WeChat is one of the most popular social media applications in China and is widely used by publishers to promote their journals and activities.

In an article recently published on Learned Publishing, a reputable journal run by Association of Learned & Professional Society Publishers, the authors presented the roadmap of WeChat accounts of Chinese Laser Press (CLP) from Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and summarized the operation of the CLP WeChat accounts and their promotion effects on the publishing work.

CLP has four WeChat accounts, that is, Chinese Laser, High Power Laser Science and Engineering (HPLSE), Ioptics, and Scientific Writing. Each account has different aims and scopes, number of subscribers, number of posts, and average number of readers. Approximately 1 million reads were recorded in 2018.

Chinese Laser is the official CLP account that focuses on CLP journals, conferences, and events and reports of the research progress and events in the optics community. It was created in 2013 and had almost 43,000 subscribers at the end of 2019. The main columns of this account include journal article promotion, CLP news, five-minute optics (video), and top 10 optical breakthroughs selection.

The HPLSE account focuses on a specific area of high-power laser, and reports the global progress with respect to science and engineering. Owing to the impact of the account, a WeChat sub-group containing more than 400 members has been established. CLP has gained extensive influence in the field of high-power laser because of the journal, conference, WeChat account, and subgroup.

The Ioptics account focuses on news in the entire optics community within and beyond CLP. Compared with Chinese Laser, the new account covers a wider range of topics. It reports the research progress of the CLP and the journals of other publishers; furthermore, it releases recruitment information obtained from the research groups and companies to help graduates begin their career.

The Scientific Writing account mainly helps the authors to prepare their submissions, conduct a peer review, and improve their academic communication skills.

In this article, three key points on managing WeChat accounts are emphasized: it is never too late for a publisher to start an official WeChat account, WeChat accounts should be focused to enhance their influence, and managing a WeChat account takes effort.

Even though an additional team and continuous investments are required to operate the WeChat accounts, they are now an indispensable part of the CLP work. The number of WeChat users based outside China is increasing; this is significantly contributing to the internationalization of the CLP journals and conferences.

Article website:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/leap.1289

Contact:
Mr. CAO Yong
General Administrative Office
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, CAS
Email: caoyong@siom.ac.cn