Featured Student: Social Media and Dietetics

By Janet Zimmerman

Social media is used by many dietitians today (blogging, Twitter, Facebook, apps, etc).  Since social media is an important tool for many dietitians, I feel that it is very important for dietetic students to start getting more and more involved with.  So, today I am very excited to share with you an interview I did on social media with a wonderful Dietitian and social media guru, Rebecca Subbiah.

Rebecca’s Bio:

“Rebecca Subbiah is a registered dietitian in both the UK and the US with a wide range of experience in different clinical areas. She started her blog ” Chow and Chatter” in 2008 - which quickly transformed into a healthy recipe blog. Through blogging she has become a part of the International food blogging community and mastered the skills of social media using twitter, facebook, blogtalk radio, You Tube, UStream and other mediums to connect with her niche and have fun. She blogs and manages the social media for various food companies. Her clients include a spice company, a gourmet food company, a Florida citrus grower, a coffee company and an organic meat company.” (http://www.chowandchatter.com/p/about-me.html)

Interview:

1) What importance does social media have within the field of dietetics and nutrition?

I feel it is integral as dietitians we need to be where folks are hanging out and seeking information. To be the go to source for the nutrition and health information making real connections with piers and people on facebook and twitter to help them. It's also a golden Opportunity to report breaking nutrition news like the guidelines today.

2) What do you use social media for?

I use it for fun to connect with RDs, other bloggers, folks with similar interests, and also to promote my recipe app. I also do social media for a few food companies.

3) How did you start getting involved in social media?

I started blogging 2 years ago when our daughter was born then learnt twitter and facebook and other forms of social media through food blogging. I am now giving talks on social media to dietitians!

4) What would be your recommendation for dietetic students who want to start using social media?

Just start! Join #RDchat [on twitter] and have fun. [Social media] is a great skill to have for when you graduate and may even lead to jobs!

Thank you so much for the interview and for sharing your wisdom with us Rebecca!

Social media is a great way to network and connect with fellow dietetic students and RDs (it is actually how I got to know Rebecca!).  Also, like Rebecca said, it is a great way for dietitians to share nutrition with the public.

If you haven’t started using social media, do what Rebecca suggested and start following #RDchat and (I’ll add) #RD2Be on twitter.  If you have experience with social media, we’d love to hear what you have to say about your experience with social media in the comments!