Perks of being social

There are many advantages from a user perspective regarding social media, in healthcare and other realms.

In the restaurant realm, the advantage can be getting a free meal, or enticing the establishment to offer deals or new menu items that you're interested in. On a couple of occasions, social media has worked to my gastronomical advantage, although it wasn't my goal. As of late, I blogged a review of a new restaurant, complete with suggestions. I tweeted it, and posted it to my Facebook page. I received a very detailed response a few hours later from the owner. A few days later, I received a coupon via email from said restaurant. My intention wasn't to try and get something for free, but it sure was a nice bonus.

The same can be said for health care social media. In health care, an important advantage is finding a hospital, healthcare center or physician that can help you with whatever medical problem your experiencing - getting the best care that meets your individual needs. This story tells about how an online search procured a kidney for a transplant patient. So not only can you locate a physician, in certain situations and when used correctly, social media may also be able to find you a solution to a life-threatening situation.

Today I posted an article to our hospital Facebook page related to our cultural diversity program, and within a couple of hours received a response from an employee who had an example from the other night of how interpreters helped register a patient who didn't speak English. The perk here is that our fans are engaged - they respond, they participate, they share.

Love it. Absolutely love it.

Connectivity

I just finished a post here about our first ever heart-kidney transplant. It was an amazing story to be a part of, from meeting the family to filming the kidney transplant, and this is one of the reasons I like working in social media for health care.

Another reason is the connection that is made between people. The personal connection with the patients. The professional connection with the doctors and nurses, coordinators and dietitians. The connection between departments, facilities and hospitals. There are people and stories and memories that have enriched my existence, and lessons I've learned that I apply in many facets of my life.

The scale of humanity's connectedness is tremendous and miniscule all at the same time. In transplant, you have a large collective of people all working together to make sure that one patient receives the organ they need to survive. You also have a few people in the operating room, one of them making a small stitch in a kidney to connect it to that one patient.

Okay, I think I've reached my metaphysical limit for the week. Below is a taste of what we're putting together to tell Jonathan's amazing story.

Gauge the engagement

Social media is still new. Every day, so many new tools are launched, tried, reviewed, thrown out, or modified to fit an organization's needs. For every "Top 10" post related to tips and tricks, there are no hard-line constants that suit everyone's strategy or audience.

For example, Hardees may not post on their Facebook fan page everyday - or they may have three posts in one day. It all depends on what kind of conversation they're having with their consumers. They get a ton of engagement, but rarely respond back in the comment chain. They've found that this type of communication works well for them and their followers, so they go with it. But again, there's no set standard they appear to be following in terms of how often they post.

Trying new tactics and listening to how your audience responds is the best way to have good communication. Switching things up every once in awhile keeps your community on their toes, and helps you to gauge who's listening and how tuned-in they are. You may have the die-hard fans that engage with just about every post, but then you may see a new fan sneak a comment into the mix - both kinds of engagement are rewarding.

Don't get stale. Tactics for reaching your audience must remain fluid to reflect the needs and wants of your audience - it's a two way street as we push information to pull people in and they push back to pull information out. And don't hold on too hard to the latest Top 10 list - make your own Top 10. And then remake it, again and again.

Commitments

Blogging takes time. And more often than not, meetings and reports and strategic planning gets in the way.

I've often thought about how to stay consistent with my blog posts - schedule a certain amount of time per day, or every other day, or weekly to devote to blogging.

It's a great plan. In theory.

What I like most about blogging is that it's unregulated. I find myself liking my posts more when I have something to say.

I read this recent post and am not convinced it's the way to go. I like the setting goals and networking points on which the writer expounds - my feeling is she's right on the mark. However, if the goal is keeping the content fresh and relevant, I'll blog when I have something to say, not because it's Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 and I've yet to post this week.

So, this was my post for today. A post on how I like to post. And that's alright with me.

Dead Air

The term "dead air" usually applies to the silence that happens on a radio station when the DJ takes too long on their bathroom break, the record is done, and no one is there to start the next song.

The term "dead air" can also apply, in my opinion, to blogging. It's when there is a long break in between blog posts - to some this means days, to others, weeks.

Dead air when it comes to blogging is okay. I've never been one who's bought into the hype that I must blog every day or I lose my audience. If you have something to write about, find the time to do it. If you don't have an idea, let it sit. It makes no sense to spend time trying to come up with a post when you're not inspired - it will come across as false, and even worse, you waste time and alienate your audience.

I ran across this blog post about when to blog, and it's mostly right on the mark. I don't wholly agree with points 3 and 4. For me, it's okay if your blog post is only a few sentences - sometimes, that's all it takes. And just because it's so short, that doesn't mean it should be relegated to Facebook or Twitter. Additionally, I disagree with needing a solid argument - perhaps my goal is to put my thoughts out there anyway in hopes of getting some feedback.

Remember the saying, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"? Same goes for interesting - if you've got nothing of consequence to blog about, take your fingers off the keyboard until you do. Let's not waste each others time.

Pick and Choose

One of the great things about social media is that there are many tools to choose from. This means you aren't limited as to how much relative content you output on a daily basis - you pick and choose the tool that works best, in a way that resonates with your audience.

Let's say you received 100 photos of a recent hospital-sponsored event. Posting a couple of them on Facebook, provided you feel that they would be received well by your audience, works well. Posting all of them in your Flickr account is great alternative, and posting that url on Facebook and Twitter is a good way to let your audience know that there are more in existence so that if they want to invest the time in reviewing them all.

There are no hard and fast rules here - again, it's about listening to your audience and letting them tell you what they like. Adjust from there.

Transparency - the human element

While the hospital is categorized as a non-profit, we are still a business with a service to promote.

However, we are also a community of individuals. There are many faces that make up who were are as a whole, and each employee is a respresentative, ambassador and example of the hospital. That said, what is the best way to convey who we are as a hospital to those who want to know, to those who are attempting to get to know us?

In our case, the best way is through transparency. Bringing the humanness through in every tweet, post, comment and communication is essential in letting our audience know who we are, what we do, and how we can have a positive effect on their lives.

Make it personal. Make it personable. Bring the truth.