Social Media Wiki

Your Computer Is the Next Wonder Drug (Video)

For those who have been following the blog, you know that I recently spoke at the SXSW conference in Austin (more details here including why pharma companies should care). My talk was entitled: Your Computer Is the Next Wonder Drug.

The idea is simple and here’s how I described the talk on the SXSW site:

A few times each year, the press buzzes about the latest scientific advance that will someday cure any one of the diseases we fear the most. Nearly every one of these will turn out to be nothing more than a news story and far from a pill that can help improve our health.

We spend hundreds of millions of dollars every day on research, as we struggle to find the “magic bullet” that will rid the world of conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. We almost never find the magic.

While the big, historic scientific advances may be what dominate the headlines, in the end, it’s the small improvements and better utilization of the technology we have already have that will ultimately lengthen ourlives and improve its quality. These technologies don’t come from labs filled with test tubes or cell cultures, but rather from labs filled with computers and the programs that run them.

In the future, it will be digital technologies that prevent, treat, and finally cure diseases and not the latest “blockbuster” drug that has yet to be discovered (and might never be). Digital technologies can already help us understand which treatments are best for us, what diseases pose the greatest risk, and how diseases spread among us. They can improve our interactions with doctors and improve access to care for everyone.

Instead of waiting for the next miracle drug to be developed, you might find the miracle was there all along right inside the computer you use every day.

You’ll be hearing and seeing more about this topic on Dose of Digital in the future. It’s going to be the focus of a book I’m working on that I hope you’ll get to see sometime in the not terribly distant future (but think in terms of years, not months).
(Click to read the rest…)

Introducing Healthy Thinkers: Doing Some Good in Healthcare

I just had a major revelation over the Thanksgiving weekend. I realized that my social network includes many people within the healthcare industry and that those people, if they worked together, could have a dramatic impact on the future of healthcare. Some of these people work for “big pharma” or medical device companies. Others run successful non-profits or have launched healthcare technology startups. Some others provide consulting to the industry and have been responsible for many of the positive changes in healthcare over the years.

At the same time, I realized that there are a lot of people out there that still need a lot of help from the healthcare community. This might be support for an important initiative, the ear of someone who can bring a new idea or product innovation to life, or even help paying for a prescription.  I realized that it would be simple to bring together many of the people that could help fulfill some of these ideas and requests with those that need help. That’s why I created Healthy Thinkers.

The concept is simple. People submit their idea or requests to the community. The community discusses and votes up the best of these. From there, the community uses all of its social connections to make sure the idea or request gets in front of someone who can actually make it happen. It’s a “degrees of separation” concept. Among all the people that will read this post (and hopefully many more who will join the community), we’re probably only a few degrees of separation away from that key person. For example, maybe someone has an innovative idea for how J&J can improve its OneTouch diabetes monitoring products. I would guarantee that someone reading this post right now knows someone on the OneTouch product team. I’ve found out over the years that our healthcare “family” is pretty small.

I was inspired to put Healthy Thinkers together by a few things. First, it was requests that I received to help people out with healthcare-related requests. The first of these was the Diabetes Hands Foundation who asked me to help them spread the word about their Big Blue Test initiative. I did via this blog post and they far exceeded their goal (not just through my efforts to be sure). Right around the same time, someone asked me if I knew anyone at a certain medical device company so that they could contact them to ask for supplies for a mission trip to Africa. I did and this person got what he needed. And within days of that, an acquaintance asked if I knew how to get a discount on her new medication, as it was way too expensive for her. I knew someone from the product team for the brand she was prescribed and that person got my acquaintance enrolled in one of the brand’s assistance programs. It was a bit fortunate that I personally could help facilitate each of these, but I realized that I don’t know everyone and maybe I just got a little lucky.

So, not one to count on luck, my idea is simple: bring together a bunch of people who have connections throughout healthcare with those that need some type of assistance or support and start solving some problems. You see, I think we do an awful lot of talking, so let’s do something instead.

Pharma companies…you want to know how to get involved in social media? Get involved in this community and offer to help where you can. Nothing but positive PR awaits you.

Consultants and ad agency people…you want to use your skills to help people directly beyond what you do for clients? Join the community and use your contacts to solve some problems.

Patients, caregivers, non-profits…you need help or advice from some key people in healthcare? Come to the community and tell us how we can help.

Will this work? Well, here’s what I know. One of my favorite sites is Reddit. No one is going to claim for a second that this is a serious community of any kind (hilarious as it may be). Think of it as a much better version of Digg. Recently, I started to notice some people asking for real help on the site and actually getting it. I did a little more research and came across a post called “Reddit’s Astonishing Altruism.” Some of the acts include users paying for a shopping spree for a dying girl, helping track down a murderer, and bringing a family music heirloom to life (read that one for sure). However, I noticed that there two things on this list that Reddit shouldn’t have had to handle, but did: buying a new wheelchair for someone who couldn’t afford one and buying a new type of hearing aid for a young woman who was deaf since she was 7.

My question is why couldn’t our community handle this? For instance, our agency has worked with one of the leading manufacturers of wheelchairs in the world and I personally know someone who works for a leading hearing aid company. Knowing these folks, I’m sure they could have persuaded their companies to donate these items.

Call me idealistic if you want, but I think we can do better. I think we have a responsibility to do this and we can do a lot of good with very little effort. So, here’s your call to action:

Join Healthy Thinkers today. Here’s the link: http://healthythinkers.ideascale.com

  • Register. Sign up and tell us who you are. You can be semi-anonymous if you’d like. If you’re a company that might be able to help, start monitoring this forum for places you can help. If you can’t do this, we’ll find you when we need you.
  • Advocate. Spread the word to as many people in healthcare as you can. We need not only the people who can deliver on these ideas and requests, but also people who are going to submit them. So, don’t just tell the people around your office, share it with friends on Facebook too. Know people in the press? Tell them too.
  • Participate. Start a post, comment on an existing one, and vote.
  • Solve. If you see an idea or request you can help with, step up. Respond or pass it along to a contact who can make it happen.

If you want to spread the word about Healthy Thinkers, here’s some shortcuts. Click Like to share on Facebook. Include a comment so your friends actually notice it in their News Feed.

Or send a tweet about the community:

We’ll be posting success stories as they happen and also updates on big needs that still aren’t fulfilled on the blog for Healthy Thinkers (still a work in progress, so bear with me). Also, the top ideas and requests will automatically be tweeted by the @HealthyThinkers Twitter account, so follow that to see what’s new and hot on the site.

Over the next few days, I’ll be introducing you to some volunteer “Connectors” who are going to help moderate the site, but also have agreed to use some of their extensive connections to make sure these ideas and requests get done. If you’re interested in becoming one, then send me a message.

One final point, Healthy Thinkers is a completely non-profit, non-promotional effort. There is no money to be made, so don’t join up if you’re looking to promote yourself or your company. I’ve already told you what the site is for, so I hope that motivates every one of you to take a look.

Once more, join Healthy Thinkers today. Here’s the link: http://healthythinkers.com

How One “Viral” Video Can Save Lives


[If you can't see the video above, click here to view it on YouTube.]

I’ve talked about the concept of viral videos in the past, most recently, in an article I wrote for iMedia Connection called, “The world’s worst digital marketing advice.” In fact, one of the pieces of advice to avoid that I had in the article was: “You should make a viral video.” Here’s what I had to say on the issue:

“This is one of my giant pet peeves. Maybe I can stop people from saying this once and for all right now. Here goes: You don’t make a viral video. A video can become viral or “go viral.” But it’s not up to you whether or not a video you create becomes viral; it’s up to us.

A video (or anything else) only becomes viral if people share it with others and those people do the same. There are ways you can increase the likelihood that your content goes viral, which I won’t cover here. However, the No. 1 thing is to make content that’s really good. Be honest: Would you share the video your marketing team just whipped up with your friends? No? Then why should I share it with mine?”

The critical part in here is the idea that you don’t make a viral video, it becomes viral. So, go ahead a make a video, but don’t make it with the expectation that it will become a “viral video.” Sure, do all you can to maximize the number of people who see it and spread the word about it as best you can, but focus on making a good video first. The reason why 99.999999999% of videos never become “viral” is because they are terrible videos. Priority number one if you hope to create a video that becomes viral is to make a good great video. Don’t skip this step.

Last week, my friend Manny Hernandez, founder of  TuDiabetes and the Diabetes Hands Foundation, filled me in on an initiative they have going on for World Diabetes Day (November 14). It’s called “The Big Blue Test.” The idea is simple: encourage people with diabetes to test their blood sugar, exercise, and test it again. People are then encouraged to share their findings with the world. It turns out that many people with diabetes don’t test their blood sugar often enough and even fewer know the positive impact that exercise can have on controlling blood sugar. It’s a great awareness idea supported by a simple concept that can have a profound impact on the health of a lot of people with diabetes. It’s a compliance message wrapped up in an interesting “social” initiative.

Where does the video come in? Well, to spread the word about the test, they created a video that explains the concept. What’s more, for every view of the video up to 100,000, Roche will make a donation to the Diabetes Hands Foundation up to $75,000. They’ll use the money to help the Life For a Child program, run by the International Diabetes Federation, and Insulin For Life. These two global, humanitarian organizations provide diabetes medication and supplies to children in the world’s poorest countries…a great cause to be sure. To give you an idea of how far $75,000 goes, in Ecuador, for example, less than $50 keeps a person needing insulin alive for an entire year (insulin for the program is donated by pharma with the money paying for delivery).

So, why am I sharing this with you?

There are a few reasons actually. First, I’d like to see Roche spend $75,000 and to have that money help save some lives and I know that my readers will help them spend a little of that by watching and sharing the video. Second, this is a strong campaign that we can all learn a little bit from. Here’s what you should be taking note of:

  • A low commitment way to get people involved. If you ask people to do too much, they won’t do it. That’s life. So, asking someone to watch a video isn’t too taxing. Even the challenge to people with diabetes isn’t that big…test, exercise, test, share. Simple.
  • Make a great video. This video is great. It moves fast, looks great (and sounds good too), and it keeps your attention. Remember, it doesn’t need to be a comedy for people to enjoy it.
  • Educate people with a simple message. This campaign could have included page after page and chart after chart showing the impact of exercise on blood sugar. Instead, they go with the ultimate “product demo.” Try it for yourself and see what happens. The idea is simple, easy to understand, and again, not a giant commitment for people, which dramatically increases the likelihood of them doing it.
  • It’s not a product ad. That’s right, it’s an “unbranded” campaign. You have to look around a bit to see that Roche is involved and which products they sell that are related to diabetes. Know this, people who care always know who the good guys (or bad guys) are. You don’t have to shove it into people’s faces. They’re smart. They’ll figure it out.
  • Get the right people to talk about it. That part is clearly working well…you’re reading this now aren’t you? You should know who the people are that can do the talking for you and can spread your message usually much more effectively than you can.

I hope you see some good lessons you can use if you’re looking to do a campaign like this. If you did find this helpful, how about watching the video and spreading the word? If you’re a person with diabetes, I hope you’ll actually do the test on November 14 and share your results. Even if you know the impact of exercise, sharing your findings will help build awareness among those that don’t.

So, you’re homework today…watch a video, share it with others (try the ShareThis button and pick your favorite social site), and help save a life…not too much to ask, right?

Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki September Update

It’s been a while and many of you have asked what happened to the update you’ve submitted, so here they are. Welcome to the latest update to the Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki. The last update came in late June,  so it’s been a while. Thanks to everyone for your patience.

This month’s update includes 37 new additions to the wiki bringing the total to almost 650 entries. Some highlights from this month:

  • Six new HCP communities
  • Seven new Facebook pages
  • Two new corporate blogs (including one from Lilly)
  • Seven new industry Twitter accounts

Instructions for recommending an addition to the Wiki are included on the page. A couple things to consider before you submit. Currently, we’re not adding hospitals or healthcare groups (such as large physician group practices). The main reason for this is because there’s a great source for this already in Ed Bennett’s Hospital Social Networking List. In addition, I’m happy to include your blog (especially for you “industry observers”) on the list, but I ask that it be somewhat established before you ask for it to be included. There’s no set rule, but 10 posts as a minimum is probably a good rule of thumb. Also for “industry observers,” there’s currently not a place for your Facebook, YouTube, etc. page. For now, it’s just your blogs and Twitter accounts. If you have questions, just contact me.

If I sent you a note saying that you’d be included in the next update and you don’t see your listing, please contact me and I can explain why it was not included.

Here’s the link to the wiki:

Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki

Announcement

If you’re someone who’s really interested in the wiki, then you probably will enjoy the upcoming 2010 e-Patient Connections Conference. I’ll be chairing the “Social Pharmer” track along with Shwen Gwee from Vertex Pharmaceuticals. It’s next week, so you’ve only got a few more days left to register.

For those who didn’t attend this conference last year (its debut), expect another top notch event with a slate of great speakers on numerous topics (plus some nice gifts).

You can also register for my pre-conference workshop: “The Social Media Accelerator.” This highly interactive workshop provides a quick way to catch up on social media in healthcare, including a review of the most and least effective social media marketing programs across industries. You’ll learn about the social media platforms used by patients and physicians and discuss opportunities and challenges of social media marketing, including within the context of DDMAC regulations. You’ll leave with a “best practice” process for creating and approving social media programs within your organization. Bring your questions, as there will be some good discussion time.

You can register now  2010 e-Patient Connections Conference. Readers of this blog get $300 off  registration if you use code “rx2010″ when you register.  [Disclosure: I am co-chair for this conference and I receive a referral fee for registrations from this blog.]

Supporting the Wiki

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.
  • Click the “Recommend” button at the top of the page to share this page on Facebook.
  • 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://t11.me/HCT-ER. (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.)

Option 1

Dose of Digital Pharma and Social Media Wiki Badge v1

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://www.doseofdigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/doseofdigitalwikibadge1.jpg"/></a></form>

Option 2

Dose of Digital Pharma and Social Media Wiki Badge v2

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://www.doseofdigital.com/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.

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