Social Media and Photography Best Practices at Scientific Meetings

Social media

Social media is a great way to expand physic's reach to a broader community. When you attend a scientific meeting, such as the APS March Meeting or APS April Meeting, considerate and respectful use of social media can be an effective way to share your research and meeting experience with online communities and followers. We encourage you to follow these social media best practices:

• Use the appropriate hashtag for the meeting you're attending, e.g. #APSMarch for March Meeting.
• Honor requests from presenters regarding the sharing of their presentation.
• Voice criticism directly to a presenter instead of sharing publicly on social media.
• Sit towards the back of a room if you’re taking photos or live tweeting to minimize distraction.
• Credit presenters using their full name or social media handle.
• Recording by individuals of a session, named or public lecture, town hall, plenary session and keynote session is not allowed for personal use or social media or any other purpose.

Some specific social media considerations for presenters include:

• Promote your session to your network before the event.
• Set expectations for your audience by providing your social media handle or by requesting that your presentation not be shared publicly.

Additionally, be sure to join the conversation with APS online! You can find APS on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Reddit, or Instagram at @apsphysics.

Photography

Check the meeting policies regarding photography if you plan to take a post pictures. At APS meetings, photography by individuals for personal use and for social media is allowed at social events, in the exhibit hall, and in public spaces. When taking and posting photos, use the following guidelines:

• Honor the preference of any presenter who has indicated “no photos.”
• Identify a presenter by name when sharing a photograph of the presenter, presenter’s slides, or poster.
• Be considerate of others during sessions. Do not use flash, block attendees' view, or otherwise disrupt presentations.
• Do not photograph individuals under 18 years of age without explicit verbal or written permission of a parent or guardian. If in doubt, ask.