One of the objectives of SASM as a society is to further knowledge in the various microbiological disciplines and all areas in which it may be applied and to create channels of communication between members who share common interests. As you probably would have observed after an extended lag phase there has been a constant stream of communication from SASM via email recently, but did you know that on the social media front our presence has just started an exponential growth phase?. This new communication phenotype of SASM, who recently evolved into a social media presence on Twitter, Facebook or Google+, has however not reached any viral proportions by far. The diagnosis: it appears our community's quorum sensing response has not kicked in yet and the potential cascade signalling networks is still somewhat feedback inhibited.

On a more serious note, we would like to encourage all SASM members (and potential future members) to join SASM's social media network on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. We intend to enrich the basic weekly email communications with cross-platform postings of news, informative articles and society-related events. Enthusiastic participation and interaction by members is vital for this endeavour to be successful. Our fundamental aim is to create the space where microbiologists from different fields all over South Africa can get involved in sharing news, discussions, idea/knowledge-sharing or just create general awareness of the microbiology landscape in South Africa. So comment on our blog posts, like us on Facebook, tweet and retweet us on Twitter or circle us on Google+.

Don't forget, registered paid-up members also have access to the SASM forum where more discussions and news can be found. As an example, a valuable resource on the SASM forum is the Available Positions section where we will host advertisements of available job offers relevant to our members.