What are the advantages of social media?
? Social media provide electronic enhancement of the essential communications between a hospital and its patients and their families; its wider community; the media; and clinical and other staff.
? Using social media can boost a health care organization's Search Engine Optimization (the degree to which it can be found via internet searching)
? Social media allow a hospital to reach out to people in a much more powerful way than print media.
Advantages of Twitter
With its short message length (no more than 140 characters) Twitter is useful either to direct viewers, including media, to more detailed information, or to quickly reach large numbers of people. Some examples include:
? Sharing information with immediate relevance, for example: when flu vaccinations will be available, or when blood donations will be taken
? In a crisis, communicating quickly among a large number of people
? Sharing valuable links and pointing people to a hospital's website or e-news
? Quickly correcting wrong information about an organization
? Learn about other hospitals and invite the community to share advice and information
Advantages of Facebook
With more room for information and for images, Facebook enables visitors to express opinions and to share their thoughts and feelings about a hospital or home health organization. Just as important, it gives hospitals the chance to respond.
As one administrator says: "Facebook gives us the ability to interact with our fans in a more personal way than on Twitter or YouTube. We've received many unsolicited patient testimonials via our Facebook page; it's as though these people - employees, former patients and their families and others - are looking for a place to make their feelings known, and our Facebook site provides that ability in a format people are used to and comfortable with." ( ebennett.org/chris-lindsley ebennett.org/chris-lindsley/ downloaded March 4, 2010)
Advantages of YouTube
Hospitals with videos about health care, or new programs, can publicize and share them on this easy-to-use video site. A smaller organization, such as a home health agency, can provide, for example, a recorded interview with a visiting nurse, or a satisfied patient, as a way to convey the quality of service. Links to these YouTube videos are easily included on websites and in e-mail.
Advantages of LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a networking tool for individuals in the workforce. It also enables people with shared interests to form groups, such as former employees of a company, or nurses who work in pediatric cardiac care. Information shared largely concerns individual work experience and activity.
Copyright (c) 2010 Jane Sherwin. You may reprint this entire article and you must include the copyright info and the following statement: "Jane Sherwin is a writer who helps hospitals and other healthcare facilities communicate their strengths and connect with their readers."
For more information about hospitals and social media, see eZine articles by Jane Sherwin: "How Hospitals Get Started with Social Media" and "How Widespread Is the Use of Social Media by Healthcare?"
Copyright (c) 2010 Jane Sherwin. You may reprint this entire article and you must include the copyright info and the following statement: "Jane Sherwin is a writer who helps hospitals and other healthcare facilities communicate their strengths and connect with their readers worddrivecommunications.com WordDriveCommunications.com."
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