Yesterday I had the time of my life! I had gotten the opportunity to join other girl geeks in London as part of a “London Girl Geek Dinners” event at Regent St. I thought it would be an interesting thing to share anyways with my readers. Hope you guys don’t mind the slight change of topic. Considering most of you are geeks, like me ;o) , I thought you probably wouldn’t mind.

Here’s what its all about….

Fashionable shopping destination Regent Street is teaming up with London Girl Geek Dinners to offer a futuristic shopping day which  includes experiences from a presentation at the Apple Store, Augmented Reality interactive displays, free beauty and technology products that will be revealed through the latest technology on your smart phone. Throughout the day there are also opportunities for free lunches and cocktails.

I’ve done a short video montage on what the day was all about and you can view this below.

London Girl Geeks Regent St Epic Shopping Experience Montage from Liz Azyan on Vimeo.

Here’s a flickr slideshow of the day…

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

If you want to find out more, visit my other blog http://lizazyan.posterous.com

Hope you found this interesting!

Liz xxx

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Liz effectively articulates how local government can use integrated, multi-channel communications to increase access to information and services, improve opportunities for engagement, and offer members of the community a choice in how they get their information.

Stephen Cross from Hillingdon Council

If you wish to follow more of Liz’s tips and research in the future, join Liz’s LGEO Research page on Facebook.

Update (6/6): This paper has now been promoted on Scribd to the ‘Rising List’ with a count of 547 reads so far and increasing. Thanks for your support on this research!

Background of this White Paper

After years of research, I’ve often been asked of my opinion of what I feel can increase citizen engagement online. And through all the insightful conversations I’ve had with several of LGEO Research readers, it often nagged me that I never really could see a solution that was simple enough for local councils to adopt that will translate with citizens. It was also important that any solution that was going to work, should encourage internal processes within government to improve as well. So my vision was definitely a tall order!

Amongst all the wizzy stuff emailed my way, a lot of solutions seemed very sophisticated and very impressive but seemed difficult to measure or understand how it works. Simplicity and measurable results should be  on top of the list when choosing a solution for citizen engagement online and I feel I have found one possible solution that might suit local councils. But for every solution, there must be reasons motivating its adoption.

So this paper explores the reasons behind those motivations. It will draw a picture of the true state of governance and communications, that we live in today. I do hope that you will find useful and inspiring. There are also videos links attached to this White Paper that will explain the content in more detail. Audios of the White Paper are also available below for accessibility.

I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Government-To-Citizen Communications – Using Multiple Digital Channels Effectively

Audios of paragraphs on this White Paper for better accessibility

1. Government Communications Today
Government Communicate Today

2. How is government currently engaging with citizens online?
White Paper – 2 How is government currently engaging with citizens online?

3. What are the challenges government faces when communicating with the public?
White Paper – 3 What are the challenges government faces when communicating with the public?

4. The reasons why public communications must be improved
White Paper – 4 The reasons why public communications must be improved

5. Benefits for governments and citizens
White Paper – 5 Benefits for governments and citizens

6. Finding a simple, low cost solution
White Paper – 6 Finding a simple, low cost solution

7. Integrating social media and email into governments web communications strategy
White Paper – 7 Integrating social media and email into governments web communications strategy

8. Examples of social media as a web communication tool
White Paper – 8 Examples of social media as a web communication tool

9. Example of email as an effective web communication tool
White Paper – 9 Example of email as an effective web communication tool

10. An integrated platform for reaching the public more effectively
White Paper – 10 An integrated platform for reaching the public more effectively

11. Examples of how it should work
White Paper – 11 Example of how it should work

12. Examples of effective communications via email with measurable cost savings and avoidable contact results
White Paper – 12 Examples of effective communications via email with measurable cost savings and avoidable contact results

13. Benefits measured within 9 – 12 months
White Paper – 13 Benefits measured within 9 – 12 months

14. Communicating with citizens during emergencies
White Paper – 14 Communicating with citizens during emergencies

15. Conclusion
White Paper – 15 Conclusion

Thank you for all the tweets and wonderful support!

Also thank you to all my friends in government who have supported me all this time. Your support is what has given me this wonderful opportunity to deliver this White Paper to you today. It truly wasn’t possible without you!

Hope this was useful!

Liz

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This blog post is sponsored by Semantix Ltd.

Web 2.0 & social media for patients

The first on the scene was the empowered patient. Patients are participating in online communities to share and discuss daily life struggles to coping with rare diseases.

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This blog post is sponsored by Semantix Ltd.

We often ask ourselves, why do certain organizations choose to embrace or completely reject social media? For those who use social media everyday for every little part of their lives, its easy to argue that its completely relevant and people should give it a chance and embrace it. I obviously fall into this category – guilty as charged!

But after conducting research in various public sectors, I’ve learnt that there are very real challenges in adopting social media and taking that step can be a really big one for certain organizations. This blog post looks into those perceptions, both good and bad of why people want to resist or embrace social media within the medical e-learning environment within the NHS trust.

Medical Professionals perceptions & challenges

• “Trainees and students have been annoyed not being able to collaborate with other people in the Trust.

• “There is a strange relationship between the trust and postgraduate. How does it fit it and the Trust needs to pick up on the ongoing cost.”

• “We need to give access to social networks because its how people network.”

• “From education point of view  – there are undergraduate committees, if you give them a paper, they would say this is totally useless, we want honest feedback from them. If there was an anonymous feedback system on the website then its honest.”

• “Undergraduates are used to is having a link to their calendar. Lectures come up on their calendar. Try to setup something like that on the site. Google calendar. They can download to their phones or iPods. I can’t go onto the network from the phone. Trust should support cost if there is a need for it.”

• “One of the worries, the informal e-learning that is already out there, the concern is the solution to the problem that we have, is that the trainees can’t access it because its been block. We need to have conversations about how we can provide this access.”

• “They ask practical questions. I think they need that networking like Facebook where they can actually do it. How we give access to them and how we are going to do that is what we are concerned about.”

• “Moderated site – the problem is about access. People had to go home to their own computers at home and not on site. As a trainee, you are risking having less honest conversation.”

• “What we would like to go on the website, is teaching programs. The postgraduate have teaching programs that would be good to have on the website.“

• “If we want to push the teaching program through the calendars, then we should do that. Then we can go the trainees to go on that. About linking in the phone, that is already available within the NHS.”

• “We need to marry an IT environment and what is a university, academic requirement where there are issues around security and capability. Suggest the academic requirement should be separated form the business/patient network environment.”

• “The priority from IT is about the patient not about the teaching. Who is the customer? The patient, not the academic.“

• “Significant IT infrastructure issues about clinical data about opening up networking sites and undergraduates.”

• “It’s not about having a separate network. What would be nice is to provide patients with access around security.”

• “You can setup Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN) – not mature yet. It is how it is being setup in the county. And hopefully the NHS will move towards that model. (Oxford example) VLAN would mark public access or private access. It allows you to see within the environment and has gateways to JANET or a direct connection. It’s all about cost for these things to happen. We don’t have the money. Its going to cost money. We need to come toward some sort of compromise.”

• “VLE was used after it was initiated by the nursing staff. Moodle was just recently used. It’s because of the VLE that triggered this. We did plug the VLE project into the prioritisation and turned out in the quadrant as a ‘don’t do’. Looking at everything we want to do and which is being prioritised. When we talk about a Deanery with a certain budget, you can try what you want.  The trust has got to give the approval.”

Learner’s perceptions & challenges

• “There’s no time to collaborate, you have no time to sit at the computer and do these things.  You call your friend then your friend tells you to look on the forum because they’ve seen it there.”

• “It could also be used to notify another doctor that a patient prefers to see another doctor. And seize opportunities.”

• “Lots of people don’t open their email. I open, read, close it, that’s it. When you get sent group emails, every single person gets the email like form Kings College, it’s irrelevant. Everybody puts together a list of people who doesn’t get onto the list just gets lost.”

• “There’s a problem with Trust. Some of us in the beginning still didn’t logon to the network because its so difficult.  And you have your own email address. There’s a problem with accessibility. You have to spend 15 minutes to talk to them to rectify the problem.”

• “Work with a system of somebody who gives you formal certificate and done teaching basically. With facility for feedback and reflection and having targeted resources for different grades and levels of people. Probably a module that is more difficult and effective so learners might be a risk for an employer to see how you’re doing.”

• “You don’t want somebody getting frustrated and a little usability testing would be good.”

• “You get a variety of answers, there’s no way or how strong the evidence is. You might be completely wrong. I’ve never found forums, I find its easier to call your mate.”

• “Sometimes I do look at forums to get piece of mind seeing other people’s problem. And not really there to learn.”

• “I never use blogs too.”

• “Doctors don’t have time to look into informal learning’s because they have to look into the formal learning.”

• “How bout stuff like leadership, communication and stuff you don’t get taught? How do you know what’s going on in a different trust?”

• “My perception on blogging is people’s experience are different from each other. And you want to learn the right thing. When you look on a blog, you don’t know if you can trust it rather than going to the lbrary and picking up a text book.”

• “When it comes working in a place, its completely disorganized.”

• “When you’re filling in forms, that type of thing. It’s not actually learning. Its general enquiries about how do I get my study leave.”

• “There is nothing better than direct email and direct contact.”

• “Facebook – does it have a role in training? No. Use it but its completely separate. Very doubtful for people use it for e-learning or professional.

• “They setup an F1 group for Facebook but I believe people are not really themselves on it. Twitter might be useful. It can be a less intrusive paging system to see a certain patient.”

• “In New Zealand they have a 120 character system where you can send from computer to mobile and select people who you want to send it too.”

• “If we’re talking about clinical opportunities – if he sees something he could put on a board and you go and try to learn from it, that would be useful. A shared area for resources so you put something up – like a bulletin board.”

Communications perceptions & challenges

• Regarding facebook – “Students communicate with friends and family. They ask silly questions, like where is the nearest supermarket or how do we get a parking permit. Or nightspots – the social side of it. I believe most students use Facebook. We get about half of each group to sign up to Facebook. Others say they can’t because it’s being blocked. It helps me to get to know them before they come.”

• ”Students sent out surveys to other students using SurveyMonkey too”

• “Some don’t want to come here because of social networks being blocked.”

• “Its quite embarrassing when they say they can’t go onto the Facebook. All the military sites were blocked. A student needed to do some research for her project on military medicine and IT would not lift up the restrictions.”

• “Problem with internet in accommodation as well because of lack of reliable IT provider. Students were wondering up in the nighties coming up to the centre to get access to Internet.”

• “I told them to get the 3g dongle. This was before they decided to include the price of accommodation with the dongle, which in the end never even worked. It screws people over when people are already on 18 month contract and forced to pay for access that is automatically included in the rent”

• “MySpace and Youtube are good but sometimes the firewall won’t even let you on the NHS website. And as for Twitter, there’s not access to that at all.”

• “We do however use SurveyMonkey which is a $200 annual subscription. We use it as part of audits, clinical audits.  It’s very easy to use actually and its better than the one that we have in house. Every teaching session we need to evaluate.  We keep a TrustWide spread sheet.  They use it for their appraisal.”

Teachers perceptions & challenges

• “I’ve been experimenting with Ning. I’ve got all different learners, I’ve tried with forums, failed miserably.”

• “It’s a different type of learning isn’t it, it’s actually the voluntary process because you actively learn it. Whereas in a ward, it doesn’t.  A lot of practical learning is missed. It should be shared. If you took the patient vs the Trust, you will realize that.”

• “There’s quite a lot of similar stuff on King’s and not reinventing the wheel. We should learn about their environment.”

• “There is also this thing called iPath, we have to login to.”

• “We also need to encourage those who just need a good kick up their back side to get them going in their learning. Its often things like my wife just had a baby or I don’t know.”

• “Traditional teaching is irreplaceable and this is just a supplement. A small group that you have to attend and register also is a professional point of it. But you can do it online by replicating the physical classroom scenario.”

• “For some people Facebook is second nature but for me, its not. I worry about the group trainees who are not motivated. It’s important to understand why their not motivated. Is it the trainers’ responsibility? It’s not but it is, therefore we need to understand why. The question is, are social networks a useful resource to help the trainee.”

• “The way I think of this, when I qualified in 1990 I had no ‘e’ anything. This is completely out of the box, in addition to what we have now. Now I can type into Google and a thousand results whereas before I have 6 books and refer to that. Makes it easier.”

• “An easy way to access with all the things that are good; if we can have a branch way to do and find it, that would be good.”

• “There is a example of distant learning in Cardiff, where there’s learning online and work very well. I think it’s the Diploma in Dermatology, run by the Wales University. It was a mixture of distance learning and a small group P2 they now use podcast type approach.”

• “What fresh cases are useful can be made available online, so there is a incentive for using the online resource by using it for sharing.”

• “By using YouTube, you could watch the video and learn. This is good for visual learners. But some people who are auditory learners.”

• “Some people just learn better than others. None of this is going to be the answer to this.”

• ”Sometimes its easier to be honest with a computer rather than a human being. “

• “It works both ways, there is massive learning material but do we use that to its massive learning potential. Maybe this is what sort of thing that it could tap into. Say if you want to focus on someone’s leg, The other way we can use is in general, you could use nationwide or area wide.”

• “Social networks are worth using it for exams for better group work.”

• “There has been a curriculum that has been created in that and would be suitable for podcast.”

Hope this was useful!

@Liz_Azyan xxx

This blog post is sponsored by Semantix Ltd.

Web 2.0 & Social media stuff by patients

In our enthusiasm to talk about government efforts to dive into web 2.0 and social media to deliver public services, I feel we often forget where it all started.  Before public service dipped their toes into the social media revolution, citizens/patients were already there. They were talking about their illnesses, creating communities of interest and interacting with each other way before e-petitions at No 10 Downing St was even launched.

The first on the scene was the empowered patient. Patients are participating in online communities to share and discuss daily life struggles to coping with rare diseases.  Here I’ve compiled a list of inspirational web 2.0 and social media stuff by patients for patients (and doctors too, if they like) ;o) I hope this will inspire us to look at what is already out there to better understand patients and try to engage with them on a level or platform they are already comfortable with. This list also includes other websites that help patients and also mobile applications that can help save lives.

An additional link I received this morning by @hadleypaul was this effort by the TV Programme ‘Embarrassing Bodies’  that managed to generate more traffic and interest on NHS information and services online. According to Paul

… Embarrassing Bodies show pulls in links, photos and uses the practice of social networking, then build it into their programmes, giving big hit rates for the NHS & PCT’s, engaging with viewers, and sharing good practice.

Click here to find out more about the event that featured Embarrassing Bodies.

Hope this was useful!!!

@Liz_Azyan xxx

This blog post is sponsored by Semantix Ltd.

I’ve recently talked to many medical professionals, learners and communicators within the NHS trust. They all have expressed their views and problems with the current e-learning software and IT infrastructure. This blog post highlights the challenges faced by all these stakeholders and hopefully better inform e-learning practices for medical students within the NHS trust.

Formal e-learning

Recommendations and views of Medical Professionals

• “It should be interesting, essentially needs to be delivered in a format that is fast and efficient. Compliance point of view there’s not point in doing e-learning because it becomes an activity tick box. Needs to be an enjoyable activity so that people want to do it and not have to do it.”

• “Trainees spend a lot of time on the ward and we want them to concentrate on the clinical training. If they have a podcast they can go back and learn at home. This will be the student aspect of their learning. Do on their own initiative.”

• “Exam preparation – curricular criteria? Exams and courses are clinically oriented, we need to redo, reinventing something that is already there. Portal into what is available not recreating the wheel.”

• “When you go to a particular website, the homepage turns me on or off, should be interesting and capture you and should indexed. If you need to click 6 times to get there, you’ll never get there. “

• “There needs to be a single route into e-learning instead of multiple systems because it’s difficult to get into. Website is unfriendly, uninviting and uninformative.”

• “The issue the mandatory training is a big chore to go through and people find ways to cheat the system, have two windows at the same time, one is the assessment window and the other is the test window…”

• “The medical schools are very clear and when students come out, they expect the same standard. It’s a showcase for us and most trainees do their homework and if you don’t have an interesting website, they won’t be go there. It needs to be a platform for all new types of learning, podcasts and etc.”

• “Subscribe to 123Doc, revision for exams. More and more they are going multimedia, they are a lot more interactive than it used to be. So it needs to be fast and efficient.”

• “The mandatory training is targeted at the entire Trust, there is no training to the people. It needs to appropriate to you.”

• “Because some of the team is not in the trust it doesn’t allow continuity.”

• “Would we need something there to sell the Trust to demonstrate its learning possibilities. We should show how the rooms look like, kitchen and how the living area looks like.”

• “Software’s that have been deleted is the 360 degrees virtual tour needs to be reinstated.”

• “The current website is restricted in its capability, others are selling a lot of stuff that we are doing which makes it look like a PCT are using. Its innovation latest technology and clinical stuff is what attracts people. It also needs to be location based.

• “You need resources to create it and capability. Think outside the box, there are 2 other universities here that need to learn how to use these technologies and tap into their resources. Its work experience for them, the best way of learning is to actually do the job.”

• “In terms of websites, less is more. The website has become a dumping ground. We don’t separate between marketing and functions for staff and users. We need a proper marketing front end to it. Front end must be for both patients and trainees.”

• “Information is a huge site but the information does is not updated. Hoping this project can go hand in hand with the whole redesign of the website.”

Recommendations and views by ‘Learners’

• “At the moment we are using BMJ learning house modules, which we print out the certificate.”

• “Using the pass text, you pay. You hope that everything that you learn from that can fit into the pass text.”

• “The internet access is so bad. You can’t use the wireless and mobile broadband access too, limiting the e-learning access.”

• “Its so painful because once you try to go to the next page, you’ve been idle for so long because you’ve been logged out.”

• “We’d like to see a tool that is web-based, and type a quick question with an x-ray. It needs a vehicle that can build e-learning and share teaching resources. Easy to access, easy to remember.”

• “Questions should be tagged to see which department it is relevant to for level of content, speciality, user and subject.”

• “At the moment we are using Stratogy, which is very expensive and the London Deanery pays for it. We also use “Pass Medicine for examination, which is also a paid site.”

• “You can access from outside but you have to register but you must put your leaving date.”

• “We don’t have a computer centre, the one that are available doesn’t have access to the clout/e-learning.”

• “If you have a slide and upload and share it online. So a protected network is needed to protect the content. The lectures at Kings College need to email to administrator and they upload it. Sometimes they just don’t bother because it’s too much hassle.  And administrator ends up with a bunch of slides.”

• “It has to be user-friendly, it needs to be nice and simple. You don’t want everyone controlling. Put ratings on content.”

• “We also` learn managerial e-learning such as child protection, health and safety, blood transfusion, complaining. There is no structure to it; they don’t follow on from one to another. We try to get through them ASAP.”

• “The disadvantages of the managerial e-learning modules are it’s for everybody from care assistant to doctors and level of knowledge is different.”

• “We need reliable internet access. We use the other room but its temperamental.”

• “Needs to be a short because doctors don’t have time. 2 min case studies. 18 – 20 mins max is what education shows.”

• “Should be accessible from within the trust, boards, library, and accommodation.”

• “E-learning is quite useful is the Synaps website which is available for all London Deanery trainees. It’s informal. The benefits, the e-learning things should be credible and up-to-date. That credibility must come form seniority. You cant based your practice on people who are not experienced. Must be from seniors. ”

• “Some questions are difficult, some you are only going to right if you read the material. The Trust knows its rubbish and they’re redesigning.”

• “Regarding the e-learning for health, we haven’t used it, though we did get email about it (junior doctors). It is not for all colleges yet, loads for anaesthetics etc. Very vigorous process modules.”

• “There are issues with mandatory learning to be accessible anywhere because some things need to stay within work hours.”

• “Most interesting audits are usually published and all been peer reviewed so you can trust it. We have a lot of formal resources that are dependable.  You just have to look at the ward to see its not working.”

• “Online lecture notes, 3^rd year Kings College Virtual campus. They don’t mark it, but they’ve got the capacity to do so. No one bothers to see if anyone does it. You just put anything in the text box and it will come up with an answer.”

• “They do setup face-to-face with the tutor to discuss the e-learning module together. However it depends on tutor on effectiveness of e-learning once its printed out.”

• “Bigger issues when it comes the trust should be department specific and should be commission lead.”

Recommendations and views of ‘Communicators’

• “Its boring, exactly the same since I started here. The fire learning module, I know all the answers.”

• “It’s easy to use and has relevant modules for doctors but only use it only from home. “

• “In regards to Kings Virtual Campus, my students have never complained apart form it being a bit slow on the trust computers. I think things are going well because students are usually the first to complain.”

• “Its Trust Wide, same software, very depressing.”

• “I use Doctors.net. Its independent from the NHS. I also use the BMJ, which is easy to use and covers a whole range of topics.”

• “After you qualify, you pass, there are other e-learning sites such as, On examination, Pastest and Pass Medicine. The content is sufficient.”

• ”In terms of accessibility, provision sites you have to pay. I haven’t but I might do when I get there. Its £80 for a few months for the provisions and £2000 for 1 exam. There should be a Trust Wide subscription.”

• “First time you learn, but then after you don’t. But what you do on your site, it doesn’t cover that. You don’t learn where you have to physically.”

• “It helped with exams but not planning to use again.”

• “I was from Kings and its got everything, its good and sufficient. It was very useful.”

• “You can open the learning module alongside the exam.”

• “We were told to setup a virtual campus for us but I don’t see the point really because its already out there.”

• “We weren’t given time to do them, we do it in our own time.”

• “If we were given time in the trust, then you’d probably go through it all. But if you’re at home, you through it quickly not really wanting to learn.”

• “Some of the questions were quite silly, make it more interactive and relevant to what you’re doing.”

Hope this was useful!!

Liz xxx

This blog post is sponsored by Semantix Ltd.

I’ve recently conducted some research on how medical practitioners are using social media in their profession. This blog post lists down some examples of how medical practitioners can use social media. Check out the weblinks to see it in practice. Hopefully these examples will inspire people in government to use social media in more creative and effective ways.

Social media for medical practitioners

Hope this was useful!

Liz xxx

Possibly Related Posts

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• Good Practices: Coventry City Council Take Billion Pound City Centre Planning Consultation to Facebook
• Ideas for local councils to push social media to the public

This blog post is sponsored by Semantix Ltd.

I’ve recently been lucky enough to be involved and be exposed to many government related projects including some NHS cool e-learning stuff. Since then, I have gathered a wealth of knowledge and references that might be of interest to LGEO Research readers. This blog post highlights some of the useful and valuable social media and web 2.0 examples in e-learning for health informatics from around the world. Hope these examples will help inform the health community of interesting and effective e-learning practices out there.

Web 2.0-mediated Blended Learning: Separating Fact from Fiction

Kevin A. Clauson, a researcher at Nova Southeastern University, is investigating the potential of web 2.0 applications in medical student learning. Specifically, Clauson is attempting to bridge the knowledge gap of this issue between what we think we know and what we actually know.

In order to aid his investigation, his team has conducted a 37 item questionnaire to first year pharmacy students that attend school between three different campuses with the purpose of characterizing the knowledge, familiarity, and preferences towards web 2.0.

Some preliminary results:

· The survey had a 94% response rate

· The first or best language of respondents was 67% English, 24% Spanish, and the rest ‘Other’

· 75% of respondents read blogs, with about 10% actually authoring blogs

· Almost all respondents used wikis (with wikipedia being the most popular), with 12% actually contributing to wikis

· Only a small portion of respondents used Second Life (11.2%), many had never heard of it

· Many were unaware of microblogs; only 7% actually used them. Interestingly, males were more likely to be users of microblogs than females

· Most respondents used Facebook (83%). Myspace was still fairly popular (31%) with LinkedIn being the least popular (1.5%)

One of the limitations of this study was that it was conducted only at one university. Interestingly though, the chair of the session had conducted a similar analysis at Stanford with very similar results.

I recognize the power of having a community,” said Bryan Vartabedian, MD, (@Doctor_V) pediatric gastroenterologist at Texas Children’s Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. “I didn’t realize when I first went on Twitter that there is a lot of strength and a lot of power in having these sorts of connections.”

Jamey Shiels, social media director for Aurora (@Aurora_Health) who helped organize Dr. Wallskog’s twittered surgery in April, said traditional advertising does not result in a two-way conversation. It’s more of a push, he said. The hospital saw Twitter as “an opportunity to move to a one-to-many conversation.”

Peter Beck Kim, MD (@doccottle), a family physician in Costa Mesa, Calif., said he started twittering as a way of connecting with other physicians interested in health IT issues. He can see himself eventually using Twitter as another way of interacting with patients, but not enough people are on yet.

“I think there’s more out there [on Twitter] than not,” Dr. Kim said. “But overall, in terms of my patient base, I wouldn’t say it’s a tiny minority, but it’s a minority.”

As the number of users grow there will be a larger pool of local users to connect with, he said.

The ability to reach thousands in one place is the real power of Twitter, said Wesley Young, MD (@DrWesYoung), an emergency physician in Honolulu. He’s already seeing the benefits of getting your name onto as many platforms as possible, including blogs and Web sites, as well as Twitter.

Dr. Vartabedian said twitter has the ability to reach thousands of people with one message also can useful in times of public health scares. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health organizations have turned to Twitter to help educate people about A(H1N1) flu, spread information and curb misinformation.

He saw a number of physicians stepping in during the flu scare to “provide some sound balance to what was really, on Twitter, an amazing amount of hysteria.” He sees local physicians, whom the local public knows and trusts, assuming that role more and more in the future.

“Most of the physicians I follow are not twittering as doctors, they are twittering as people who are doctors,” said Dr. Vartabedian. “They talk about medical things and they link to medical things, but they aren’t talking from a position of authority.”

Web 2.0 for Physicians – Dr. Subrahmanyam Karuturi

From my perspective, forums and message boards continue to be helpful vehicles tools for online discussion and can offer value as components of often more extensive social networking environments. In fact, many of today’s more robust “social networking” sites are really direct descendants of the forum genre.

Furthermore, while debates may continue as to whether certain physician-oriented sites, such as Sermo.com or StudentDoctor.net qualify as social networks, I believe it is more important to focus on the fact that more and more tools and “online communities” are being introduced for physicians. This is clearly in response to the increasingly challenging role physicians hold. As in any marketplace, more options and competition mean more value for the customer.

Quotes from online community – ReliefInsite.com (consumer health 2.0 web application)

“As a Health Care Worker, and currently disabled, this is an AMAZING tool for me to communicate with all of my Doctors, Therapists and Specialists! I can look back and see how I am progressing or regressing and it helps me to feel in control of my own health issues! Thanks for offering this great program!” H

“I enjoy that I can speak freely about my pain. It helps to know that others deal with what I’m going through on a daily basis. It feels good to let it out and I believe the diary is something great for all of us patients.” L

“Every time I make my entries, I find I like the new program more. I’ve really been able to fine tune my entries and my notes so that they will be very helpful for my physicians. Need to go in for check up soon and talk things over with my Primary care physician, I’m very happy with the program.” G

“This is an incredible resource that will revolutionize how patients communicate with their physicians. Those of us with chronic pain are usually medicated, and remembering a months worth of info is difficult to say the least. This tool will be invaluable to ALL of us. Thanks to all involved with its creation!”

The Hive in New Zealand – A collaborative network of health professionals using social media to aggregate its content

The use of social tools on the web in the workplace is still not fully adopted by the decision makers in organizations. Social media such as facebook and twitter are generally blocked. The presentation by Chris on the topic of Health IT knowledge base is a very interesting one which is aimed at “the push to build knowledge communities in a collaborative manner that suit the industry”. Although social websites such as facebook etc, exist and can be further leveraged to adapt to the business environment in some respect, it is my opinion that we should build websites that are customisable to the health industry; can be managed and streamlined from a professional stance that will give more creditability. Trust and confidentiality are of vital importance coupled with a sense of the need to contain activities to business environment (which can be better controlled).

In addition to this, we would want to look at how to aggregate data from other social media such as facebook and twitters to create topics of interest etc. to integrate with these “enterprise like” social media.

Chris has explained that one of the impetus for the this project is the Ministry of Health in New Zealand requirement of a system that would allow end-users/innovators and policy makers provide ideas, share information about projects and dissemination of innovation. (How to see other projects in progress and share information on different or similar fields and form collaboration.)

‘The hive is where cross-pollination can generate vital and sometimes unplanned outcomes,‘ suggests Research Fellow Dr. Chris Paton. ‘For example in the hive, a clinician might blog about their telemedicine project based in Otago, a technologist from Sydney could add their real world experience, then a GP in Hamilton might join the discussion. As the interest group grows, the collective wisdom contributes to a more effective outcome,’ he continues.

‘Think of it as a virtual laboratory; where anyone with a valid contribution to make, with an interest in what’s going on or an idea they want to develop can get together with others free of the tyrannies of time and distance,’ Malcolm Pollock adds. He believes the availability of this type of environment is critical to the future development of healthcare services in New Zealand.

Why patients start blogging about their illness?

Kerri Morrone Sparling – http://www.sixuntilme.com

I started Six Until Me in May of 2005 because I was tired of Googling “diabetes” and coming up with little more than a list of complications and frightening stories.  Where were all the people who were living with this disease, like I have been since I was a little girl?  Was I the only diabetic out there who felt alone?

Enter blogging.  Back when I first started, I was one of four or five diabetes bloggers.  Now I am a proud member of an enormous diabetes blogging community who prove every day that I’m not alone with this disease.

But there’s more to me than diabetes.

I am a blogger, freelance writer, and hopeful author.  I am also the Community Leader at dLife.  I have been featured in US News and World Report, contributed columns to dLife, diaTribe, and have guest-blogged all over the damn place.  I love what I do.  It’s an honor to be a part of this community.

I keep an extensive collection of photos on my Flickr account, where you’ll find my Diabetes365 experience, a bunch of crap about my cats, and random photos from my random life moments.  I love my camera and bring it everywhere I go.  I’m also pretty addicted to Twitter and Facebook, but let’s be honest – sometimes that social networking crap gets a little out of hand.

iCrossing Research on social media for health

In the most bullish forecast yet on the adoption of social media in health, iCrossing has found that 34% of Americans turn to social media for health research. This report from iCrossing breaks new ground by offering some hard numbers about consumers’ use of social media in health.  Among the available social media types, consumers chose Wikipedia (chosen by 20% of online health searchers), online forums and message boards as the most favored in health and wellness. iCrossing found that these were particularly attractive to the youngest adult cohort of 18-to-34 year old health searchers. But note that the average age of the social media user for health is 37, compared with 44 years of age for the overall health search population.

Several findings are particularly notable and new:

Consumers going to social media sites tend to be in decision-making mode. They are in search of useful insights into health services, costs for specific procedures and devices, and reputations of providers. This is a role that will be played by sites like Blue Cross of Minnesota’s Health Care Scoop and the emergingAnthem/Zagat sites.

After the health professional — whether clinician, pharmacist, or nurse — “someone else with the same condition” is important to those consumers seeking advice about particular medications.  People with serious chronic conditions are looking to consumer-experts for sage advice on meds and care processes. The logic: who better to consult than another experienced patient to get the skinny on living with side effects and quality of life issues? Nearly 2/3 of people who go online for health information report this emerging “Consumer Opinion Leader” as “extremely important” or “very important.

The most compelling reason consumers are using social media in health is to ;connect with other consumers to exchange information or get support,” according to 75% of the online health searcher. The next most important reasons to use social media vs. other types of online sites is to find out more about the costs of a procedure or medical equipment (noted by 55%) and to access personal health records (noted by 56%).

Social media ‘could transform public services’ by the BBC

Social media could transform the NHS and other public services in the same way that file-sharing changed the music industry, a conference has heard.

Growing use of tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, offered an opportunity to reinvent services, delegates heard.

The MyPublicServices event debated ways to harness these conversations, many of which are critical, to make services better and more inclusive.

If this was not done, many services would be undermined, speakers said.

“It’s happened to the music and travel industries and it’s going to happen to public services,” said Dr Paul Hodgkin, founder of the Patient Opinion site that organised the MyPublicServices conference. Read more

Hope this was useful!

Liz xxx

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Sometime at the end of 2009, when LGEO Research reached its 1st year Anniversary, I managed to catch up with Don Tapscott and talk to him about the “Digital Economy Bill” and tackling issues of digital inclusion.

Liz Azyan talks to Don Tapscott about the “Digital Economy Bill” and tackling digital inclusion from Liz Azyan on Vimeo.

Who’s Don Tapscott?

In 2009, McGraw-Hill named Don Tapscott as one of their definitive listing of the world’s top 50 business thinkers.

Don Tapscott (born 1947) is a Canadian business executive, author, consultant and speaker based in Toronto, Ontario, specializing in business strategy, organizational transformation and the role of technology in business and society. Tapscott is chairman of business strategy think tank New Paradigm (now nGenera Insight), which he founded in 1993.

Tapscott has authored or co-authored thirteen books on the application of technology in business and society. His most recent book, released in 2008 and entitled “Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World,” draws upon a 4.5 million dollar research study of over 11,000 young people and examines how the net generation is changing the world and all of its institutions. “Grown Up Digital” is a follow-up to his popular 1997 book “Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation” which explained the business and social impact of the first generation to come of age in the digital world. His most famous book, co-authored with Anthony Williams and published in 2006 is Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything. Wikinomics was the best selling Management book in the US of 2007 and has been translated into 22 languages.

The Digital Economy Bill

Mark Thomas talks about the Digital Economy Bill

SIGN THE PETITION HERE! DO IT NOW!!!

ATTENTION

During the official campaign period for the General Election the e-Petitions system will be closed to new submissions and signatures. The Government will also not issue responses to petitions during this period. This is to ensure compliance with the requirements of theCivil Service Code on party political neutrality.

Any petitions due to close between the announcement of the General Election and 3 June will have their deadlines extended to 3 June. Petitions will reopen for signatures upon the formation of the Government following the General Election.

The Digital Economy Bill is one that effects the future of us all. Here are some articles that you can read to find out more about how it affects you.

• Learn how you can join the campaign!
• Digital Economy bill amendments could deny YouTube access
• The official “Do not disconnect us” website
• Digital Economy Bill is now law
• Stephen Fry backs Digital Economy Bill protests
• Join the “Against the Digital Economy Bill” Facebook Page to show your support
• Act Now: The Digital Economy Bill Petition
• Stop the Digital Economy Bill
• Follow the DEBill progress on the Digital Britain website
• Digital economy bill exposes broken system
• Have your say!
• What others say
• TalkTalk to battle against “oppressive” Digital Economy Bill
• The digital economy bill: what does it mean for video games?
• Digital Economy Bill to get further scrutiny over piracy

Check out the Digital Economy Bill protest song by Dan Bull

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I love it when I can find inspiring speaker/talks and stories to inspire and encourage social media adoption in all aspects of our lives. There are just some things that money can’t buy which is unpredictable and as effective if not more than those big advertising campaigns could ever do. And the best thing is, sometimes, genuine campaigns could later on create profit for those who need it the most. And how was this all possible if not for social media? ;o) Enjoy!

Video Info
In a funny, rapid-fire 4 minutes, Alexis Ohanian of Reddit tells the real-life fable of one humpback whale’s rise to Web stardom. The lesson of Mister Splashy Pants is a shoo-in classic for meme-makers and marketers in the Facebook age. About

Alexis Ohanian co-founded Reddit, a social-voting news website with geek allegiances, a small-town feel and a penchant for lighting up the memes your friends IM you about next week. Full bio and more links

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