Twitter: Strategy and utilization at the National Library of MedicineJanuary 5, 2010
David Hale, Social Media Strategist
david.hale@nih.gov http://twitter.com/lostonroute66
Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS)
National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health/Dept. of Health and Human Services

Twitter Basics
Social networking system based on sharing of short messages, called tweets (140 characters)
Personal timeline comprised on tweets of individuals who one follows
System for addressing tweets to an individual by name
Retweet (RT) repeating a tweet for all of ones followers
Private messaging system
Open architecture allows user-created enhancements

How Twitter sees@lostonroute66
http://twitter.com/lostonroute66

How @lostonroute66 seesTwitter

Twitter
User-created communication
Text
Links to web pages, images, video
Trending topics
Multi-directional
Simultaneous 1 to 1, 1 to many, many to 1
Time-independent
Features such as @replies and #hashtags enable asynchronous communication

With whom can we connect?
Consumers
Engaged citizens
Uninterested public
Inter-agency
Intra-agency
International
Twitter has as much potential for connecting us to collaborators as to consumers.

How federal agencies are using Twitter
Information push
Community engagement
Brand establishment/support
Promotion
Sentiment monitoring
Inter/intra-agency communication
Intelligence/information gathering

How feds are using Twitter
To find other feds exploring social media in support of agency mission
Exchange information
Collaboration
Organization
Promotion
Follow news

Social Media Mantra
Mission, Tool, Metrics, Teach
Jeffrey Levy
EPA Web Communications
Federal Web Managers Social Media Sub-council
http://twitter.com/levyj413
http://govsocmed.pbworks.com/

Guidance/Policy
HHS Social Media Policy
http://www.newmedia.hhs.gov/standards/general
Twitter Policy
http://www.newmedia.hhs.gov/standards/twitter
USA.gov Twitter Best Practices
http://www.usa.gov/webcontent/technology/microblogging/twitter.shtml

Leverage the Long TailOpportunities part 1
Twitter (social media) allows connections to individuals/groups with niche interests/information needs
Low transaction cost
Find communities built around specific interests/research and engage
Expand presence of NLM
Promote NLM resources within relevant communities
Create communities where appropriate in support of NLM mission

Who are NLM/SISs partners on Twitter?

Flu.gov
http://twitter.com/FluGov

Andrew WilsonHHS New Media Team (fmr)
http://twitter.com/AndrewPWilson

P. F. Anderson Univ. of Michigan Health Sciences
http://twitter.com/pfanderson

Carol Torgan, Ph.D.Scientist, NHLBI advisor
http://twitter.com/ctorgan

St. Elizabeth Medical CenterLafayette, IN
http://twitter.com/stelizabeth

Christy Perry - TV health reporter (fmr), Journalism Professor, Syracuse Univ.
http://twitter.com/hxjournprof

ChiaHwuCommunity Manager
http://twitter.com/chiah

Where did we meet? Twitter, of course!Opportunities part 2
Engagement is key to building community
If you want to build community, go to where your audience already is
Communities and Health Information
ChiaHwu, community manager, speaking at BIL:PIL (healthcare unconference) about communities and health information
http://www.vimeo.com/8425580

Where did we meet? Twitter, of course!Opportunities part 2
Information Push Organizations (IPOs) must have allies, trusted individuals to retweet and engage with community
Authority, influence derived from information source
Orgs will never be as powerful as individuals
Orgs which dont engage will become obsolete
IPOs should have one staff who is engaging face-to-face with community
Community manager

How has NLM/SIS used Twitter?

Education
NLM/SIS staff provide training for Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
http://new.paho.org/epalco/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=273
Social media/public health informatics
Emerging technology
Research
Forecasting trends
Strategic planning

Education
Uniformed Services University, Public Health Informatics class partnership lecturers
Social media and Public Health Informatics
Community engagement
Evolving communication
Research
Overview/analysis of H1N1 response on Twitter
Public, private, federal, and NGO
Evaluating accuracy, authority, and trends

Research Semantic Twitter
http://www.slideshare.net/NLM_SIS/semantic-processing-of-twitter-traffic-for-epidemic-surveillance
SIS/LHC collaboration
Semantic MEDLINE processing of H1N1-related tweets (Twitter posts)
Discussions of SemanticTwitter on Twitter lead to presentations at AHRQ, University of MD, H1N1 panel w/ CDC
Increased awareness of NLM and other projects (Semantic MEDLINE, DIMRC, etc.)
H1N1 panel reported in Washington Post 07.20.2009

Live-tweetingReal-time reporting of an event using Twitter
http://twitter.com/NLM_SIS

Live-tweetingReal-time reporting of an event using Twitter
Live-tweeting of NLM H1N1 Community Resilience Workshop picked up by Flu.gov
NLM/SIS staff invited to live-tweet NIH H1N1 Summit from Flu.gov Twitter account
NLM/SIS staff invited by Dir. Medical Policy Preparedness to White House H1N1 response planning meeting
First live-tweeting of White House meeting
Natl Biodefense Science Board H1N1 meeting from @NLM_SIS

Live-tweetingOpportunities
NLM has vast array of content experts
Social media specialists can provide live-tweeting training to content experts
Position NLM as trusted, authoritative source of timely information/events within relevant social media channels

Strategy/implementation discussion
Within NLM
Lister Hill Center
Outside NLM
NIH, HHS/OS, ASPR, CDC, EPA
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Fusion Cell
Health 2.0 community

Conference Tweet-wrangling
Coordinating/training social media team to provide live coverage, promote conversation, engage virtual audience
NLM/SIS staff requested as tweet-wranglers at Open Government and Innovation Conference
Keynotes by US CIO VivekKundraand US CTO Aneesh Chopra

Pillbox - Community baked-in
http://pillbox.nlm.nih.gov
Early stage presentation at HealthCamp
Un-conference focused on participatory health care, organized largely via Twitter
Twitter used to communicate with interested individuals
Physicians, Pew Internet Project, Designers, Scientists
Creation of community of engagement
Development, promotion, awareness

Pillbox community promotion on Twitter

U.S. Pharmacopeia promotion of Pillbox
http://twitter.com/USPharmacopeia

Other health information connections made via Twitter

Health 2.0 Google Wave Discussionorganized through Twitter

Health Care Social Media #hcsmWeekly discussion group
http://www.healthsocmed.com/

#hcsm organized byDana Lewis - Senior, Univ. of Alabama
http://twitter.com/danamlewis

NLM Long Range PlanOpportunities part 3
Position NLM as trusted, authoritative source for biomedical information in social media (disseminate biomedical information)
Live-tweeting (live coverage of events, news)
NLM-led Twitter discussion groups
Online reference desk
Engage specific communities through emerging channels - Twitter, Facebook, etc. (promote health literacy, reduce disparities)
Promote NLM program development and education programs (strong & diverse workforce)
Low/zero cost partnerships w/ complementary federal, state, local, NGO, academic orgs
Informatics research, i.e. SemanticTwitter (integrate biomedical information systems)

Twitter: Strategy and utilization at the National Library of MedicineJanuary 5, 2010
David Hale, Social Media Strategist
david.hale@nih.gov http://twitter.com/lostonroute66
Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS)
National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health/Dept. of Health and Human Services