The enormous power of Social Media in health care.

I recently gave a lecture on Social Media to medical student leaders at Indiana University. The experience energized me. It also promoted thought-provoking questions. Let’s consider two of the best questions. This one came by email. I was wondering if you have any suggestions on how to write a twitter post to direct people to a blog you’ve written without it sounding self-serving. Is it enough to just say something to the extent of “I’ve written something new. Check it out.” Or is it better to give an excerpt or something to that effect? Is it even good form to self-publicize on Twitter. The first thing to consider: Why does this younger think I have the answers? What are my social media qualifications? Herein lies a novel aspect of social media. There are no courses, no certificates. Nary is there a template. That’s different than medicine, law, engineering, journalism, and many other fields, where becoming an expert requires doing basic coursework and passing structured instruction. In social media, you don’t need a certificate. In fact, those with purported credentials often seem less compelling. How (or where) does one learn social media then? Two places. Mostly, you learn on your own, gradually, through trial and error, and sometimes through ‘tough’ experiences. Mistakes always teach us the most. The other place of learning highlights the very core of the student’s questions: In social media, you learn from othe...
Source: Dr John M - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: blogs