British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine

Welcome to BANT's Social Media Information Page. On this page you will find information about LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. BANT is utilising these forms of Social Media to not only provide better support to its members, but also to raise the profile of both BANT and Nutritional Therapy to the general public.

BANTOnline Blogsite

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn Sub-Groups

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

BANTOnline Blogsite

BANT's blogsite BANTOnline, which is powered through Wordpress, is the way to stay up to date with the latest public news from and about BANT. BANT's main website www.bant.org.uk houses all the information about Nutritional Therapy and the profession, and as a member, is the place where you can renew your membership and log your CPD hours online as well as gain access to other information for members-only. The BANTOnline blogsite at www.bantonline.wordpress.com keeps you right up to date with public announcements and important information from BANT. Whilst Twitter and Facebook may notify you of "headline" news, more information is given on the blogsite as it is designed to publish longer, more in-depth articles.

You can comment on these articles on the blogsite BANTOnline direct, or give feedback privately to members-only on LinkedIn Groups. To get automatic notification when the blogsite is updated with a new article, sign on to the RSS link at the bottom left of the blogsite.

Back to the top

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a business orientated social networking site. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals. BANT have set up a LinkedIn page that will allow anyone to find out more about BANT, get the latest updates and see which friends and colleagues are also connected to BANT.

As this is a public page, you need to opt to 'follow' BANT. To do this log on to LinkedIn (you will need to create an account if you don't already have one), click on 'Companies' in the horizontal menu bar then search for 'BANT'. Alternatively, access the BANT group using this link: www.linkedin.com/company/british-association-for-applied-nutrition-and-nutritional-therapy. Once you reach this page, click the 'Follow Company' button.

Back to the top

LinkedIn Groups

In addition to the BANT page, a members only group has been set up to create a forum between BANT members. Once you have joined the group you can start a conversation about a particular topic and receive advice from other members or BANT itself. You can contribute as much as you want and it is a good idea to keep checking in to read the latest updates. As a member of the BANT LinkedIn group, you are automatically sent an email containing the popular discussions taking place in the group.

As this is a closed group, you need to request to join. To do this log on to LinkedIn (you will need to create an account if you don't already have one), click on 'groups' in the horizontal menu bar then search for 'BANT'. Alternatively, access the BANT group using this link:
www.linkedin.com/groups/BANT-4633986. Once you reach this page, click the 'Join Group' button. Your request will then be received by a moderator who will confirm that you are a BANT member. Once you have joined the group you can view and contribute to existing discussions or start your own.

You can access the LinkedIn Group user guide at this link:
BANT LinkedIn Group User Guide

BANT also has a Student member LinkedIn site: www.linkedin.com/groups/BANT-Student-Members-Group-4061266

The BANT Student Group on LinkedIn provides a private community (we only allow BANT Student Members and newly qualified practitioners to join) where we can ask questions, share thoughts and recommendations, and get support from like-minded individuals when we need it. We've discussed topics as diverse as recommendations for good textbooks, where's the evidence for health claims for rapeseed oil, and recommendations for good CPD events based on our experiences. To join the group please apply via LinkedIn. You can find the group by searching for BANT Student Members Group. If you have any questions about the group please email Ann, the regional co-ordinator for student members, at [email protected]

Back to the top

LinkedIn Sub-Groups

The BANT LinkedIn group continues to grow, which is amazing news. More members interacting with each other in this impartial discussion space means more questions, more ideas, and more information to go through. BANT wants to make it extra easy for you to find the answers you need, and this is why we have created the following subgroups to help you target the way you explore the group's contents.

You are now able to go directly into one of these 4 areas. All members will be automatically accepted to join these subgroups, and any searches on the BANT group will cover all 5 subgroups too.

Newly Qualified
A space for BANT members who have recently completed their training to ask questions and raise concerns specific to being newly qualified. All members can participate, providing the opportunity for more experienced practitioners to share their knowledge and advice.
www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4887635

Ask BANT
A space for BANT members to ask questions about membership benefits, CPD, as well as regulatory issues such as potential statutory regulation, CNHC registration, etc. Think of any questions that would generate answers likely to help other BANT members in your same situation.
www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4887635

Clinical Questions @BANT
A space for BANT members to ask practical questions / share ideas about clinical cases and all kinds of interventions, protocols, processes within the context of Nutritional Therapy. Please remember to anonymise any real patient details. This is a 100% impartial forum, not bound to any particular school of thought, product or service provider. Feel free to start sharing with your fellow members now!
www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=48876435

Learning @BANT
A space for BANT members to share links to any literature that helps us uphold the standards of our evidence-informed approach to Nutritional Therapy. Anything from links to interesting articles, to courses, videos, educational sites... Please feel free to start sharing with your fellow BANT members.
www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4887660

BANT Noticeboard
A space for BANT members to share ideas and ask questions about any other subjects not covered in the Learning, Clinical Questions and Ask BANT subgroups, e.g. cross-referrals, jobs offers, recommendations, selling/buying equipment, consultation room rentals, etc.
www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4887686

By posting your questions and sharing your ideas in the appropriate space, you will help your fellow members find what they need in a much more efficient manner. And you're likely to benefit from other members doing this too once it all gets going and posts start falling into the right category.

Back to the top

Facebook

Facebook's 'mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected'. Millions of people around the world use Facebook to stay connected with friends, clients, share photos, links, videos and find out more about people and companies.

The BANT Facebook page is viewable by the public (unlike the LinkedIn group which is for members only). To follow BANT on Facebook, log in with your Facebook account and search for 'BANT Online' and click on the listing. Alternatively go to: www.facebook.com/BANTonline.

Once you find our page, click 'Like' to see BANT updates in your news feed and tell us what you think by clicking on our posts, entering text in the comments box and pressing Enter.

Back to the top

Twitter

Twitter is a micro-blogging and social networking site, which allows its users to send and read other users' messages called tweets. A Tweet is a text-based post of up to 140.

To find us on Twitter, all you need to use Twitter is an internet connection or a mobile phone. When you create an account, you can search for BANTonline, click on the BANT logo on the left hand column under 'People' and click 'Follow'. Alternatively go to: https://twitter.com/BANTonline

By 'following' BANTOnline or anyone else, you are subscribing to their Twitter updates, so ever time they 'tweet' it will appear on your Twitter home page. Once you start following BANT you can join a discussion by re-tweeting or replying.

Hashtag # - Hashtagged words that become very popular often 'Trend' as topics, which means they are widely read. Users use the hashtag symbol before a key word or phrase to draw attention to their tweet.

Back to the top

YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing website, on which users can upload, view and share videos. This site uses Adobe Flash Video and HTML5 technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos.

Back to the top

BANT will be adding short video messages for members over the coming months. The link you need to use to access the BANT account is:
www.youtube.com/user/BANTNT