Scientists on Twitter: Preaching to the Choir or Singing from the Rooftops?

Socioeconomic decision-making and policy changes are affected and realized through public awareness.  This calls for active engagement by the scientists and researchers with the public and the intended audience, which can drive or be driven by science and scientific research.  Scientists must engage decision-makers and policymakers in government and business and are increasingly using social media to connect and interact with them.  This paper demonstrates that by actively engaging a large Twitter following of non-scientists, scientists increase the odds of being followed and accessed by decision-makers and policymakers who see their postings and messages.  This increases their chances of being identified as an expert for the further contribution of scientific research.