twitter and microblogging for public health
DESCRIPTION
Twitter is a microblogging tool that is increasingly being used in area relevant to public health. Some of these include disaster management and response, health behavior change, and health information outreach. In addition, it is also being used by professionals and organizations for routine communications. This presentation will provide an overview and introduction to Twitter and its real and potential roles in public health.TRANSCRIPT
Twittering* for Public Health* (and Plurking and more)
PF Anderson, Emerging Technologies Librarian, Health
Sciences Libraries, University of Michigan, [email protected]
October 7, 2008
Overview
• What is Twitter? What is microblogging?• How regular folks are using Twitter• Twitter for health and public health
• http://twitter.com/
Twitter lifecycle
• http://cogdoghouse.wikispaces.com/TwitterCycle
Twitter is …
• Twitter is a type of tool• Twitter = Microblogging (sort of)• Microblogging ≠ Twitter• Microblogging = (Twitter OR
FriendFeed OR identi.ca OR Plurk OR … )
The World of Microblogging
• Twitter OR FriendFeed OR identi.ca OR Jaiku OR Pownce OR
Plurk OR Tumblr OR …
Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Sphere-wireframe.png
… and more …
• HelloTxt.com• Ping.fm• Pushing information out widely
Twitter is … • for friends
• for current events
• for silliness
• like fishing
• like a chatroom
• an RSS feed generator• • and what else?
• for news
• for crisis response
• for intelligent discussion
• like sex
• a microblogging tool
• the social search engine we’ve all been waiting for
Plurking, too!
Plurk
Plurk Conversations
Plurk + Workshop = Plurkshop
Plurkshops
Twitter for productivity
Twitter + time management
Twitter + task management
Twitter + calendar
Twitter + weather
Twitter + traffic
More
Twitter for discovery
Twitter + health news
Twitter + health news
Twitter + health news
Twitter + health legislation
• HR 2790 – Physician Assistants
Today’s buzz – Google Health
Today’s buzz – Google Health
Today’s buzz - Google Health
• attillacsordas
Today’s buzz - Google Health
• dporter
Today’s buzz - Google Health
• laktek
Today’s buzz - Google Health
Today’s buzz - Google Health
• Google API
Using Twitter in health &
healthcare
Thoughts: Health promotion• “In an attempt to provide an integrative model that is
relevant to SBI, dissemination strategies are discussed for three target groups: (1) individual patients and practitioners; (2) health care settings and health systems; and (3) the communities and the general population. Dissemination strategies are considered from the fields of social change, social science, commercial marketing and education in terms of their potential for translating SBI innovations into routine clinical practice.”– Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC. Alcohol screening and brief
intervention: dissemination strategies for medical practice and public health. Addiction 95(5) 677-686.
Twitter + exercise
Twitter + health tracking
• “Tweet your pain”
Twitter + food tracking
Twitter + blood sugar tracking
Twitter + dieting
Twitter + dieting + support
Twitter + smoking cessation
Twitter + smoking cessation
Twitter + cancer
Twitter + activism
Twitter + make a difference
Thoughts: Disaster & crisis response
• “The goal is to provide accurate information in a timely fashion on the health status of the affected population.”– Noji, Eric K. The Public Health
Consequences of Disaster
Twitter in crisis communication
• http://www.slideshare.net/davefleet/talk-is-cheap-crisis-presentation
Twitter + disaster & crisis preparedness
Twitter + emergency response
Twitter + ground zero
Twitter + rapid alerts
Twitter + personal crisis
• surgery
Twitter + personal crisis
• Twittering birth
Twitter + personal crisis
• Momku writes poetry during birth
Thoughts: Community communication & collaboration
• “Enhance communication by:– Developing effective employer and community
education programs focused on the benefits of and options for health promotion and disease and injury prevention, and
– Using proven marketing and social marketing techniques to promote individual behavioral and community change.”
• The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century. Committee on Assuring the Health of the Public in the 21st Century, Institute of Medicine (U.S.) National Academies Press, 2003, p. 299.
Doctors have lives, too
So do nurses
And dentists
Research collaboration & communication
Twitter + Telemedicine + Second Opinion
Twitter + education using health feeds
Twitter + teaching
Twitter + events & topics
• Twemes.com for hashtags• Conference tracking
Twitter in public health
Mind of Andre (Blackman)
More public health folk
Public health schools
Public health organizations
APHA 1
APHA 2: NPHW
APHA 3: GetReady
PH trends and news
Making Twitter Work
for You
Join the conversation
Find folks to follow: Twitter
Find folks to follow: Twellow
Twitter search - Flaptor
Twitter search - Summize
Twitter buys Summize
Want more?
• http://del.icio.us/rosefirerising/twitter+health