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PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore informetrics researchers' use of social media for academic activities, their attitudes to the applicability of altmetrics in research evaluation, the factors influencing their attitudes, and the main opportunities and weaknesses of using altmetrics.Design/methodology/approachA survey using a questionnaire was conducted with researchers who participated in the 16th International Conference on Scientometrics and Informetrics ISSI 2017 and a sample of 125 respondents was obtained.FindingsProgressively more researchers are using social media for different types of academic activities. The study found that many factors affect informetrics researchers' attitudes in different application scenarios with respect to research evaluation. Researchers who have studied altmetrics and who began using social media platforms recently or frequently have more positive attitudes. Academic users and social users have statistically significantly disparate attitudes toward altmetrics in different disciplines and different application scenarios.Research limitations/implicationsOur study only focused on 125 informetrics researchers, who participated in ISSI 2017. We mainly used the questionnaire method, but did not conduct in-depth interviews with the researcher's views.Originality/valueInformetrics researchers are participants in social media and major researchers of altmetrics. Previous research has examined their use of social media, and this study combines this use of social media with their attitudes to altmetrics to explore the value of altmetrics from a particular perspective. The paper also provides suggestions for the application of altmetrics in research evaluation.