Help to connect more midwives around the world (and be a ‘Twitter Buddy!’)
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19th March 2017
This is an update of a post written three years ago - prior to the ICM in Prague. It was an attempt to connect midwives all around the world - and we're still on the journey! As the next Congress approaches, shall we aim to double the numbers? Let's try! Please read instructions below - and if you want suggestions on who to follow, check out the list on names - all linked.
With the International Day of the Midwife imminent, and the countdown to the International Confederation of Midwives 30th Triennial Congress (ICM) from 1-5th June, I want to try to engage with midwives around the world, to encourage and support them to connect through Twitter. I started ‘tweeting’ approximately 18 months ago, and I haven’t looked back. Here’s a glimpse of what Twitter does for me.
Nurses and midwives are generally reluctant to use Twitter. Not Facebook, just Twitter. Yet those using it can’t imagine life without it-Twitter has opened so many doors for them, and offered oodles of support. @WeNurses founder and social media expert Teresa Chinn @AgencyNurse is also a registered nurse, and offers thoughts on her blog why nurses and midwives SHOULD engage with Twitter , and some of the reasons why they don’t! If you are worried about using social media professionally, then listen to this podcast by Dean Royles @NHSE_Dean CEO of NHS Employers, as he slays some of the myths.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN TWITTER, JOIN UP HERE. If you are going to ICM in June, and considering using Twitter, please do so BEFORE you leave home. It will be much easier! If you are a health organisation, and you would like to know more about using Facebook or Twitter, check out Social Media toolkit for the NHS. I have facilitated a midwives chat space for 12 months…@WeMidwives (part of @WeNurses) has gone from zero to 3,133 followers, many from around the world. And now it’s time to really try and engage with more! SO….. Would you be a Twitter Buddy? At the ICM I am charged with sharing the event’s highlights through Twitter and other social media platforms, and I will be producing Storify updates each day. I will also be delivering workshops on using social media, but this won’t include ‘how to’. For that, I need 'Twitter Buddies". Twitter Buddy If you are going to ICM in person or joining LIVEonline streaming, or you are planning to tweet during ICM using #ICMLIVE then read on! I am building a team of midwife and student midwife 'Twitter Buddies' on the recommendation of social media expert @VictoriaBetton. If you would like to help spread the advantages of Twitter by sharing your skill with least one other person during ICM week (1-5th June), then I'd love you to be part of the project! Here is the simple plan:
- If you want to be a Twitter Buddy let me know, via Twitter, using #TwitterBuddy. I'll then add your name below!
- During ICM week connect and sit with an interested midwife colleague, and show her/him how to use Twitter on a 121 basis. Aim for at least one midwife recruit per day!
- Tweet me the Twitter handles of the new midwife Tweeters, and at the end of the week the results will be collated.
- The Twitter Buddy who launches the most midwives on a new Twitter journey will be announced the week after the conference!
- Direct your Twitter recruit to this blog post for encouragement.
ANOTHER REMINDER IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN TWITTER, JOIN UP HERE. If you are going to ICM in June, and considering using Twitter, please do so BEFORE you leave home. It will be much easier! COME AND JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION And HOT OFF THE PRESS, my daughter Anna Byrom and I have written our first article together. It's about social media, so you may find it interesting! Here it is
CONFIRMED TWITTER BUDDIES!
- Anna Byrom @acbmidwife
- Shawn Walker @SisterShawnRM
- Simone Valk @sljvalk
- @linsyrjls
- @llisa01
- Jane Morrow @MorrowJane
- Cassie McNamara @MamaConference
- Carmel McCalmont @UHCW_Midwife
- Jenny Clarke @JennyTheM
- Nalonya vd Laan @nalonya
- Sarah Johnson @sarahjohnson222
- Elly Copp @EleanorCopp
- Tracey Cooper @drtraceyt
- Amanda Firth @LaughingMrsM
- Heather Franklin @Twidmife
- Midwife Supervision @midwiferyWAHT
- Lola the E-Midwife Lola_emidwife
- Carolyn Hastie @CarolynHastie
- Sara Bayes @SaraBayes
- Alison Brodrick @AliBrodrick
- Lizzie Bee @Li33ieBee
- Pam Wild @pamoneuk
- @Dashing_d_leo
- Claire Fryer-Croxall @ClaireCroxall
- Hana Ruth Abel @Hana_Studentmid
- Ali Searle @alisearle
- Karen Yates @karenyatesjcu
- Lyn Ward @linward
- Nicky @twixynicky1
- Anita Fleming @AnitaFleming7
- Lorna @berrybird71
- Trudy Brock @TrudyBrock1
- Geraldine Butcher @gbutcher17
- NHS Midwife @midwife_foz
- Anjuli Lord @anjulilord
- Linda Wylie @uwslindawylie
- Janet Fyle @consideredview
- Joanne Camac @CamacJoanne
- Jane @Midwife2b0514
- Claire Omand @clarabell080
- Mary Stewart @midwife_mary
- Francesca @Francesca343
- Hannah Bowater @funking-nora
- Sarah Johnson @sarahjohnson222
- Kathryn Ashton @KathrynAshton1
- Birthing Instincts @birthinstincts
- Dawn Gilkes @dawnmidwife
- Debby Gould @DebbyGould
- Sarah @sarah_pallett
- Laura Fyall @LauraFyall
- Tracey Hunter (need link)
- Alison Taylor (need link)
- Elsie b @LesleyBland
- Alison Power @alisonpower31
- Aku Bidan, Kamu? @BidanBidanku
- Linda Ball @BallLinn
- MaggieMoo @MaggieBakesBuns
- Mhairi @Stmwmhairi
- Kate @Dottymom
- Jude @beetrooter
- Kylie @smileyhudders
- Lillian Bondo @LillianBondo
- Mitra Kadarish @mee_tra
- Annabel Nicholas @annienicholas68
- Jenny Clarke @JennyTheM
- Jacque Gerrard @JacqueGRCM
- Kelly Stadelbaur @KellyStadelbaur
- Brigid McConville @Brigid_McC
- Natalie Buschman @Birthsandmore
- Jayne Case @jaynecase8
- Sarah Stewart @SarahStewart
- Beth McRae @outbackmidwife1
- M. Michel-Schuldt @emma_von_mumm
- Vanessa Shand @vshand
- Julie Wray @JuWray
- Hari Ani @hunnyhunnymuch
- Soffa Abdillah @soffa_abdillah
- Fardila Elba @elba_cholia
- Kerry Spencer @miffymoffit
- Macavity @elusivesarah
- Marjolein Gravendeel @MGravendeel
- Wendy Warrington @wendywarringto1
- Nicolette Peel @NicolettePeel
- Hannah Harvey @hannahharv13
- Helen Young @helenyoungmw
- Ashleigh @ashleey_latham
- Linda Bryceland @LyndaBryceland
- Claire Macdiarmid @Mcdaddymacswife
- Janie @janiealalawi
- Sophie @sophieinpariss
- Leigh @Leighree
- Laura Williams @Laura4_x
- NHS Midwife @NHSmidwife
- Maria Anderson @MariaAnderson17
- Louise Randall @LouiseAJRandall
- Mary Ross-Davie @MaryRossDavie
- Ans Luyben @luybenans
- Roa @Roretta
- Inisial Z @zidemanjaya
- Jupuut @juliaputriutami
- Berty @me_b3rty
- Mel @Mel_meilina
- Qorin @QorinDias
- Yennita Maharani @nypinyip
- Michelle Anderson @michellemidirs
- Cathy Ashwin @CathyAshwin
- Jane Pilston @janepilston
- Kookie Salt @kookie31
- Joanna Lake @JoLake87
- Hannah Telford @TelfordHannah
- Mahasiswa Kebidanan @Mahasiswa_Bidan
- Sisilh @Hilmasilsil
- Indira A U_tami @indie_utami
- Ikka Zullianti @ikkazz
- Nicola Wenlock @wenlock_nicola
- Charlene Cole @CharleneSTMW
- Deirdre Munro @DeirdreMunro
- Sally Goodwin @Sally5881
- Sam Halliwell @stmwsam01
- Ellie Baggott @ElzieBag
- Sami Joyce @sj_studentmiddy
- Louise Webster @louise_ann_StMw
- Lindsay Hill @pixhill
- Clare Morris @Clarsey
- Lina Duncan @MumbaiMidwife