CIHR and Social Media – Flickr

Your pictures ... Worth a thousand words

Focus on Flickr and share the excitement of health research

This is the social media generation, the online generation. So how do you reach them? By going to where they are!

We know Canadians want to know more about health research – the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) already has more than 50,000 fans on its Health Research in Canada Facebook page. Now, we are building a Synapse Flickr gallery for youth and we want you, as a Synapse mentor, to be part of it. Simply send us your photos or images and we'll do the rest. We'll promote your photos through our existing Synapse networks, as well as our other social media channels, so that teachers and students across Canada can view your images in their classrooms and homes.

So what kinds of images should you send?

Well, it's really up to you. But here are a few tips to help you:

• Don't forget the "cool" factor. As a guiding principle, think about pictures that would make viewers say "neat!", "cool!", "this would be great for my science fair project" or "I could use this as a teaching aid for my class".
• Cover the full spectrum of science. Hard-core science – cells under magnification, MR images, all of those things that most people don't usually see are great. So are pie charts, graphs, slides and diagrams you use in your classes – they all make for compelling images.
• Once it's out there, it's out there. Remember, once your images are posted, they are available to anyone who wishes to use them for educational or editorial – but not commercial – purposes. So make sure you're comfortable with others using them.

The Synapse Flickr gallery is part of a wider CIHR effort to communicate the value of health research through social media. Along with the Synapse Flickr gallery, there is a Health Research in Canada Facebook page, a CIHR Twitter account, a CIHR YouTube channel and a new CIHR Café Scientifique blog.

Want to see what health research images look like?

Go to the Synapse Flickr gallery and see what's already there.

Getting your images ready

Photos and other images must be a minimum of 1024x768 pixels, 300 dpi and saved in jpeg format.

• Include a short description in lay terms of the image, as well as your name, organization and contact information so we can credit you for your images.

Sending in your image

When you are ready, attach your images to an email and send it to social.media@cihr-irsc.gc.ca. Once the images have been uploaded, you will receive an invitation to view them on the Synapse Flickr gallery.

The legalities

Make sure the image is yours. That doesn't mean that you must have produced it yourself, but you can't have bought it somewhere or obtained it from a third party. That may lead to copyright problems, and CIHR is not liable for any breach in copyright laws. You are responsible for the images you provide.

• If an image includes people, make sure you have their written permission to post it and if it includes children please obtain parental releases.
• Make sure commercial logos are not displayed in the images.
• By sending an email with your images, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless CIHR and its employees from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of your use of and access to the Synapse Flickr gallery.

If you still have questions, get in touch with us at social.media@cihr-irsc.gc.ca. We thank you for your collaboration in this project and hope that you will be as proud as we are to reach out to the new generation of future scientists.

The Synapse Flickr Gallery Team

For more information on CIHR's social media presence or other Communications and Public Outreach initiatives, please visit the CIHR Media Room.