What is social media?

There is growing evidence to suggest that social media platforms have great potential for professional discourse, dissemination of research and sharing of best practice; with their use being supported by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) who both have active social media profiles on Facebook and Twitter. In the absence of official guidelines, the NMC advises its members to act as professionally online as in person, in line with the principles of The Code ( NMC, 2008 ). The extension of the construct of professionalism to the digital domain has blurred the boundary between personal and professional personas and this lack of clarity seems to have created a barrier to social media being used by midwives to its full potential in a professional context. This series of short articles will offer step-by-step guides on how to join the social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn using appropriate privacy settings and will provide suggestions on how to use the platforms confidently, productively and safely in a professional context.