The 3 Golden Rules

After becoming apart of twelve social media platforms I have gained a better knowledge of health organizations using social media.  Especially organizations who are promoting themselves and their causes with social media.  After exploring twelve different platforms I feel as if close to all social media sites are screaming out to health organizations everyday:

  "Pick me, let me promote your organization,
it's definitely a whole lot cheaper than the current advertising
company burning a hole in your pocket!"

Although any of these platforms may be challenging for first time user, the benefits are astounding.  One health organization has the ability to connect with their market through one-on-one conversation without leaving the office.  The advancement of technology allows for easier communication with any two (or more) people; whether one of them are from an organization or not.  Social media enhances the ability for these separate parties to communicate with one another by giving many different ways to do so.  This may be through a picture, a video, a live chat, a post, a comment, an open blog, a forum, and so much more.  What health organization does not want to communicate to its donors, survivors, patients, fans, and so forth? 

Promoting a cause through social media is an easy, yet not so easy, way to increase metrics an organization may currently have.  This includes increasing awareness, increasing donation dollars coming in, increasing research abilities, increasing fans, and ultimately popularity of an organization.  The question still remains for many health organizations of how to do so.  This is where the not so easy part comes in. 

Many health organization still have trouble meeting their specific metrics through social media.  They are not sure where to begin or how to go about it.  What should they be posting?  Which platforms are going to be most useful for them?  How will this effect their organization?  Will a platform support their cause or mission statement specifically? 

Many of these questions and more can easily be answered quickly with a search online, through sites such as Mashable and other blogs.  Many of my personal questions about social media platforms were answered through articles we were provided for class.  Further research for a health organization using social media can be found on the actual platform site.  For example, on Facebook and Google+, you can find informational material on how an organization can use them while signing up. 
 
Finally, I have come up with three golden rules for social media and health promotion through my own experiences this semester.  These Golden Rules are easily interchangeable with close to any platform.  Although more rules made be helpful, utilizing these rules will likely set the stage for a current organization using social media or those who are making the decision to do so now. These Golden Rules are created to help meet metrics an organization may have.

ONE: Create a Great Team
Create a team that is interested in social media, or greatly interested in exploring it. A health organization's team may only consist of one person, but there still is no 'I' in team. This person should be interacting with others throughout the organization. Doing so will help create awareness of what is going on internally. All of which expands the social media team and social media material. Current events, current research findings, and so forth may be incorporated into the social media material. The article How to Build an All-Star Social Media Team puts into great detail how an organization can build such a team. Although all of these positions may not be filled in a smaller non-profit organization, they may still take parts from it.

TWO: Know When to Respond to NegativityA negative comment or response of some kind from viewers is going to happen somewhere along the way. At one point or time these will appear on an organization's chosen platform(s). Lets face it, this world is full of negativity and it doesn't stop at social media. The health organization's social media team should be given strict guidelines on times and ways to respond. A comment on Facebook from an individual saying they are disappointed in the customer service line is not something to ignore. The guides for the team should address which negative communication to respond to, which to ignore, which to delete, and which to report. An ASPCA article, Top 10 Tips for Responding to Negative Comments, provides just that. Although this may not be a social media expert blog. The information is great!


THREE: Remain Consistent
A health organization should not let their viewers down, or they will go elsewhere!  This pertains to amount of posts,  material, and interactions with the viewer.  If an organization is posting on a regular basis (3-5 times a week) and suddenly does not post for 5 days in a row the viewers are going to leave.  If the material in posts begin to repeat themselves or lack interest, intellectually or visually, viewers are going to stop coming back.  If an organization intereacts on a daily basis with their viewers and suddenly stop, the viewers are not going to return.  This is exactly what an organization does not want!  They want to increase viewers instead of decrease them. 

Times may come up where social media is put to the side for a few days, especially in a small nonprofit organization where the "Great Team" is only one person.  In these instances the viewers should be told ahead of time.  A post on Facebook should be found stating social media for 'ABC organization' will be taking a short break until Monday, Nov. 4th.  In the post also should be stated the site is not shutting down and the viewers are not going to be ignored.  If the viewer is informed from the organization directly they will believe it.        

Pinterest: Pinning for Health Organizations



I cannot hesitate to explain how excited I personally get over Pinterest.  I fell in love with Pinterest because of its easy to maneuver set-up.  Unlike other social media sites, even Facebook in the beginning, it took me awhile to adjust and see what was really going on.  Pinterest, on the other hand, I find to be very simple. 

 

I resort to Pinterest just as often as I do Google or Bing, if not more.  I find myself getting lost in Pinterest, yet coming out with more information that I intended to get.  I have used Pinterest in the past for a wide range of reasons; including school project ideas, holiday gift ideas, photography tips, and much, much more.

 

I am not the type of person to research health topics of any sort through the Internet, but Pinterest really peaked my interest of starting too.  Through Pinterest I have actually started to explore the Internet more with health questions.  I have found blogs and health tips through the use of Pinterest.  Although I still do not fully trust the actual information, I still continue to utilize Pinterst to research.

 

 The features of Pinterest give health organizations an opportunity to put pictures to their words.  This would work for any organization, not only health organizations.  Through a separate article from socialmediatoday, Patricia Redsicker provides tips for a health organization using Pinterest.  Her tips include:

 

#1. Pin client photos and testimonials

#2. Show practical use of your products or services

#3. Use what you already have

#4. Show your organization’s culture

#5. Pin for conversation

#6. Take advantage of workshops, conferences and seminars

 

I feel the overall impression of these tips ask an organization to be themselves, work with what they have, and ask for help/contributions from their followers.  With tip #1 the organization could make their page more personable.  With actually testimony from clients a organization becomes more real for a viewer; especially those from a nonprofit organization.

 

As stated in a provided Mashable article, video is not yet popular on Pinterest, but is slowly growing.  As a user a video must have a catchy view in order for me to view the entire video.  Sometimes this is the very beginning of the video or is just a still shot from the video.  Either way, the initial screen must encompass a a bright pictures or a catchy phrase.

 

A MultiMerchantChannel article makes an important observation that an organization should consider the great reaching capabilities of Pinterest.  Although this article in particular is speaking of retailers, this is true of health organizations also.  Similar to Twitter, you are able to connect a Pinterest account with Facebook and/or Twitter.  This connects your Twitter followers, Facebook friends, and Pinterest pins altogether.  Just another reason pins should incorporate many different audiences. 

 

Overall, Pinterest makes itself distinctive with having images instead of mostly words.  It also has the features of comments, likes, followers, and video capabilities as other social media websites do.  Pinterest should be used by a health organization that already has material built up.  This material could be promoted through Pinterest to increase donations/traffic, etc.

 

The American Lung Association has a somewhat successful Pinterest account in my eyes.  I say somewhat due to amount of action they present to viewers compared to the amount of followers.  They have 20 boards that range from 5 pins to 157.  The board with 157 pins allowed viewers to input their opinions.  With all of the information the ALA is providing to users they only have 49 followers. 

 

I would argue that the organization should attempt to gain more followers by targeting one particular audience at a time.  This could be done maybe by creating a different board for every audience they want to reach through Pinterest. I would consider their Pinterest as an overall success needing only small improvements.  

 

Stumble Upon: Click to a New World

I had previously heard of Stumble Upon but I had never actually explored it myself.  I find that it could become very addicting for any one person.  And turn into something very time consuming.  Even just exploring it in preparation for this class I found myself getting lost in article, pictures, tips, and etc.  Number eight of this article is extremely true!

Stumble Upon's launch of Stumbling for Good seemed like a very smart move for the company.  The large amount of users creates a HUGE audience for non profits.  The audience also basically segments itself by choosing what interests them.  If a user is interested in health this option will be given to them the very first time they sign up for the website.  This keeps a nonprofit from wasting time promoting themselves to those who are never going to utilize their resources.

Although Stumbling for Good does benefit a nonprofit it does entail patience on behalf of the organization.  In order for an organization to become popular it must have many, many likes and recommendations from users.  This will not likely happen over night and entails weeks of progress and build up for the organization.   

This may seem has a drawback I believe those who are extremely passionate about their organization are willing to take the time and invest in Stumble Upon.  The benefits of joining are among others the increase of traffic to your website, as stated in this article.  An additional article from Read Write Web also mentioned the high traffic on Stumble Upon.  The second article in particular compared Stumble Upon to Twitter.  The comparison seems difficult in my eyes, but the article is also over three years old now. 

Through Stumble Upon a user is able to explore their interest and discover website they had not previously known existed.  The "random'ness" of it can easily get a user lost in links from blogs to blog. (Like myself!)  The user may even discover a health organization who promotes a cause dear to them.     

I would not recommend a health organization to use Stumble Upon as a starting grounds for many reason.  The most important being that you must already have ready to read material prior to investing yourself into Stumble Upon.  Stumble Upon should be a third or even fourth media platform an organization should utilize.  The platforms prior to Stumble Upon would help an organization build up enough material to promote first. 

A came across Woman's Day a couple of time exploring throughout the site.  Although it is not primarily a health organization I found it in the health interests as well as the fitness interests.  I was directly to their own website which pertained articles about home remedies and exercise habits a person should consider. 

In the article you could clearly see the tab 'Health+Fitness" through Stumble Upon, which is what grabbed my attention.  Before I knew it i was exploring a health blog through blog spot by following an article on Stumble Upon.

Over all I am really pleased when Stumble Upon based on the similarity to Pinterest.  I enjoy getting lost in my search through Stumble Upon and found it to be educational.  I see the benefits of a health organization utilizing it, if they are patient and have prior material to provide to interested users.

   

 

MedHelp: my health online

MedHelp was the website I chose to explore for no particular reason.  I went to the home page of the four we had to choose from and this one caught my interest the most. 

I was hesitant at first to sign up due to these websites requesting information of yourself.  But with MedHelp I did not feel uncomfortable filling any of the information out.  Actually, MedHelp allows you to fill out what information you want to at first, then allows you to go back and fill in what you may have passed up. 

This allows the user to check out the site first off then make up their mind as to whether or not they want to stick around.  The first information that the user is asked for is basic: nickname, password, and email address.  Furthermore, the user is asked about weight, height, and what interests the user to become apart of this online community.

From there the user is able to open up an completely different community for the health world.  I was shocked at how much information was on one website for a health community.  As a user you are presented with journals, forums, experts, health tools, health information galore!, trackers, and so much more.

MedHelp has been around since ealy 1994, therefore it has had plenty of changed in the last 18 years.  With 18 years of experience in this business I can see the benfit of having a big history.  MedHelp must also be popular among the online health community for being able to survive such a long time. 

Personally, I could see myself utilizing MedHelp with the trackers.  The trackers make it simple and easy to set a goal and see yourself progress towards it.  For instance, as a user, I may want to lose 10 pounds in two months.  With MedHelp I am able to have a start and end date of the goal, title the trackers, who can see the tracker online, send myself updates daily, and design a graph to see my progress through pictures.  Although this tracker may seem simple, I think it is benficial to have other users seeing your progress.  They could easily encourage me in my weight loss and so forth. 

 The Experts section of Medhelp includes over "200 doctors and experts from top medical institutions".  I feel more comfortable with this than say Wikipedia because the doctors and experts are chosen by MedHelp.  They are not self proclaimed doctors or experts.  This make me feel more comfortable as a user to trust MedHelp and the experts utilizing the site.

Through the experts section you are also able to become involved in a Health Chat or find a doctor for yourself.  Again, all of the options on MedHelp shows its history of being in the online health community.

Inorder for a health organzation to better utilize such a community as MedHelp they would need to select an individual to respresent them through the experts section.  The health organization would not likely be able to become apart of the community on their own.  An individual who is apart of the organization who would be considered an expert could promote them through chats on MedHelp. 

A benefit of obtaining an individual to respresent an organzation on MedHelp would be the large amount of traffic that MedHelp has on a monthly basis.  These large numbers are shown on Alexa.  This particular article breaks down everything on the MedHelp website.  This would help the health organzaition segment their audience through MedHelp if they chose to use it. 

The CrunchBase website published an article on MedHelp and named it the largest online health community and platform company.  I agree with this article in that MedHelp contains "trusted information and advice tailored to comsumers' personal health needs"

 

 



Yahoo! Answers: are there any answers?

Yahoo! Answers as a social media?! I had not even thought about this. 
My first thoughts going in to exploring YA was similar to Wikis and comparing it to Wikipedia.  I was very skeptical.  I have to admit, I still am.  I feel skeptical because I question the credibility of those giving answers.  I do not feel this is out of questions when it comes to something as serious as a person's health.

The feature of a person providing answers with a bio is somewhat helpful.  The only problem being I could essentially create an account and provide false information to make myself seem more credible.  For an organization they are able to provide links to their website.  This makes me feel more comfortable as a user. 

Another problem with this is finding an organization providing answers.  I had a difficult time finding an organization doing this.  In my opinion, the majority of answers are coming from individual people. 

The Top 10 Ways to Promote Your Business On YA  article is from an individual who is apart of an organization.  I can see where this might be more beneficial for this media due to the users being individuals.

The same article suggests breaking rules that are not liked by the users.  I'm not so sure this is a great way to promote yourself.  Although it may work out in the short-run, why would an organization want to promote themselves based on actions that are looked down on by the users?
I, myself, would not think highly of an organization who vote for their answers to gain popularity.  This almost contradicts itself; of course you think your answer is the best, or you wouldn't have provided it.

An individual I found through YA was Dr. Qutub.  Dr. Qutub includes his work experience in his 'About Me' section that seem credible to me, but are they real?  His graphs include 4978 questions being answered and 3756 being voted best answers. 

As a user how do I know these were truly the best answer to the question?  How do I know he did not vote on them himself?  How do I know he didn't choose questions that no one else had answered, except himself?  All of these are risks users of YA must take into consideration.




        

LinkeIn: Are you In?

In my opinion, LinkedIn has more of a professional networking site feeling.  This medium is a great way to really put yourself out there for the career you desire.  It is an online 'per-interview', aside from actually attaching your resume, you are also invited to post an entire profile dedicated to yourself.

Throughout this profile a user will include a personal picture, their work experience, volunteer experience, causes they care about, a personal summary, and recommendations.  All of these sections are similar to those needed for a job application and/or interview. Essentially, LinkedIn is an 'interview' before THE interview for an organization.

The mashable article states that:

"LinkedIn is no longer just a place to post your resume and look for a job. It’s become

a vital business tool for professionals and companies."  

 

Furthermore, the article explains that LinkedIn in a social channel that creates new oppporunities.  Although I agree with both statements, I still see LinkedIn as an extended employee site.  

I see where LinkedIn allows for great connections to be made between companies and people.  These connections can lead to greater opportunities for users as well as companies.  For a non-profit organization to join LinkedIn and utilizes features a hiring process could be sped up dramatically. 

The company is asked to complete a company page and have its employees 'connect' to the companies page.  This will help get the word out about the organization itself, as stated in the LinkedIn article about nonprofit organizations.

Canadian Foundation of Women's Health has a great overview on the company description.  It includes their mission, vision, goals, priorities, and specialities.  Each of these are very important to any organization and LinkedIn allows the company to be upfront about them.  These attributes for a non-profit can attract a person whose interests match this overview. 

Although the CFWH does a great job with their companies overview, the connection to the employees is missing.  Currently (9/29), there is only one employee of eight included on the "Employee Insights".  This drastically limits the companies ability to connect to critical audiences.  This is evident with CFWH having only sixty-three followers. 

I'm not sure if this has to due with the organization being in Canada or not.  This medium may not be popular in Canada, therefore its popularity on this site is low.  In my opinion the organization should have all employees join LinkedIn whether or not it is popular in Canada.  This way, the employees are familiar with the site if LinkedIn were to catch on in Canada. 

 

 

Twitter: Short, Sweet, & to the Point

Twitter brings a simple, clean element to the social media platforms in my eyes.  Twitter allows for short, quick statements coming and going in every direction possible.  Interactions are quick and to the point.  These interactions are coming from an array of people: personal or organizations.

The amount of characters limited in one tweet may be sleek and to the point, but it can easily cause problems for health organizations attempting to get information out.  Organizations would need to communicate to users in 140 characters or less.  The tweets would need to be attractive to users and informational all at the same time. 

The Mashable article could easily be utilized by health organizations to improve their presence on Twitter.  @ClevelandClinic takes into consideration a lot of these tips.  Cleveland Clinic does a great job of having less structure.  Many of their tweets incorpoFarate regular day-to-day life for Cleveland Clinic employees.  Pictures of their lounge area at the clinic are featured on Twitter.


Featuring personal pictures aside from a constant feed of information gives Cleveland Clinic a sense of feeling real to the user.  I personally like seeing a break in information and can relate to personal items from an organization. 

On a separate article from Mashable, Social Media is said to be a large distraction to individuals at work.  This article in particular points out that Twitter contains 400 million tweets per day.  This large distraction could potentially be a benfit for health organizations.  During an employees time of distraction they could be taking in constant information from Twitter. 

The article includes an infographic showing the possible loss from employees using Facebook, Twitter, and email:

   

I had not previously heard of Tweet Chat prior to reading the Health Works Collective article.  The growth of organzations after holding/being apart of these chats should be motivation enough for any organization to have such a chat.  The popularity of Heath Literacy Missouri (HLM) after a tweet chat alone is amazing to me. After a tweet chat HLM increased its network by 1000. 

1000!

 

1 0 0 0

 

ONE - THOUSAND !

 

That number is larger than some organzations ever have.  All of this occured through Twitter.  The simple, short, and sweet Twitter.  Why wouldn't a health organization want to take on the challenge of educating and attracting the public through 140 characters or less.