We’re getting closer to the 2021 AAG Annual Meeting! Whether you will be attending the meeting all week, for a few days, or catching up with recordings of presentations between other obligations, there are plenty of ways to get involved using social media. Social media is a great way for seasoned conference goers and newcomers alike to network, report on new research, engage in lively debate with those inside and outside of the discipline, and find out what’s going on during the largest geography conference in the world. Start planning your #AAG2021 social media strategy today with these helpful guidelines:

Twitter

One of the most frequently used social media sites for live events, Twitter is a great place to start scoping out the annual meeting. Twitter is used by geographers to discuss research ideas, share recent publications, or connect with others. As the main social media channel, the AAG annual meeting has had active Twitter users since at least 2011 in Seattle. This year the official conference hashtag will be #AAG2021. Start using and following #AAG2021; posts are already being compiled in anticipation of the meeting. If you are new to Twitter, try these tips to benefit most from the network:

  • Follow @theAAG on Twitter. The official AAG Twitter account will be active throughout the meeting with important announcements, live tweets of events, and fun ways to virtually interact with other conference attendees.
  • Use #AAG2021 on all your meeting related communications. Sometimes it is difficult to fit your thoughts into the 280 character count, but try to include the hashtag #AAG2021 in each of your tweets. This will ensure that your tweets are being seen by others who are attending the conference or following along. If you are new to hashtags, a hashtag is a way to organize a specific topic into one feed. Click on the hashtag to see the conversations happening related to that topic.
  • Whenever possible, try to include Twitter handles. If you are tweeting about a paper, panel, or poster, be sure to attribute the research to the right person by using their Twitter handle (@[name]). Presenters and panelists should consider including their handles on an opening slide or in a poster corner. Conversely, if you do not want your research to be tweeted, please state that information upfront so the audience is aware of your desires.
  • Follow the hashtag and join the conversation! The great thing about Twitter conversations is that they can be both live or asynchronous, helpful for those communicating between time zones.

Facebook

Do you prefer Facebook over Twitter as your social media site of choice? While there will be less live coverage of specific sessions, Facebook is a great way to share videos and news about the annual meeting with your friends, family, and colleagues.

  • Make sure you like the AAG Facebook page (www.facebook.com/geographers) and set the page so that you see it first in your News Feed by clicking on the “Following” dropdown menu on the AAG Facebook page itself. This will ensure that you receive the latest meeting related announcements as soon as you open the Facebook app or website.
  • Check on the page each morning for reminders of the day’s schedule of events.

Instagram

Instagram is a fun place to share your photos of your daily life as a geographer and where in the world you are participating from for the AAG Annual Meeting.

  • Follow @theAAG on Instagram for visual representations of programs currently underway at the AAG.
  • Share your photos of your personal experience of the annual meeting with other attendees using the conference hashtag #AAG2021.

Linked in

The AAG has recently expanded its presence on the professional networking site, Linked in. New features, such as the ability to write and publish short blog-style posts, has recently set Linked in apart from other social networks. With the ability to share content using hashtags, Linked in is a great network to share research, ask for feedback, and hear from industry thought leaders.

  • Are you following the AAG’s page on Linked in? Be sure to hit the follow button to ensure that anything posted by the AAG shows up in your feed.
  • Use #AAG2021 on Linked in as you would with Instagram or Twitter. Hashtags on Linked in work similarly to those on Instagram or Twitter, giving users a chance to follow a long with conversations about a particular topic, in this case, the 2021 AAG Annual Meeting.
  • Share upcoming professional development events or other items of interest to your Linked in feed using relevant hashtags. By adding hashtags to your posts, more people are likely to see your content.

General Communications

Because the AAG social media channels will be busy during the annual meeting, AAG staff may not be able to provide a timely reply through these mediums. The AAG Annual Meeting Website is a good place to start for conference information with regards to technology related questions, session times, and abstracts. If you have questions or concerns and need to contact a staff member, the best option is to email meeting[at]aag[dot[org].