As social media (#SoMe) has become increasingly integrated into daily life, the importance of developing and maintaining a professional online presence has increased. Although initially designed for enhancing interpersonal and community communications, #SoMe has emerged as a key modality for maintaining engagement with a broad range of audiences critical to the medical field, including subspecialty colleagues in other locations or practice environments, patients and families, advocacy groups, peer-reviewed journals and the scientific community at large. In spite of the robust growth observed in physician spaces across numerous sites, #SoMe utilization among neurosurgeons remains relatively limited, an observation that surgeons attribute to limited time, perceived lack-of-benefit and concerns over personal or professional privacy.

This webinar addresses two key concepts:

1. Education regarding the potential professional, educational and service benefits of #SoMe engagement.
2. A practical introduction to the core #SoMe platforms.

Additional content provides "How-To" resources on getting started, increasing visibility and engagement online and translating #SoMe status into academic or clinical gains.

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Identify evidence of patient interaction and reception of the neurosurgical online community.
• Use tips on practice building and brand awareness through social media.
• Identify the basics of online digital and social media terms and functions with the major #SoMe platforms and establishing a presence to engage with the neurosurgical community on each platform.
• Illustrate key strategies and techniques for efficiently cultivating a robust #SoMe presence with limited time and resources.
• Identify critical pearls and pitfalls for early success as a neurosurgeon on #SoMe, emphasizing protection of personal and patient privacy.