Insurers trick Facebookers into writing Congress
This year, Facebook launched a virtual currency that allows users to buy extra items in popular games. Now, according to Silicon Alley Insider’s Nicholas Carlson, health reform opponents are using that currency to lure Facebookers into sending a prefabricated anti-health reform letter to their congressman.
Astroturf, everyone’s favorite descriptive for a phony grassroots effort. Photo by purpleslog via Flickr.
“Get Health Reform Right” requires gamers to take a survey, which, upon completion, automatically sends the following email to their Congressional Rep:
“I am concerned a new government plan could cause me to lose the employer coverage I have today. More government bureaucracy will only create more problems, not solve the ones we have.”
The organization behind the scheme, Get Health Reform Right, seems to be funded primarily by insurance companies.
Social media takes over ScienceWriters 2009
Writing for the Columbia Journalism Review, Robin Lloyd and Cristine Russell tell an increasingly familiar story: Twitter and friends take over a journalism conference, overwhelm the audience at first and eventually convert them to the social media gospel. This time around, at ScienceWriters 2009, a few interesting wrinkles emerged.
A taxonomy of social bookmarking: “Digg.com operates like a gang, Harris said, with stories or links nominated by super-users tending to rise in the ranks; meanwhile Reddit.com is like an “ADHD direct democracy” in which any link can make it to the top rankings, but popular links turn over rapidly.”
A new program tells you which conference tweets to care about: “One innovative new Twitter tool that Purdue University researchers unveiled earlier this month was made available for use at ScienceWriters 2009. Designed to help make sense of the wave of Twitter traffic at a meeting or conference, a new site called Need4Feed sorts through the tweets at a meeting and builds a popularity ranking to identify those with the broadest appeal. Developer Kyle Bowen, director of informatics at Purdue, said in a university press release that ‘Need4Feed lets conference goers sift through the noise to find the important things being said.’”
Pfizer tentatively tackles tweets
James Chase reports in Medical Marketing & Media that Pfizer has opened a Twitter account, @pfizer_news. The pharmaceutical behemoth will use the microblogging service for interacting and opening dialog with customers, rather than for product promotion or advertising, Chase reports. While Pfizer has been monitoring Twitter for months, executives were afraid to engage directly for fear that they would be “ripped to shreds” by the Twitterati.
“We’re trying to become transparent, but we’re doing it slowly and cautiously,” said (Ray Kerins, VP worldwide communications). “For us to jump in with two feet would be stupid. The first task was to get the communications team cleaned up because we’ve had a bad rap in that area.”
Pfizer hopes to increase its social media presence, but plans to do so cautiously and in gradual steps.
For now, Pfizer’s media relations team is charged with controlling all corporate tweeting, but Kerins said he hopes to expand the pool soon. “I would love to have by the end of the summer 100 people, from medical to public affairs, who have been anointed by the company and who can go out and Twitter.”
As of Monday morning (July 27), @Pfizer_News had gained 565 followers and was in turn following 225 users, many of them major media outlets.
Hospitals harness social media
Jackie Fox writes in the Omaha World-Herald about local institutions’ use of social media to reach out to consumers and to provide information in the formats and locations in which consumers are likely to look.
One institution views social media as a customer service, providing patients with blogs they can use to share health updates with family and friends. Some find and reply to relevant blog posts or tweets.
Others, such as the Nebraska Medical Center, post videos on YouTube of treatments or procedures.
“It’s a good educational tool for procedures people may not be familiar with. People may decide this is someone they’d like an appointment with, or doctors in other parts of the state learn they can send patients to a specialist closer to home,” [media relations lead Paul ]Baltes said.
Journal spotlights science journalism
The latest issue of Nature explores the present and future of the relationship between media and science. Coverage includes balanced and constructive critiques of social media and journalists who aren’t themselves scientists as well as some obligatory questioning of the future of journalism as an industry.
In one article, Geoff Brumfiel details the rising role of Twitter-style social media in chronicling and commenting upon scientific conferences, saying that while providing for open and easy exchange of information, it also blurs the line between scientist and journalist. Additionally, the instantaneous and far-reaching broadcast of ideas makes competitive researchers even warier of revealing groundbreaking findings at conferences, on the grounds that they may then be snatched by any rival with Web access.
In another piece, journalist Toby Murcott questions the efficacy of press release-based science journalism and calls for reporters learn the expertise necessary to understand the fields on which they are reporting, and for journals to publish review comments that will provide more context for each article.
In a more focused editorial, Nature calls attention to tuberculosis and suggests that TB sufferers and researchers need to follow the example of AIDS and “capture the world’s imagination and support” by reaching out and finding “highly effective champions.” Globally, 9 million people develop active cases of TB each year.
Other pieces that may be of interest to health journalists:
- Editorial: Cheerleader or watchdog? – Science journalism is under threat. What can scientists do to help?
- Boyce Rensberger tracks the progression of scientific correspondents from cheerleaders to watchdogs.
- Editorial: Raising the standards – A fledgling effort in China will show people what is happening on the environmental front.
- The Arab boom – As research increases in Arab countries, the media is stepping up to report on it. Nadia El-Awady says the local journalism has much room for improvement.
- From the newsroom – The Washington Post’s national environmental reporter Juliet Eilperin and its executive editor Marcus Brauchli discuss the future of science coverage in their newspaper.
Why should reporters use Twitter? Read on …
Filed under: Health journalism, Hospitals, Hot Health Headline
By keeping track of area Twitter traffic, reporter Sarah Jane Tribble of the Cleveland Plain Dealer noticed that the Cleveland Clinic has tweeted almost 500 job openings despite an official hiring freeze. Tribble also took the opportunity to explain to readers the growing trend of Twitter-based job listings.
Selected tweets from @MargaretV, also known as Cleveland Clinic recruiter Margaret Vandervort.
Further south, Juana Summers of the Austin-American Statesman reports that Texas hospitals are getting into the act as well, with more than 75 folks attending a day-long summit on social media. Hospital representatives learned the basics of tweeting, poking and friending and got advice on navigating the legal minefield of social media.
AHCJ offers a number of resources for health reporters looking to plunge headlong into Twitter to catch the pulse of the community and interact with both readers and sources.
- Start with AHCJ’s introduction to Twitter for health journalists and our tip sheet on multimedia and social networking for journalists
- For those reluctant to get their feet wet, Mónica Guzmán’s AHCJ 2009 presentation on social networking tools for reporters (PDF) lets folks know exactly why Twitter’s awesome
- Take in the basics along with a few best practices with Guzmán’s tip sheet on journalists and social networking (PDF)
- AHCJ has also collected a range of relevant information at our online technology tip sheet
- And, finally, reporters from AHCJ’s San Francisco Bay Area Chapter will recognize the contents of this article on the digital revolution in health reporting
Blog: H1N1 shows gov’t needs social media
On the blog Social Media Strategery, Michael Dumlao writes about how the rapid viral spread of disinformation about H1N1 showed the need for government agencies to engage the public directly via social media and to provide steady streams of accessible, accurate information in order to control rumors similar to those delivered by the Centers for Disease Control via Twitter.
AHCJ resources for covering flu, pandemics and preparednessDumlao quotes Department of Defense new and social media director Jack Holt as saying that if the government is not an active participant in the social media universe, then it abdicates control of that arena to folks who are, and to folks who may be impersonating government agencies, either directly or indirectly. Therefore, Dumlao says, it’s the government’s job to engage social media and protect the public from potentially malicious or damaging disinformation.
Dumlao chronicles the well-documented spread of H1N1 disinformation and how it was contained once formal media started to address the inaccurate claims, and suggests that the government must use social media to monitor the spread false information at the same time that it is using it to disseminate a more accurate picture of events.
Pharma industry still finding its way in social media
Big pharma continues to dabble, tentatively, with social media. The latest example is GlaxoSmithKline, which this week launched its very own corporate blog, called More Than Medicine. The effort, which is edited by a corporate communications person identified only as Michael M, will purportedly devote more space to health issues but largely avoid discussion of Glaxo products, citing “unique regulatory parameters governing our communications” as a drug maker.
The inaugural blog post, which follows several weeks of internal testing that produced a few posts now on full view, contains some mixed feelings. On one hand, Michael M writes that “it is still unclear how, and in some cases, if pharma can appropriately utilize blogs, wikis, and applications like YouTube and Facebook to provide information about our products.”
“Yet,” he adds, “there is no question that patients, physicians, media, investors, payers, policymakers and others are increasingly turning online to social media resources for information about healthcare issues and products. So we feel obliged to these stakeholders, as well as our shareholders, to productively and appropriately engage in this new space.”
In other words, some trepidation remains, although perhaps not quite as much fear as existed several months ago (look here). Johnson & Johnson launched a corporate blog two years ago, although a blog run by its Centocor unit was recently lost to a corporate reorganization, and Glaxo runs a blog devoted to the Alli diet pill - sort of. There haven’t been any posts since September. However, Novartis, Boehringer-Ingelheim and AstraZeneca all use Twitter to deliver news about their activities; and Sanofi-Aventis and AstraZeneca launched branded YouTube channels.
Nonetheless, in a recent story, Marissa Miley and Rich Thomaselli of Ad Age wrote that big pharma is lumbering toward the digital age. Glaxo, for its part, may disagree. But if the drug maker truly wants to create dialogue around issues at the core of its corporate mission, Michael M should be identified properly. Glaxo is more likely to connect with the public if the public feels a real person is at the helm, not an semi-anonymous mouthpiece.
Six rules to tweet by
Twitter’s days as a hangout for a geeky few are over. Astronauts, senators and, gasp, journalists are regularly telling the world what they’re doing in 140 or fewer characters.
More people now visit Twitter than the Web sites of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The popularity of Twitter, and other social media, led the Journal (my former employer) to issue some dos and don’ts for its news staff last week that spawned a backlash from the Twitterati over what some say is a recipe for boringness.
Seems to me that Twitter, like the telephone or e-mail, is just another tool for communication. It’s not inherently bad, but it can be used badly. There’s a risk for journalists in tweeting, yet the rewards are ample. Since I joined Twitter last September, I’ve gotten more ideas for stories and blog posts than I can count. I’ve found sources, made new friends and landed leads for jobs. I’ve also had fun.
Here are a few highly subjective tips for a better Twitter experience.
Be Smart: Twitter is a public and searchable place. I think it’s possible, and even beneficial, to tweet about topics you’re reporting on without giving away specific stories, but be conservative if you’re worried about that. If you post a query for help on something, keep it neutral and focused.
Be Interesting: Offer tidbits to the world that you would want to read. File dispatches about meetings or events that capture the mood and highlights. Pass on links to cool material and use a tool like bit.ly to shorten URLs. Don’t bore your followers, or they’ll drop you.
Be Neighborly: Nobody likes a nonstop self-promoter. It’s fine to use Twitter to draw attention to your work, but you’ll soon be tuned out if that’s all you do. Ask questions, and answer those of others when you can. Pass along, or retweet, noteworthy updates from other people.
Be Yourself: Don’t leave out the social element when you’re networking online. You’re a human being — let people know it. Funny slices from your life, insights about your hobbies or offbeat areas of interest can leaven the flow of work items. Don’t go overboard but don’t be a drone.
Count to 10: Don’t post anything you’re not comfortable having the whole world see — forever. Be especially careful when you think you’re sending a message to specific people on Twitter. You might think you’re sending a private direct message and find out later you didn’t.
Be Patient: Twitter skeptics and many beginners ask, “Where’s the beef?” My answer: “Give Twitter a little time and you’ll see.” The most important ingredient for Twitter success is following smart, interesting people. The right network can serve as your personal early warning system and support group all in one. I don’t think I saw the value of Twitter until I was following about 100 people and news feeds. Lately, I’m up to almost 300, which may be my limit. Picking folks is mostly trial and error. Find your friends on Twitter (there’s an e-mail tool to help), see who they follow, and branch out from there. Preview people’s updates before following them and don’t feel bad about dropping folks whose stuff doesn’t keep your attention. There are also some Twitter directories, such as We Follow, that some people find helpful.
For more, check out AHCJ’s handy primer on Twitter for health journalists. You can follow me @scotthensley and you can follow AHCJ @AHCJ_Pia.
(Twitter logo via Wikimedia Commons)
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Health Journalism 2010, AHCJ's annual conference, features a world-class program with story ideas, sources, stronger reporting skills, chances to meet newsmakers and network with other journalists.
- Health and education: Covering these intersecting beats
- Reporting on the business of health care
- Health reporting resources for journalists on state and local government beats
- Shortened Lives: How location, lifestyle affect health
- Covering a complex story for the long haul
- Aging in the 21st Century: Presentations and tip sheets
- AHCJ calls for better information from Joint Commission Web site
