Authors

  1. Mello, Susan Lindsay MPH, MA, RN

Article Content

My compliments to AJN on its new technology column, iNurse. For the uninitiated, new technology is often confusing and intimidating. iNurse is a welcome guide that helps nurses understand and keep pace with the ever-changing technology that is an inevitable part of our lives, both personal and professional.

 

I particularly appreciated Megen Duffy's April column, "Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, Oh My!" Ms. Duffy astutely notes that in today's world social media is "inescapable," and her description of three of the most popular networks provides a user-friendly introduction to nurses not yet versed in the workings of social media.

 

I'm by no means a social media expert, having just joined LinkedIn at the urging of a career counselor, but I was disappointed to read a recent article in another nursing publication that characterized social networking as "bad" for nurses and cautioned them not to use it to connect with employers or supervisors. Granted, when used carelessly and inappropriately, social media can cause problems; however, when using common sense and adhering to professional ethics, nurses will find that the communication and networking benefits provided by social media clearly have an enormous potential to support and enhance nursing practice.

 

I look forward to more iNurse columns-especially one that explores the more than 50 social networks that cater specifically to nurses and nursing subspecialties.

 

Susan Lindsay Mello, MPH, MA, RN

 

Cambridge, MA

 

For more letters from AJN readers, go to http://links.lww.com/AJN/A30.