Posts Tagged ‘Social Networking’
Risks of Health 2.0
September 11, 2008
From the Medicine 2.0 Congress, Neil Versel discusses how “Health 2.0 also can open up organizations to embarrassment or possibly even legal liability when it comes to interaction between patients and practitioners.” Whether it is poor judgment on Facebook or discussing patients on a blog, the openness of Web 2.0 tools can create risks for organizations. However, those risks can be exaggerated. Should organizations have policies about blogging and networking outside of work? Only to the extent that it places the company in a bad light. Otherwise, have at it.
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Two Social Networking Terms
September 9, 2008
In the NY Times Magazine this week, there is an article titled, I’m So Totally, Digitally Close to You. Two terms to remember:
- ambient awareness
- parasocial relationship
Read on.
Share this:CDC Explores Social Networking to Promote PHRs
March 25, 2008
What is the CDC up to and why does it want you to have a PHR? According to an article in HealthcareIT News, they are considering “methods of social health campaigning through such venues as newsgroups, newsboards, instant messaging, blogs, podcasts, Wikis, eGames, social networking, sharing services, mashups, mobile messaging and avatars.” This creative approach brings some privacy concerns but its good to see a government agency looking beyond traditional media for solutions to reaching out on health issues.
Share this:LinkedIn vs. Facebook
December 4, 2007
While not specifically related to ehealth, I came across several articles on the social networking in business controversy. Two articles from CIO magazine demonstrate this: first is” Why CIOs Should Be On Facebook“. The rationale is the amazing growth and reach in contrast with LinkedIn as just an online resume. He rightly notes the ability to integrate LinkedIn into Faceblook. His final argument, “your future workforce views Facebook as a staple in their daily lives.” Not a compelling case for business value. Meanwhile in “ A Proud Member of the LinkedIn Generation” sees this tool as a way to reconnect with old business associates and develop a powerful network of CIOs, CSO, etc. I agree that the potential is there but perhaps yet to be realized.
Finally, the most negative article is from a Harvard Business Review blog where Tom Davenport says “ LinkedIn Is Not a Social Network“. He argues that since it is specifically for business it is not a social network and it is only useful in seeking jobs or favors. Granted, LinkedIn lacks the rich functionality or user interface that Facebook has but perhaps it has not reached its full potential because of the lack of tools. Also, different businesses have a variety of types of human interactions – some are more formal or restricted by regulations or laws (lawyers, government, healthcare) while others are less formal (education, technology esp. developers). So one tool will not fit all. Is the solution somewhere in between – not too formal or informal?
Share this:The Growing Impact of Social Media
March 27, 2007
Today I attended the meeting of the Web Association in Cleveland to hear some of the local bloggers talk about Web 2.0 trends. The speakers were George Nemeth of Brewed Fresh Daily, John Ettorre of Working With Words and Dan Hanson of Great Lakes Geek and other ventures, many of which now include podcasts. One of them brought up the Long Tail concept and made me wonder, has this been applied to health care? Is much of web marketing in health care focused on the big money procedures like heart disease while the long tail of many diseases and conditions may hold a wealth of opportunities?
Three value propositions were cited for blogs in business: education (how tos, etc.), communication and marketing/brand awareness including improved search engine position.
Share this:Social Networking in Healthcare – Matthew Holt
February 8, 2007
Matthew Holt of The Health Care Blog has a thorough review of social networking in health care in Health IT World. He cites the major players in this space – Revolution Health, Daily Strength, Patients Like Me and Organized Wisdom, all of which have a growing base of users who both post their own content and receive email newsletters and RSS feeds on a range of health topics. Then there is Sermo which is for physicians only. All are experiencing exponential growth in new users and postings. Some are successfully raising second round funding. Sounds like the dot com boom all over again except this time it is in healthcare.
Will this growth rate continue or level off or even drop as users become bored and move on to the next trend. Or does this reflect a growing online baby boomer generation concerned about health and wellness and using online networks to support their personal efforts?
Share this:Generational Attitudes toward Social Networking
February 2, 2007
In a report on a study posted on Government Technology, the real differences in how 18-24 year olds view privacy versus those older. For example, “Only 19.6 percent of 18-24 year-olds consider their dating profile to
be an invasion of their privacy, compared to 54.6 percent of other respondents.” The study also showed this younger group strongly preferred the Internet over TV. Implications for healthcare privacy – this younger group may be more receptive to a PHR, for example, and less concerned about privacy threats but may have less use for it. Older users may benefit more but have more privacy concerns. Result = low adoption rates.
Social Networking in Healthcare 2007
January 5, 2007
Will social networking expand with patient blogs and MySpace-type websites for disease and conditions. Social networking has been common in some disease groups for years – for instance the cancer listservs from ACOR.org. The American Cancer Society has sponsored personal websites, blogs and discussions for the past few years with some success and now has introduced a Relay for Life website. Newer Web 2.0-style social networking for health is now coming to the fore with sites like DailyStrength.org. Will these have enough momentum to maintain a business model on subscriptions and ads? 2007 will be the year to tell.
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