After starting back in February 2009 with about 25 items, the Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki has grown tremendously. Honestly, I never thought the list would have more than 50 items. With today’s update, it’s over 500. This includes efforts from pharma and healthcare companies, industry observers, patient support networks, physician social networks, and many other categories. The tactics run the gamut from Twitter to Facebook to YouTube and everything in between.

Some efforts, naturally, are more ambitious than others, but one thing is clear: the lack of official guidelines isn’t stopping anyone from embarking on some social media efforts. This list is my single biggest rationale I give each day to people who ask: “how can I do anything without some guidelines?” I simply direct them to the wiki and add in the fact that not one single example on the wiki has ever received a warning letter. Read that last bit again…not one.

So, is it really as risky as what you think? Do people really not know what’s permissible and what’s not? No and no. If either of these were true, I think we’d be seeing a lot more letters. What’s stopping you now?

This is the final update for 2009, so a special thanks to everyone who has contributed throughout the year. It wouldn’t be much of a list without your efforts. I’ve done my best to give people credit for their submissions throughout. However, if you see someone else’s name credited to a submission you made, know that I only include one credit per entry and it’s the person who submits it first. For new examples, I’ll get as many as four or five submissions. That’s a testament to how closely each of you monitors this space and also how dedicated you are to sharing this knowledge with others via this wiki. Thank you for that.

Ironically, the wiki started with 25 items, but today’s update alone includes 36 new items. Some highlights from this update:

• Four new entries for AstraZeneca including two new Facebook pages, their first corporate YouTube channel, and a Twitter account just for job recruiting. They’re making a run at the top social media user among pharma companies.
• Pfizer added two new examples including a blog and YouTube channel
• Sanofi-Aventis gets one more entry with their new iPhone app, GoMeals
• I added 3 great industry-observer blogs that I’ve somehow forgotten to add in the past (even though I read them all)
• Included three blogs from the Mayo Clinic that should be the standard against which all other healthcare industry blogging efforts should be measured
• Five more additions to the list of pharma and healthcare companies using Twitter, including one branded effort

Stay tuned in January for the next update. In the meantime, you can submit your recommendations for inclusion (including your own site) using this form. Please read on for more information on what you can do to help support the wiki and ensure it continues to grow.

Here’s the link:

Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki

If I sent you a note saying that you’d be included in the next update and you don’t see your listing, you’re in the queue for the next one.

Many of you have asked what you can do to support the wiki, as you’ve found it so useful. Well, there are a few things you can do since you asked:

• First and foremost, without your contributions, the wiki wouldn’t be what it is today and it would quickly become outdated. You can submit your recommendations for inclusion (including your own site) using this form.
• Share with your network. Here are some shortcuts: Send a tweet, update your LinkedIn or Facebook status, and/or whatever your preferred means of sharing is. You can just copy and paste this: “Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki. http://su.pr/20M8CB. (via @jonmrich)”
• Write about it. Feel free to blog about the wiki and use some of the examples in case studies or presentations you’re developing.
• Get a badge. That’s right, if you’re listed on the wiki, you can now add a badge to your site to show that you’ve made it to the list. We’ve created a couple of options to choose from. (If you’re not listed and think you should be, see the first bullet above on how to do that.)

Note: some of you who have tried to use the code told me that it wasn’t working for you. I’ve fixed the problem, so these should work fine now.

Option 1

Copy and paste the code below onto your site:

<form><a href="http://www.doseofdigital.com/healthcare-pharma-social-media-wiki/" target="_blank"><img src="http://d2pa1q4iz3ea7o.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/doseofdigitalwikibadge1.jpg"/></a></form>

Option 2

Copy and paste the code below onto your site:

<form><a href="http://www.doseofdigital.com/healthcare-pharma-social-media-wiki/" target="_blank"><img src="http://d2pa1q4iz3ea7o.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/doseofdigitalwikibadge2.jpg"/></a></form>

Again, thank you all for your contributions. If you have any suggestions on how to improve the wiki, please let me know.

Possibly related posts (auto-generated):

1. Social Media in Pharma and Healthcare 2010: First Wiki Update of the Year
2. Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki One Year Anniversary!
3. Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki June Update