Social Media Predictions for 2012

My predictions for social media in the year 2012 (more like why I agree with the predictions already out there):

Small businesses will use more social media in 2012: Social media has become quite the sensation over the past few years and research into the effects of social media has been an even bigger deal. Large corporations, businesses, non-profits, etc. have all proven how social media can be effective in creating awareness as well as influencing attitudes and behaviors. Small businesses should and most likely will jump on the social media bandwagon to stay current and active with audiences. As audiences go from being passive to active (a shift we have been seeing more and more everyday), business must follow suit by keeping current with popular media channels.

Google+ will survive: Google + will not overtake Facebook like it was originally suggested that it might do, however, Google + will not be a failure. Google + is already gaining success as a social media tool because of its main target audience, businesses. New statistics about the use of Google + pages by businesses is quite impressive. It will be interesting to see how many more organizations and businesses join Google + and create brand pages in the next year; I predict a large number will become active users.

Facebook will continue to grow: Facebook will continue to obtain more users. Currently it has 800 million so I predict that Facebook will get close to or even hit 1 billion users over the next year or so. Yikes!

Improved customer service through social media: We all know that customer service is important for the image of any company, yet social media has taken customer service to a whole different level of awareness. Thanks to sites such as Facebook and Twitter, a customer can write one complaint about a company and it will be heard by thousands of people.  I think businesses will begin focusing not only on gaining followers but also on learning about their followers. Once companies understand the customers utilizing their social media pages, businesses can be more efficient in customer relations and in improving customer service. This is not a new concept, just one that I think will be focused on more in 2012.

What are your predictions for social media for the year 2012?

Holiday Stress Gone Thanks To Online Shopping

Holiday shopping can make people go crazy but now that the holiday season is here, I find myself not as stressed out about shopping for Christmas gifts as I once was. I don’t know about the rest of you out there but I did about 75% of my holiday shopping online this year and it was amazing! Saved so much time and hassle. When you think about it, prices really didn’t vary that much this year in comparison to previous years. Shipping was free and discounts were huge! It really doesn’t get much better than that.

 My favorite holiday shopping sites this year were Amazon, JC Penny, Kohl’s, Bath and Body Works, Living Social, and Groupon. This is the first year for Living Social and Groupon to make the list but the deals were too good to pass up. Makes me wonder how people ever found the time and energy to shop for Christmas gifts before online shopping days such as Cyber Monday existed. In reality, online shopping sites have really only been a large form of retail for less than 10 years.

Retailers should participate in Black Friday sales online as well as Cyber Monday if they want to earn a sizable profit. However, stores cannot just post small sales and discounts on their website and expect to see large increases in sales.  For example, Best Buy was one of the highest grossing companies this year for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Last year they were not but thanks to factors such as affordable pricing, an easy to navigate website, and free shipping they came in first this year. Also, Target has been successful in earning a profit this holiday season too by not only having sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday but by offering discounts on items the whole week of Thanksgiving.

So tell me, how do you feel about online shopping? What are your favorite online shopping sites for holiday gifts? Do you prefer to shop online or in stores? Look forward to hearing from all of my readers and wish everyone a happy holiday shopping season!

Social Media in Dance

Author: Katelyn Jordan

It always brings a smile to my face to see a former dance instructor post on Twitter about an upcoming class or performance happening in New York. 

It amazes me how far social media has come even in just the past few years.  When I was taking dance classes, the only way to know if a class was cancelled or if a time was changed, was by phone or email.  Today, I am able to write (or tweet) a short 150 character update about upcoming classes or other cool things in the dance scene.  Not only am I able to connect with my students and share important information with them but also, I can keep up with my old instructors and see what new ideas they have about pedagogy in dance while staying up to date with new choreography as well.

I think that many people take the connections we make and information that we receive and share for granted.  And admittedly, it’s easy to see how easily that can be done.  I rarely think about the articles that I wouldn’t be able to read about new dance ideas thanks to someone’s link from a post.  Neither do I think about what it would be like if I couldn’t connect with my students outside of dance class or with my old instructors in New York.  We have this awesome tool, and take it for granted.  We rarely realize the impact that a single tweet, blog post or profile status has on the people that we connect with.  We see it as a normal, day-to-day activity, rather than a most useful utility.  It is crazy to me that we can post on the internet for millions to see but even more so that we can “tag people” or make a group solely dedicated to what the interest is at hand is.

I think that the ways we connect on the internet have allowed us for a great expansion in our own personal knowledge, whether it is about dance or any other subject you are interested in.  You can see what people all around the world think about one single idea and I find that fascinating. The route social media will go in the future is still unknown, however, the successes of social media thus far can only mean great things are to come!

I Am Thankful For Social Media Because...

“I get to keep up with people”- Anonymous

“It keeps me employed”-Anonymous

“I like connecting with old friends and the quickness you can find things online after they happen. Also, I like reading what athletes have to say.”-Brandon Paul

“I am thankful for YouTube, which makes it possible for people to become famous outside the walls of California”-Anonymous

“it is two-fold. The ability to self express and share ones emotions is at an all time high. Also, I am thankful for the ability to keep in contact with individuals I otherwise would not be able to. It allows them to stay in sight and in mind.”-Craig Allen

“it has allowed me to reconnect with old friends, colleagues, and family that I have not seen in years. Social media has created an avenue where I can rejoice, celebrate, and even weep with others that I have reconnected with.”-Jennifer Frescott

“so I can catch up with family/friends that live far away.”-Anonymous

“it keeps me in touch with people I normally don’t talk to on a daily basis”-Jennifer McCandless

“even though I am over 1,000 miles away from my family and friends, they will get to see my little baby growing up through pictures and videos with one easy click!-Meag Warren

“it keeps me in touch with those friends that have moved away”-Taylor Warmoth

Google+ Is Better Than You Think

How many people currently have a Google + page? In my circle of friends, hardly any. I know that a majority of people are not on Google +, however, the more I read about it and learn about it, the more I love it! There are so many unique features, ones that I cannot wait to learn how to use. Here are just a few of my favorite features:

1.       Direct Connect allows businesses to become easily searchable by just enter + [Page Name] into the search operator Google.com. Most people do not look past the first page of search results, so having another social media outlet that can be pulled in the Google search engine is a big plus.

2.       Topic Circles: Users can create a post about a certain topic and ask others to comment on it. From there you can create a circle around this topic with the users who expressed interest. This allows for people to have a more personalized experience and puts them in contact with others who share similar interests.

3.       Hangouts on Air: This is basically live streaming video. Up to ten people can participate in the chat and an unlimited amount of people can view it. Currently, only certain businesses can use this feature but it is definitely a great tool! I am sure that it will soon be available for everyone to use.

There are a lot more features that are pretty awesome on Google + so if you have time make sure and check it out! If you create a page, make sure and add me! That’s all for today’s post, short and sweet.

What Can We Learn From The Penn State Situation?

As a majority of us are already aware, Penn State has been involved in a massive sex abuse scandal. Accusations have been made against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. However, Sandusky is not the main face under attack by the media and the university; instead it is head coach Joe Paterno.

The interesting part about this crisis is how the university is handling the situation. They have not conducted one press conference and have cancelled the remaining press conferences originally scheduled. No one is saying a word to the media. What this crisis at Penn State really teaches us is to address situations head on. Ignoring the media, students, faculty, staff, alumni and fans is a bad idea in a situation such this severe.

During my Mass Communication Theory class last night, we discussed the Penn State crisis, all agreeing that as an organization, Penn State cannot nor should not hide from the media. The university should have held a press conference (not taking questions or anything) with just a brief statement of the facts such as, “We are investigating the matter and will let you know when we learn more.” Easy and simple, yet it does let people know that the university is aware of the situation and taking steps to solve it.

I also am having an issue with Joe Paterno’s statement last night. I just cannot wrap my head around who advised the university to let him give that statement.  For starters he called the children involved “victims.” While it appears that these people are indeed victims, it has not been officially investigated to prove the accusations. Therefore, Paterno makes it sound like he already believes the accusations against defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Audiences thinking that Paterno believes the accusations will make it more difficult for the university to solve and handle. Paterno is the face of Penn State, so his opinions can and most likely will influence and be shared by a majority of fans.

Also, Paterno ended his statement with a Penn State cheer. In this type of situation, a university should want their leaders to be professional. Leading a cheer made Paterno appear as if he didn’t think the sex allegations were a big deal, almost as if he was not taking the situation seriously.

It will be interesting to see what Penn State decides to do crisis management wise in the upcoming days and throughout the investigation. I believe that this scandal will be studied by PR professionals for many years to come. How much damage was done to the universities image by this situation? How could they have prevented it? How could their crisis communication plan been activated and implemented differently? How many years will it take the university to get back their reputation and image?

Technology and Social Media in the Classroom

Guest Blogger: Meaghan Warren

I am currently teaching geometry in Arizona. As a teacher, your always trying to find new ways to reach your students and get them to learn. Since technology has become such a big part of this generations up bringing, I have tried to incorporate it as much as possible into my lessons. I am currently using social medias, such as facebook, a website, cell phones, computers, internet, QR codes, etc.

If you had been there when I first told my students they were going to get to use facebook in class, you would of thought I had just given them a million dollars. I am sure your thinking facebook in school? How is that productive for students? My class has a facebook page and I post daily questions where students can "vote" or submit their answer to daily review questions. I keep track of their posts. I also post critical thinking questions for homework and all the students have to do is get on and respond. If I had asked them to do it on paper, it just wouldnt be as exciting. It also gives me the chance to have them respond to each other, almost like a blog. I also post important reminders, etc. which they can see daily.

Our class also uses tools such as a website, where students can find all the resources we use in class online. It is a great tool when a student is absent and is also a great study tool. We use the internet almost everyday whether it is just looking up pictures or examples of the current content or watching youtube videos. Search for the Quadratic Formula Rap...its a good one! The kids love it because it directly relates to what they are interested in.

If you have ever taken a minute and observed teenagers at a mall, school, or anywhere for that matter there is a cell phone glued to their hand. Last year, I collected over 100 cellphones throughout the year for students texting in class. It hit me at the end of year..why not just incorporate it into the lesson? There are some great websites where you set up questions and students can text their answer. They provide great feedback for teachers. It gives you a graph of correct answers and incorrect answers and is a great tool for check for understanding. Also, there are a thousand websites where you can create QR codes. I created a QR code for a project and kids went nuts because they got to use a new app on their phone and could scan it and find their project. Never in my life have I seen so many kids so excited to do a project. So anytime you can put technology into a lesson, your bound to get some good results.

Social Media Campaigns: Happy Halloween Edition

Happy Halloween everyone!

Today’s post is a simple concept that took a haunted house website to the top. Nightmares Fear Factory (located in Niagara Falls) is open 365 days a year. The company claims that over 10,000 people have bailed out of the haunted house tour because they were too scared, giving it the name “The World’s Most Frightening Experience.” So how did this place up its website traffic and image in just a short few hours? Easy. The company began snapping photos of people at the scariest points in the haunted house and posting them to social media sites such as Flickr, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter which allows people to view the scared physical reactions of those who toured the house.  

The company began posting October 6, 2011 and within 24 hours traffic jumped from 600 visits per day to 60,000 on the company’s website. The photos have received press coverage as well by being covered by ABC News, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Tosh.O, and more.

All I can say is what a perfect example of how companies can successfully utilize social media to generate traffic to their main websites. People love seeing photos of themselves which makes it instantly shareable, which then creates attention and increases word of mouth about the company. I love love love this marketing campaign implemented by Nightmares Fear Factory and think others could easily follow this example to execute a successful campaign for their business.

You Can’t Hide If You Use Social Media

The Washington Post recently circulated an article about how police officers are using social media to track gangs. We all know that social media sites can allow others to see personal information (if people do not set their privacy settings to protect themselves) such as home address, location, phone number, photos, personal activities, etc. Even with the privacy settings, agents and officers are granted access to individual’s social media pages by obtaining permission from the court system.

Examples included agents using Myspace to track down a gang who was utilizing the site to threaten federal witnesses, using Facebook to identify gang members, and using Facebook to locate a wanted gang member. As one federal law enforcement official said, “Gangs are just following societal trends.”

This is a smart and unique tactic employed by law enforcement professionals to catch/track current as well as future gang members. Social media is being utilized by law enforcement to not only track and catch, but also to obtain information. Photographs can help identify people, location check-in points can tell police where they are at that exact moment, post made by friends can offer insight into their activities, etc. Police even read comments posted by teenagers, and visit homes of these teenagers to warn parents of the violent threats and comments made online.

This article is an interesting read. A majority of us are not criminals or gang members, but the article does demonstrate just how easy social media makes it for the world to know our every move as well as personal information. I am not saying this is a bad thing (trust me I love social media), just pointing out that ease of access is there and will continue to be there. Just remember, once you put something out there on a social media site, it remains there.

Digital Divide: Will The Gaps Ever Close?

Throughout my time as a Public Relations Masters student at Texas Tech University, a good chunk of the conversations in my classes each semester focus on knowledge gap in relation to the digital divide. The Internet is definitely one of the newer mass media channels but with the Internet came social media sites. Even though the Internet has been around for a long time and is in over 70% of U.S. households, it still amazes me how little people know about it.

Two very simple examples:

1.        I was teaching my Hip Hop dance class about a month ago and had two new international students. At the end of class, these young ladies asked me the title of the song and where to find it, which I of course replied “ITunes.” They then proceeded to fill me in on how they had no idea what ITunes was!

2.       I have spent time teaching members of my family the basics of Facebook (this seems to be an ongoing task). The biggest problem they have with this social media site is privacy. I am constantly logging into to all of their accounts just to update their privacy settings or sending an email with step by step details on how they can do it themselves (which they usually just end up having me do it).

Let’s look at the digital divide from another point of view. Numerous studies have proven that the elderly population is joining Facebook at a rapidly increasing rate, but does this mean that these people understand how to use the site to its full potential? My guess is no.  

The Internet and its various sites offer a large world of knowledge and information. Yet, as I look around I notice more and more that people do not feel the same way. The majority of the population is at the same level with their Internet skills and literacy, but what about that small percentage that is behind and not understanding? Do we leave them behind? What if there are not people around to teach others Internet literacy? And of course the ultimate, overall question: How do we close the digital divide gap?

YouTube Gets Political

YouTube is definitely moving in the right direction with some new changes. In order to become one of the leading sources for political news, the site will soon be launching a YouTube Politics Channel. This channel will air a mix of videos so people can follow speeches, interviews, etc of the 2012 campaign. The Internet is the main media source utilized by citizens seeking political information so this channel could take the site to a new level. According to Jennifer Martinez, a technology reporter for POLITICO Pro, features will include, “Charts that show a tally of which candidates are receiving the most video views, search queries within YouTube, subscribers and video shares. YouTube visitors can also keep track of which candidate videos are getting the most views each day, week or month on the site.”

Earlier this year, YouTube launched the Town Hall platform which showed videos of members of Congress battling over various issues. Barack Obama, as well as some Congress Members, have successfully created their own YouTube channels to push their political views and messages.

Although I am not big on talking about politics, I do think the YouTube Politics Channel is a unique way to reach citizens across the country. Because a YouTube membership is free, every citizen with access to the Internet will be able to use this channel to receive political information. I bet this will be a success and cannot wait to see how many viewers tune in!

Facebook: Change Is Not Always Best

One of the best quotes I heard the other day to describe the new changes on Facebook was, "Facebook is now a feed, within a feed, within a feed, within a feed." The new features of Facebook seem to be causing quite a stir among its users. People do not appear to be too happy with all of the new changes and updates. Personally, I think that Facebook now closely resembles Twitter. I don’t need to have two social media tools exactly alike, I like variety. I understand that social media sites are going to make adjustments and will be in constant motion, but it almost seems as if Facebook is trying to combine everything that other social media sites have into one. For example:

*Facebook now has constant per second status updates (Twitter)

*The new layouts coming soon look almost like a blog layout (BlogSpot)

*Users can make purchases on Facebook (websites in general)

*Apps and games can be played (smart phones)

*Videos (YouTube)

The list can go on and on. I have been learning the new updates and will not be doing anything drastic like delete my Facebook account. I still love Facebook,  I am just curious why Facebook feels it necessary to make drastic changes all the time. Facebook should be listening to its consumers and what they are saying, which right is mostly negative comments. Makes me wonder what changes will be coming next because the site pretty much is a mesh pot of all the other social media sites out there.

Social Networking, Social Media and Me

Guest Blogger: Anonymous

As a 60 year old ex techie I still embrace the magic of the personal computer. It is a part of my daily life as I use it to get my news, pay my bills, get me to the right place at the right time with its calendar, write letters, answer questions that arise, entertain and the list goes on. With those capabilities the personal computer also steals my time. Facebook, Twitter, and the other myriad of social networks creep into my productivity. I am sent information (gossip) that I sort through to see if any is essential to me. Seldom does a tweet or post meet that criteria. Call it egocentric but I do not care who does what on farmville or which high school in of 40+ years past are meeting for a beer.

There are exceptions to this. On several occasions these outlets have been the only source of news coming from places where freedom of the news is nonexistence. At these times I will follow an uprising through the only eyes available and praise the networking for making the news of the world available. There are also social networking sites that are quite educational and promote exchanges of valuable knowledge, spur healthy debate, provide a safe place to touch base with others and are valuable to participants.

I am not one of those adults that see no value in these networks for the youth. For years adults have complained that the youth do not know how to read or write because of the television and telephone. They say these arts are lost. Our youth are reading and writing albeit with great abbreviation. It is an active participation rather than passive where participation is required of them. The drawback here is that some use poor judgment in what they make available for everyone to see. They lack foresight into how this will have an impact on their future and even current relations with peers. This is not only true for the youth but for networkers of all ages.

Social media websites were designed by geniuses with little insight into how they would be used. They multiply on themselves and have very few regulations which in my opinion is good. However if it is to stay that way care must be taken to keep more than modicum of social integrity.

Do We Hide Behind Social Media?

My biggest question is, “Do we hide behind social media?”  More and more I am seeing people make major, personal announcements via Facebook or Twitter. These people tell their followers, friends, and network something personal that they otherwise may not. Is it because we aren’t telling someone to their face, seeing and hearing their reaction, that makes social media sites the platform of choice? Is it easier to tell everyone at once instead of informing people one at a time? There are multiple reasons why people choose social media sites as their channel of choice to share such personal information, but is it always the best option?

There are certain situations and facts that require face-to-face or telephone communication. Sometimes Facebook and Twitter are not the correct avenues to share information. For example, Twitter only allows for 140 characters making it difficult for a user to share personal and important news in a short text. Facebook is more user friendly with its character spaces, but a post may be misinterpreted by others. At times it can be a challenge to correctly portray an emotion through Facebook or Twitter. One common theme I am noticing is engagement announcements. People are posting or updating their statuses to show they are engaged before informing their immediate friends and family. Certain friends and family may not be in your network on the social media sites in which you make the announcement or your status update may not show up in their news feed, leaving them clueless. They may not find out for weeks! Are we losing the intimacy of our relationships so much that people feel it is not important to inform those closest to them?

Social media sites are a popular and effective way to reach the masses but every once in awhile we should stop and ask ourselves if the situation is appropriate to share with everyone at once or if we should inform certain people first, either face-to-face or through telephone, before announcing the message for all to see.

My Favorite Social Media Tool: Twitter

Currently, Twitter is by far my favorite social media tool. I used to love Facebook but recently I have been finding myself annoyed by all of the emails Facebook sends me, plus a lot of those people aren’t my friends. I have slowly been deleting about 10-20 people a week because they don’t have anything in common with me. Twitter on the other hand, well here are 5 reasons why I like it so much:

1.       Short, quick posts (I like just reading a small blurb and then deciding if I want to read more)

2.       The quickness of the status updates (Facebook just recently started doing this but I don’t like how Facebook clumps similar statuses together)

3.       Background (I love being able to create my background how I want!)

4.       Doesn’t send status updates ( I don’t want a bazillion emails just because I re-tweeted someone or responded to one of their Tweets)

5.       It’s a newer social media tool (Facebook has been around for a long time now, so it makes sense that I got bored with it and now enjoy Twitter more!)

So today my favorite social media tool is Twitter but ask me again at this same time next year and I can guarantee you that I will have a much different answer. Social media is always getting bigger and better, so I wonder what will be next and what features about it I will learn to love.

Media Ten Years Later

So today this post will be a little different and shorter than normal. I want to look back to 9/11 and remember those who lost their lives, but I also want to briefly talk about how media have changed over ten years.

At the time, there were no mobile apps, Facebook, Twitter, etc. People had to communicate by phone (and even then the phones lines tied up fast because of overload) and get their information from the television and newspaper. When I read and hear others stories about where people were and how they heard about the planes crashing into the twin towers, almost all say “I found out through the television” or “My friend called me to tell me about it.” Then the next day people would pick up a newspaper to learn more.Think about how you were notified and how you communicated with others about it. No one was flocking to Twitter or Facebook to spread the word. They were not clicking news apps on their phones to find out information. Instead, the media used television as their main outlet. It is amazing to me how much has changed over a ten year time period.  Now most would go online to social media sites when seeking information. Before, people could only watch and then converse with those they saw in person or called. Now, one can get information from multiple sources and talk about it in seconds to others worldwide.

Like I said, this is just a short little think about it type of post today. To all of those who lost their lives and to their families, we remember you on this day. To those who not fight to protect this country, thank you for all that you do. 

Social Media

 

Guest Blogger: Oscar Casas

Eight years ago, the thought of social media was very obscure. Front runners for connecting people in my opinion were MySpace, AOL Instant Messenger, and Hotmail. Connecting with colleagues my first two years of college comprised of actually getting a phone number and maybe and instant messenger name. As we all know, the advent of FaceBook has changed how we communicate with one another and has made us more open to intrusiveness into our own lives. We now live in a society that has had technology and communication so engrained in their train of thought, which I suspect most sites have now reached their saturation point.

There are now ad agencies trying to capitalize on the fact that people have cell phones and those cell phones have GPS and data plans. Google Coupons and Living Social are two companies that strive to reach the consumer to the last penny. This overabundance of information has turned me off to participating with these programs. A random sale during down periods trying to entice me to spend my money is very disheartening. I often think of friends who recommend these sites saying "But I got a really good deal" then say to myself "did they really need 50% off China Bistro on a Monday night?"

While social media serves a purpose for connecting individuals, providing up to the minute weather and national security information, I feel we may be in over our heads. Technology is too fast and too abundant in our lives. Should something happen that would wipe out a network, what would we as a nation do? What alternatives could we readily divert to? Maybe the jobs that disappeared because of computers will re appear?

My recent visit to Costa Rica has provided me a viewpoint of life without social media. In Costa Rica, few people have IPHONE’s; few have smart phones, and most have very old Nokia 1100’s . People here meet with each other to talk. They walk from place to place and value time with friends and family as opposed to always being rushed or updating their status. The terminology for life in Costa Rica is "Muy Tranquillo"—meaning "Very Relaxed". Such terminology does not fit in with our current social lives. In lieu of sports, outdoor activities, dinner parties, gatherings, we choose to update our status and watch our UVERSE or FIOS while texting…

Social media, I will limit thee in my life.

Real Friend or Facebook Friend?

I’m sure you all have anxiously awaited this day...the day when my sister asks me be a guest blogger.  For those of you that know me, you probably know a few things: 1) I have never blogged (you may be able to see why once I’m finished with this piece), 2) My knowledge and use of social media is limited, and 3) When it comes to healthcare, I rely on my sister to tell me what’s happening and what’s important.  That being said, I hope I can entertain you for at least a few minutes today!

So, a blog about social media in the healthcare industry.  Might I take this opportunity to refer back to items 2 and 3 above.  Although I feel honored to be a guest blogger, I question my sister’s standards for this blog J  Let me begin by saying that several years ago, my sister told me about this new awesome way to connect with people, you may have heard of it...Facebook.  Naturally, I was skeptical and didn’t create an account.  Never fear, my sister took care of that for me.  Yes, she created an account for me, even uploaded pictures of me and completed my profile.  And that’s how it began...people began “friending” me.  I rarely if ever “friend” people, but that doesn’t seem to matter.  What does it matter that my profile hasn’t been updated for years?  Case and point, here is a tidbit of my profile at this exact moment:

A real-life friend recently told me that it is rude to Decline a Friend Request, and that instead I should just leave it open indefinitely so the person doesn’t know I’ve Declined them.  I didn’t know about this “Facebook etiquette” at the time, but now that I do know, I’ve decided that I have all the more reason to Decline.  I would prefer it if my “friends” knew they were not really my friend!  For those of you who I have accepted your friend request, I know you feel special right now, and rightly so.

Next social media tool I use (slightly): LinkedIn.  I believe I’ve gone so far as to sign up for an account (on my own this time), include the company I work for, and also my job title.  Big things are happening with this tool.

I think that’s about it as far as social media.  And the healthcare industry?  Well if it’s not on the 6am news, then I don’t know about it...at least until 8am when my sister fills me in on the latest and greatest.  Now, I may not know a lot about social media or healthcare, but in the future, if I am invited back to be a guest blogger, I have LOTS of stuff to write about.  First of all, there are lots of trashy yet awesome shows on right now: Bachelor Pad, Jersey Shore, America’s Got Talent...limitless pool of blogging material.  Secondly, who doesn’t want to hear some of my crazy client stories?  It does seem that I’m living in a daytime drama series at times...or a really messed up version of The Office.  I did have someone accuse me a breaking the printer today, and no I was not amused.  If I was going to break a printer I would certainly not be caught near it like a dummy.  Thirdly, you all might need a break from all this “social media” and “healthcare” talk.  Leave it to my sister to fill your brains with knowledge and leave it to me to entertain!

Toodles for now...

Author: Shayla Russell

Health Care Utilizes Facebook in New Ways

“Why Hospitals Shouldbe Facebook Friends with Benefits” is definitely an interesting article! It opens by discussing statistics on how hospitals are not connecting with others through Facebook. Well I have been discussing how the health care industry needs to engage more for months now so there is nothing new or surprising there. What is surprising are the examples of how certain health care systems are choosing to use Facebook.

My favorite use of a Facebook mentioned in the article is the Pinky Swear app that reminds women to schedule a mammogram and allows them to send reminders to others. The Henry Ford Health System is using this app to connect with patients, but also as prevention tool to educate women on risks associated with breast cancer. Love, love, love it! Even the name of the app is catchy and fun. I would love to see if this app actually influenced behavior and managed to get more women into the doctor’s office for a mammogram. Apps are very good at creating awareness and grabbing people’s attention, but just how effective are they are causing certain behaviors? Maybe additional research will tell us all soon enough! Either way, I am interested to see the numbers on just how successful this Facebook app is for the Henry Ford Health System because it is definitely a new and innovative way of using this social media tool to engage and connect.

Just How Many People Seek Health Information Through Social Media Sites?

This article, written by Donna Fuscaldo, came as no surprise to me when I read it. According to a Ticker survey of 22,877 Americans, “96% of respondents said they used Facebook to gather information about health care while 28% used YouTube and 22% used Twitter.” So if 96% of the respondents are utilizing Facebook when searching for health information, can the health care industry continue to sit around and wait to join the social media craze? I guess the bigger question is even though people are using social media sites to seek this information, how many of them trust the information they receive?

What I found to be most interesting is the fact that households who earned $75,000 or more were more likely to us social media sites when seeking health information in comparison to smaller income households. Additional research into the demographics social media site users is needed. The health care industry is constantly researching diseases associated with certain ages, gender, race, and income. Research into targeting certain messages to specific audiences and groups based on demographics could prove useful in health education, information sharing, and prevention.

Overall, this article is just flat out interesting. It is a good read so take a look at it and let me know your thoughts!

Just Another Manic Monday

So now that my summer school class is over I finally have the freedom to really blog about anything that I want! So for today, I will keep it short and see how it goes…

This morning I was invited to join the new Google+ and I automatically see the potential of this social media site. However, there are A LOT of kinks so why launch it when it wasn’t ready? It won’t let me upload my profile photo or videos. Basically I can put text on my profile and invite people to join. Hmmm….am I missing something here? I guess I will just have to wait it out and see.

My sister comes this weekend to help me decorate and I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am! Hopefully she will be a guest blogger soon! Everyone make sure that you comment so we can all convince her to be my guest blogger. Yay! Ok time to see what the week has in store for me and I promise my next blog post will be much much much much better. Happy Monday!

Where Do We Go From Here?

There are numerous social media tools that I have not been able to discuss over these past few weeks including LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, Podcasts and many more. Medical professionals should consider utilizing these tools and networking sites to connect and engage with others among the health care industry. Over the course of this blog, I have been preaching the message of safe and effective uses of social media tools. Medical professionals must follow guidelines in order to protect themselves and follow patient privacy laws.

The University of Missouri Health System, also referred to as MU, currently has health care social media guidelines posted on their main website which protects the institution and employees.  These guidelines apply to official social media postings for MU health care, video recordings, audio recordings, photography, and personal social media communications. Placing this document on the main Web site informs both the internal audiences of MU such as employees, staff, and stakeholders, but also its external audiences such as patients and other medical professionals about its social media policies.

A social media policy not only protects individuals and institutions, but also provides the framework needed to achieve goals and objectives. For example, the Mayo Clinic breaks down each social media tool. It provides in-depth instructions and details, explaining how the content and social media site will be managed and maintained. For various blogs, the Mayo Clinic has created a Comment Policy. For social networking sites such as YouTube and Facebook, the clinic provides Participation Guidelines. Detailed descriptions such as these can prove valuable in achieving objectives. Social media is rapidly growing, so the more detail and guidance provided, the better.

Where do we go from here? The health care industry should jump into the social media world, but jump in with caution and with a plan in place. Social media provides remarkable tools to aid medical professionals in sharing information, education, connecting with others, engaging with patients, giving medical advice, and more. The list of opportunities social media outlets present is extensive and will only continue to grow. The health care industry must embrace social media and utilize it for all that is it worth.

There's An App For That

This will be the final week for my blog topic to focus on social media and the health care industry. When I read back through the past few weeks of content, the question I seem to be hearing most is “What is next in social media?” In my opinion, the answer is mobile applications.

Mobile applications have just recently, over the past few years, begun to gain popularity. I found myself wondering how a medical professional could utilize a mobile app to increase awareness and spread information. Currently, there are over 6,000 medical applications available.  One article I read found that "seventy-five percent of U.S. physicians own some form of Apple device, and that they are quickly embracing the technology for use in their practice."

After researching online for some additional information, I discovered that mobile health apps are being used mainly among patients to access health records. The accessibility to health records allows a patient to update personal documents while monitoring health activities and wellbeing. Not only are patients able to take control of their health, this app will help keep them out of the doctor’s office for non-emergency or minor issues. The physician is able to conduct an examination without the patient actually visiting the office.

Another theme of medical mobile applications currently being utilized by doctors are drug reference guides. This app is a simple idea, but contains information that every medical professional needs. Instead of looking through outdated textbooks or searching online for a drug reference guide, medical professionals can find the information in the palm of their hand. The ease and availability of this application not only saves time, but also can be used to educate health care students as well as patients. For example, how many times have you been prescribed an antibiotic but wanted more information? Instead of sitting down at a computer and performing a Google search, which could pull biased and outdated information about the prescription, one could access the app from their phone and within seconds be able to learn more.

So what is the future of social media? What is the future of social media and the health care industry? The future is mobile applications.

Leading the Way

The blog post 7 Reasons Why Doctors Should Blog contained suggestions for ways in which doctors could use blogs.  

A main reason doctors should blog is to build trust and reputation. Thanks to the Internet, blogs are available to readers globally. Blogs are a valuable tool in building trust and reputation not only among a physician’s local community, but worldwide. A physician blogger should place focus on the publics in which he/she serves, but should also remember not neglect the online medical community.

One creative and unique suggestion mentioned by the author was to lead a social cause. Utilizing a blog to lead a social cause is an excellent proposal. If a physician has established trust, authority and professionalism through their blog, why not use their status to create awareness? For example, promoting an “anti tobacco campaign” would allow for the physician to engage with audiences through exclusive content. Leading a social cause can only be successful if individuals currently read and follow the blog. The physician blogger can post content about promotional events, information, current research, and personal stories all concerning the cause.

Promoting a social cause through a blog is an effective way to not only create awareness, but to produce unique content that can target new audiences. If a physician posts content about an “anti tobacco campaign,” his/her blog may be read by individuals or groups interested in the cause. Guest bloggers can also be an effective method to generate interest in both the cause and the blog. Individuals currently participating in an “anti tobacco campaign” could post content about the current efforts and organizations involved. Also, guest bloggers could post content about personal stories such as quitting tobacco, losing family members from cancers associated with tobacco use, or tobacco addiction. This would not only give readers a wide range of information, but could also draw in additional audiences.  

There are thousands of physician blogs. One way a doctor can set their blog apart from the others is to lead a social cause. An unknown author once said, “A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list.” Physicians, let’s focus on changing the world one post at a time.