholders like policymakers.