by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 30, 2006 | Blog, Social Media
Social media has changed the face of healthcare communications. No longer is online health and medical information coming only in a one-way direction from “official and approved” gatekeeper institutions to consumers. Technology and new online tools are facilitating the sharing of information between health providers and consumers, consumers and consumers, and providers and providers (got that?). This creates a new set of concerns about the accuracy of information being shared and privacy issues, but it also offers new opportunities to reach people in ways that was not possible before the advent of blogs, social networking sites, podcasts, wikis, message boards, videocasts and other peer-to-peer services.
Dmitriy Kruglyak of the Medical Blog Network and the upcoming Healthcare Blogging Summit has coordinated a large scale collaborative initiative to propagate a vision for how internet communication can change and improve the healthcare system. This HealthTrain Manifesto (based on the model of the seminal Cluetrain Manifesto) seeks to begin a conversation within the healthcare industry on how to best take advantage of the new opportunities these tools represent and how to minimize any potentially negative effects of this “open healthcare” approach.
Some of the key questions to be explored, from the Manifesto, include:
How will consumers find and act upon health information? How will professionals incorporate the latest scientific advances into their practice? How will healthcare institutions respond to increasing demands for transparency? How will the entire healthcare delivery and financing system be transformed by grassroots action?
The purpose of the Manifesto is perhaps best summed up here:
This Manifesto proposes principles under which open media could become a force of positive change in public health and healthcare system. It steers clear of issues that may favor any stakeholder group over another, aside from promoting greater empowerment of individual healthcare consumers and professionals. The goal of this effort is not to offer specific prescriptions for improving healthcare, as different people and groups have different ideas. The objective is to propose general principles under which open expression and discussion can force system change for the better. This is work in progress that will benefit from constructive criticism.
The Manifesto lays out 18 Theses, or principles, that will eventually be used to develop standards to guide the application of open health media. The document goes into more depth on each one, but briefly they are:
- Openness
- Empowerment
- Conversation
- Empathy
- Trust
- Critical Thinking
- Guidance
- Control
- Credentials
- Transparency
- Privacy
- Anonymity
- Scientific Validity
- Conflicts of Interest
- Sponsorship
- Promotion
- Controversy
- Civility and Respect
I participated in the pre-public drafting of the document, and there is now a long list of other supporters of this initative, including bloggers and prominent healthcare industry people. Now that the HealthTrain Manifesto is out in the public domain, we hope that the conversation among all stakeholders will move forward on how we can best promote individual and public health via these new technologies.
The implications of the “open healthcare” movement for social marketing are clear. We — the producers and disseminators of health information — are no longer able to function solely under what Fard Johnmar calls the Command and Control marketing paradigm. We can put our messages out there, but what is actually done with them once in the hands of our audience is not under our control. We must begin to figure out new ways to engage a community of people interested in a particular issue, and empower them to make the information relevant and connected to their lives. We cannot rely on a 30-second TV spot to reach and impress the growing numbers of people who routinely use social media as part of their lifestyle and create content themselves.
Download and read the HealthTrain Manifesto (pdf). If you have a blog, write about it there. Leave comments on the central Manifesto page. Add your endorsement to the list. Let’s figure out this brave new world together because the HealthTrain is speeding down the track and picking up steam.
photo credit: Christian Carollo
Technorati Tags: healthtrain manifesto, open healthcare, cluetrain, health, social media
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 24, 2006 | Blog, Entertainment, Social Media
I love science fiction. Given a choice between any other type of book (especially touchy-feely chick lit) and a sci-fi book, I will choose the sci-fi almost every time.
Lately I’ve been thinking about how two sci-fi books I’ve read presaged the existence of blogging and its culture. The first, and one of my favorite books of all time, is Ender’s Game
by Orson Scott Card, written in 1985. Quick synopsis: Genius children are bred and enter military training at a young age to save the Earth from another invasion by the Buggers, an alien civilization that has been fought off twice but threatens to return. Ender Wiggin is the best and brightest student at the Battle School, and believed to be the last hope for humanity.
Ender’s older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are also hyperintelligent but were not deemed suitable as military commanders. They take it upon themselves to foment political change and eventually unite the world’s governments under Peter’s rule.
How do they bring about this change? Basically, by blogging on the “nets,” though in 1985 when this book was written, blog was still just a typo for blob. Here’s how they started:
Her main identity on the nets was Demosthenes — Peter chose the name. He called himself Locke. They were obvious pseudonyms, but that was part of the plan. “With any luck, they’ll start trying to guess who we are.”
“If we get famous enough, the government can always get access and find out who we really are.”
“When that happens, we’ll be too entrenched to suffer much loss. People might be shocked that Demosthenes and Locke are two kids, but they’ll already be used to listening to us.”
They began composing debates for their characters. Valentine would prepare an opening statement, and Peter would invent a throwaway name to answer her. His answer would be intelligent and the debate would be lively, lots of clever invective and good political rhetoric…Then they would enter the debate into the network, separated by a reasonable amount of time, as if they were actually making them up on the spot. Sometimes a few other netters would interpose comments, but Peter and Val would usually ignore them or change their own comments only slightly to accommodate what had been said.
Peter took careful note of all their most memorable phrases and then did searches from time to time to find those phrases cropping up in other places. Not all of them did, but most of them were repeated here and there, and some of them even showed up in the major debates on the prestige nets. “We’re being read,” Peter said. “The ideas are seeping out.”
“The phrases, anyway.”
“That’s just the measure. Look, we’re having some influence. Nobody quotes us by name, yet, but they’re discussing the points we raise. We’re helping set the agenda.”
Sound familiar? I remember when I first read this book about 10 years ago, I thought it seemed pretty unrealistic that someone could just start anonymously writing and posting their thoughts on the internet, and that people would pay so much attention to it when there are so many other posts by so many other people getting in the way. Card turned out to be prescient.
More recently (perhaps a couple of years ago), I read Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow (who is now more than a little familiar with blogging). The plot is not so important for my point, but the story basically revolves around people in the 22nd century who live at Walt Disney World, which is no longer owned by Disney and is more of an open source project. In a post-scarcity economy, where people are immortal and have everything they need, the currency is not dollars, but something called Whuffie. Whuffie is essentially the respect and esteem that other people hold you in; you get more Whuffie when you do good things for other people and contribute to society postively, and you lose Whuffie when you treat others poorly or screw up in some way. Using digital implants in their eyes, people can track how much Whuffie they and other people have accumulated.
This was a good fight, one we could have a thousand times without resolving. I’d get him to concede that Whuffie recaptured the true essence of money; in the old days, if you were broke but respected, you wouldn’t starve; contrariwise if you were rich and hated, no sum could buy you security and peace. By measuring the thing that money really represented — your personal capital with your friends and neighbors — you more accurately gauged your success.
This book came out in 2003, so blogs were already in existence, but I don’t think that blogs were mentioned anywhere in the book. So how does this concept relate to blogging?
Most bloggers do not get paid for their posts. Why do we do it? To establish ourselves as industry thought leaders, to gain influence for our ideas, to get noticed. Yes, with the ultimate hope that it will lead to paying gigs or positions of power, but in the short term we get paid with Whuffie. When one blogger links to another, that is a form of Whuffie. As our Technorati or Alexa rank rises, that’s blog Whuffie. A blogger is only as good as her peers and audience think she is, and if she does not continue to perform, the Whuffie will eventually sink. I guess for most bloggers who don’t have ads on their blogs, it comes down to ego boosts, because we can’t actually buy anything with the blog Whuffie, but at some point for the best bloggers, the prestige translates into monetary compensation.
Does anyone have any good sci-fi books to recommend?
Technorati Tags: blogging, science fiction, sci-fi, orson scott card, enders game, cory doctorow, whuffie
by Nedra Weinreich | Oct 24, 2006 | Blog, Social Media
If you’ve been wondering what’s all the fuss those young folks are makin’ about YouTube and what-all they’re doin’ over there (beyond the commercials, music videos and wacky stunts), watch this video: YOUTUBERS. It’s a powerful demonstration of the range of human emotion and communication (both silly and dead serious) you can find in videoblogs. It’s heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time, and provides a voyeuristic glimpse into what used to be private. The YouTube Generation is reaching out to bring us into their lives — will we listen to what they are saying, and what will we do once we are there?
(via CGM)
by Nedra Weinreich | Sep 21, 2006 | Blog, Social Marketing, Social Media
I’m back from leading the inaugural class of Social Marketing University, which was an amazing two days. The participants at the training were enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their fields, and we learned as much from each other as they did from me. I’m looking forward to offering SMU again, perhaps in the Spring or Summer, and I’ll be looking at other locations for next time as well (especially my favorite city of Washington DC). If you are interested in receiving announcements of future trainings, please send me an e-mail at training@social-marketing.com.
One of the topics that was received with the most enthusiasm at SMU was the discussion of how new social media and Web 2.0 applications are leading to the next generation of social marketing (or NextGen social marketing, to coin a phrase). If you are in the Washington DC area, you have an opportunity next week to catch one of the social marketing social media pioneers talking on this topic.
Craig Lefebvre, whose blog On Social Marketing and Social Change was the first on the topic of social marketing as far as I know, will be the featured speaker at the Public Health Communication & Marketing Program (pdf) at George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services on September 27th at noon. Here are the details as announced by e-mail:
The Public Health Communication & Marketing Program at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services is delighted to announce the launch of a quarterly lecture series focused on cutting-edge issues at the intersection between theory and practice. Each seminar will be a one hour lecture and discussion with a provocative speaker whose work is helping to refine the practice of public health communication and marketing.
The seminars will be scheduled for the second Wednesday of every quarter during the noon hour (except in the case of holidays or other special circumstances). They will be held on the GWU medical campus in Ross Hall, and webcast live.
Our inaugural speaker – September 27 at noon – will be Dr. Craig Lefebvre, an internationally renown expert in social marketing. Craig will address the implication of “social media” (e.g., MySpace) for social marketing and public health. An overview of his topic is below. Future seminar topics and lecturers will be identified on the basis of nomination.
To nominate topics or speakers for future seminars, and for additional information about the seminar series, please contact Dr. Ed Maibach (emaibach@gwu.edu).
The Implications of “Social Media” for Social Marketing and Public Health
Craig Lefebvre, PhD
“Social media” is the use of media to facilitate collaboration and interaction among people. These media can be seen as mere digital extensions of older forms of communication ( e.g. promotional campaigns based on word-of-mouth, viral marketing, “narrowcasting,” or “slivercasting”). However, thinking about these new media as just new promotion channels misses the essence of what the new media revolution is all about…using media to do new things, not using new media to do old things differently. These new technologies have implications for how we think about the public health behaviors, products and services we market; the incentives and costs we focus on; and the opportunities we present and places where we interact with our audience and allow them to try new things. The implications of social media are not confined to how we should think about our target audiences, but also includes how we should think about our colleagues, our information and inspiration sources, and the resources we attempt to cultivate to do our jobs bigger and better.
Dr. Lefebvre is one of the nation’s leading experts in social marketing and public health communication. For over a dozen years, he directed the Social Marketing and Health Communication group at Prospect Associates and American Institutes of Research, and before that he was Director of Interventions for the groundbreaking Pawtucket Heart Health Program. Craig is particularly known for his innovative and insightful thinking about how to enhance the impact of investments in public health.
It sounds like a worthwhile way to spend your lunch hour!
Technorati Tags: social marketing, social media, public health
by Nedra Weinreich | Sep 8, 2006 | Blog, Social Media
Fard Johnmar of Envision Solutions and HealthCareVox has created a fantastic e-book called “From Command & Control To Engage & Encourage: a new healthcare communications strategy for a social media world.” It’s available as a free download from his site.
This clear, prescriptive e-book lays out a strategy for healthcare-based organizations (though it’s applicable to all companies) to move from the traditional marketing activities of “Command and Control” — developing content and retaining careful control over how the messages are presented — towards “Engage and Encourage” in bringing social media into an effective marketing program. Since users of social media are likely to get involved at some point in the marketing process with or without your consent, you are much better off starting with the assumption that it’s going to happen and figuring out how to use social media in a way that encourages accuracy and positive dialogue.
This e-book is a must-read for marketers trying to figure out how to blend a social media approach with their more traditional marketing program. This aspect of marketing is not something that can be ignored, and when done well, can enhance your current efforts.
by Nedra Weinreich | Sep 8, 2006 | Blog, Social Marketing, Social Media
The social marketing vs. social marketing story has received coverage from across the blogosphere, with most bloggers who have commented firmly on our side. Here are a few excerpts:
From Alison Byrne Fields of We’ll Know When We Get There:
I’m a solid column one person: social marketing is using commercial marketing strategies to promote positive behavior or attitudinal change.
To be honest, I can’t believe this is even a topic of debate — it makes the social media folks who are pushing the issue look a little idiotic. You’re capable enough to respond effectively to a revolution in what it means to be a customer and you can’t come up with your own name? It’s like picking a URL for your new site, kids. This one’s already registered.
Francois Gossieaux of Emergence Marketing does not like the new usage of the term social marketing, and he’s concerned that these new “social marketers” are going to focus on the hype without including the critical ethical considerations and understanding of the fundamentals:
Using “social marketing” as a catch-all category for the (not-so-new) marketing techniques which include viral marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, community marketing, consumer-generated-content-based marketing, and other social media-based marketing “techniques,” not only “hypes up” the value of those methods unnecessarily – it also engenders the danger for misuse, abuse and the ultimate destruction of those marketing techniques for everyone.
Many clueless and panicky marketers, who have witnessed the decline of marketing programs like email marketing and other interrupt-based marketing methods – which incidentally they destroyed in the first place – will now jump on this latest craze and screw it all up! As usual, they will throw dollars and especially technology at the issue without understanding the underlying fundamentals and ethical considerations that allow those methods work in the first place.
And Tara Hunt of HorsePigCow gets it and has an interesting idea for our social marketing community to consider.
On first glance, you may say, what’s the big deal? Well…
It’s almost an issue of trademarking (which she may consider doing…maybe a community mark?). If someone came along tomorrow and said that Pinko Marketing was the practice of painting everything pink or creating viral campaigns, I would take issue, too. Especially if it was someone with a far reach like Jupiter Research.
I looked into this idea of Community Marks, which is a concept Chris Messina came up with to protect the integrity of a non-commercial brand that is created collaboratively by a loose volunteer community, such as Bar Camp or Spread Firefox. It’s not quite a trademark, but more formal than doing nothing. The community itself is responsible for enforcement of the mark. An interesting idea for the social marketing community to consider — we are not as a whole technically savvy enough to enforce this as a community but ideally members of our community will speak out when they see the term being misused.
UPDATE (9/8/06): Carol at Driving in Traffic adds her two cents to the discussion:
Some have argued that the traditional notion of Social Marketing has lost its umph because the emergence of social media has muddied the semantic waters. To a certain extent, I agree. Others trivialize Social Marketing because, to date, its successes have come in under the radar when compared with the long touted product campaigns of Nike and Apple. With the emergence of the CDC’s National Center for Health Marketing and the organized push they are about to embark upon to meet the goals of HealthyPeople 2010, things are about to change for the better.
However, if my thoughts are right– which they may not be and everyone is welcome to help me refine them through civil discussion— all marketers are going to be utilizing the new technologies and social media platforms. Perhaps it is then wise if we all work diligently to be more clear about what we say we do.
Technorati Tags: social marketing, community mark, social media
Nedra helps nonprofits and public agencies create positive change on health and social issues through social marketing and transmedia storytelling strategies at Weinreich Communications since founding the company in 1995. She helps organizations make a difference for the populations they serve by strategically designing programs that draw on state-of-the-art behavior change techniques, digital media approaches and the power of stories. 
