Category: #HCSM

Check out this HootSuite article which shares some resources that can serve as a guide to help you find the optimal posting times for your social media updates.

These resources provide helpful insight into social timing, but It’s not a hard science; ultimately you need to figure out the best times for your own particular audience.

As with so much in social marketing, keep on experimenting and keep on testing until you find your sweet spot.

Related Reading: Why There’s No Perfect Time to Post on Facebook 

This week I interview Gareth Presch, founder of World Health Innovation Summit, a new innovative way of bringing all stakeholders together, providing a platform to openly share ideas and discover solutions for a better healthcare system.

Can you tell us some more about the World Innovation Summit. How did it start?

GP: It started with a tweet! That’s how the World Health Innovation Summit started. One tweet to see if people where interested in coming to Cumbria to share knowledge to improve healthcare. Now we’ve reached over 100 countries and during our first event we reached 23.7 million twitter impressions over 2 days #WHISCumbria @HIC2016. Health touches us all and the WHIS provides the platform for everyone and every sector to come together and share information so we all benefit and social media is the perfect way for us to share that knowledge. WHIS is a social enterprise that supports communities in many ways. We run community Summits (Cumbria, Greece, Thailand, London, Sao Paulo etc) and have our WHISKids, WHISatwork and wellness activities all set up via social media to support our communities.

When did you start using social media professionally?  

GP: I’ve used social media for many years. I’ve advised businesses in the past on social media strategies and done workshops with NHS Trusts, Charities etc. Social Media is an excellent way to share knowledge. Twitter is excellent for professionals to connect however the real magic for me is Facebook and it’s untapped in terms of it’s potential. 1.3 billion people use Facebook (And it’s growing) – just think of the opportunity to share public health information on a broad scale to improve outcomes for people around the World. I recently spoke at a workshop around SoMe and used the example of groups in healthcare and how we can learn so much from these groups to improve. It’s an excellent way to engage and establish relationships based on the partnership of trust.

Which platform(s) do you enjoy using the most?

GP:  I love using Twitter but my favourite is Facebook – last year I had about 300 friends and today I’ve just under 5,000 with over 500 people following me. I love how you can connect with people and get to know them. Instant chat via facebook messenger etc. Another platform that I enjoy using is Blab – we’ve hosted Blab chats and it’s great how we can connect around the World. We have plans to develop these chat’s further. Watch this space!

Which topics interest you? Do you take part in any particular twitter chats?

GP:  I’m interested in just about anything that helps people improve their quality of life. From Education, Medicine to sports. My favourite twitter chat would be IrishMed hosted by Liam Farrell – it’s great as it has a diverse audience and a wide global audience. The topics are always interesting (From ehealth to chronic illness).

What advice would you give someone just starting out on social media?

GP: Advice for social media is to give it go and just be yourself. Think before you post and or tweet. Think how you would react to the post before posting and always insure that when you post a message or comment that you are factually correct in what you are posting.

Finally, would you like to share a favourite quote with us?

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”

Thanks Gareth for taking the time to share with us your experience of using social media in your work. I expect we will see great things in the future with the World Health Innovation Summit!

Follow  Gareth on Twitter @GarethPresch

I’ve sat on several interview boards over the past few months to hire a social media manager for client companies. Identifying the ideal candidate goes beyond technical skills. It’s about also having the right mindset. I look for passionate, enthusiastic communicators when I am interviewing candidates. I also want to see that they have done their research into the company and the unique challenges it faces in the healthcare industry.

If you are interviewing candidates for a social media or digital marketing position, or if you are a candidate looking for your ideal job, you’ll find value in this article, in which social media marketers at top companies outline the attributes the right candidate should have.

What do you think are some of the key attributes a social media marketer should have?

Related Reading: How To Ask The Right Questions When Selecting A Digital Marketer

This week I interview John Walsh, manager of York Street Health Practice, Leeds, England, on how he uses social media in his work.

When did you start using social media. What prompted you to get started?

JW: That’s a great question. Several good people suggested I go on twitter. It was meeting Anne Cooper (@anniecoops ) about a year and a half ago that was the catalyst. It took Anne about 10 minutes to lead me over the line. Two days later I went onto twitter – so Anne its all your fault!

How do you use social media in your everyday work?

JW: I use social media for a number of reasons. There is the promotion of the needs of homeless people. I have worked in homeless services over the last twenty years. Then there is broader campaigns across the health service around values, care and culture. These cross terrains from patient care to health inclusion to OD. There is also the writing of blogs about human potential and what we can all achieve together. It is a real joy to work with patients, families, carers and staff to try to articulate messages of hope and kindness. There are wider campaigns such as the amazing work of Binti working for sanitary dignity for women. The there are those great services such as Basis ( working with women involved in sex work ) and Leeds GATE ( working with gypsy and traveller people ) whose work and voice I try to share and spread. Twitter and blogging tend to be my mediums and I suppose I use them to build networks of care and connection to support others.

Which platform(s) do you enjoy using the most?

JW:  Twitter and blogs are my platforms. I use no others although I have met many twitter friends personally and talk to others on the phone and DM’s regularly.

Which topics interest you – eg do you take part in any particular twitter chats?

JW:  I don’t follow any twitter chats usually although I do dip into some. The topics that interest me are about health, culture, psychology, spirituality, human development, values and making a difference for the better.

What advice would you give someone just starting out on social media?

JW: I would say  – find your message and your song. Be authentic. Find your own style. Be careful but also be open. Social media is a wonderful thing – we often feel lost when we start but I have met some of the most amazing and wonderful human beings through it. If I gave a list it would be very long. These incredible people – families, carers. nurses, midwives, students, doctors, academics, leaders, OD leads, etc – have taught me so much. Perhaps more than anything else – they have accepted me and maybe that’s the greatest power and gift of social media. It can be an arena where we find acceptance and support.

Finally, would you like to share a favourite quote with us?

JW: I have many. One that resonates a lot with me at the moment is from Carl Rogers the psychologist. It is “The degree to which I can create relationships, which facilitate the growth of others as separate persons, is a measure of the growth I have achieved in myself.”   Perhaps that sums up the deep promise of social media – it can be a place where we can support others to grow but only as we grow ourselves.

What a wonderful note to end this interview on John. I look forward to growing alongside you as we venture together on social media. 

Follow John on Twitter @JohnWalsh88

With the proliferation of social media sites like Twitter, everyone has become a critic, creating are troves of publicly available, untapped information about hospital performance just waiting to be mined. With that notion in mind, researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital recently set about trying to make sense of tens of thousands of tweets sent to the handles of U.S. hospitals. They found all sorts of useful tidbits about what patients are seeing and hearing during their hospital visits, along with a tangible connection between whether . . .

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.hhnmag.com

See on Scoop.it – Health Care Social Media And Digital Health

Hospitals are putting more and more energy and resources into growing their social media presence, but do those efforts bear fruit when it comes to reputation and patient loyalty? New research says yes.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.modernhealthcare.com

See on Scoop.it – Health Care Social Media And Digital Health

Dr Mark Taubert, Clinical Director for Palliative Medicine at Velindre NHS Trust, guest blogs about the value of social media in palliative care.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.mariecurie.org.uk

See on Scoop.it – Health Care Social Media And Digital Health