Social Media in Dermatology (Facebook…) (For Professionals)

Social Media in Dermatology (Facebook…) (For Professionals)

The power of social media can be seen in what is happening in the Middle East, it is changing or challenging polital regimes in a very short amount of time (Tunisia, Egypt…).

• What is the utility of social media ?

1. They enable recruiting of patients. Traditionally, it is done by word of mouth. Social media does the same thing but in an exponentially bigger way (imagine word of mouth, but on steroids)
2. increase influence (polital groups and lobbying)
3. increase reputation
4. increase the independance of the physician (medical doctor)

• What does social media require ?

One cannot rely on others: it has to be done by oneself:

1. it demands work
2. it requires creativity
3. it requires perseverance

• What is social media ?

1. facebook is the prototype…
2. …although thousands exist (wikipedia, twitter, youtube…)
3. it is in simple terms a way of sharing online
4. comprable to a walkie-talkie, it enables to bridge distance and permits us do do what we already to on a daily basis; communicating. One century ago, our networks were limited to the family, nowadays its a global melting pot.

• Why would social media be important ?

Lets make a comparison :

1. football game (american football like during the superbowl)

-100000 people attend

-110 million watch it on TV

2. Facebook:

-175 million people go on it every single day. Women over the age of 55 are the most increasing number of new members

-Youtube: 2 billion videos are seen every day

The common thing is that people are more likely to interact with other real people; more than ideas or adverts.

• Google: 3/4 of people seach for medical information on the internet: this is why there is Google Health now!

1. physicians (medical doctors) are the first to appear on search engines when a name is typed
2. the more original content one ads, the more likely well positioned one is likly to be. This is independant from the fact one advertises or not.

Other social media:

• Myspace:

1. works like facebook on the principle of “friends”
2. sharing of experiences
3. it is a niche for younger individuals and the sharing is principaly focalised on music. The interest for a dermatologist would be to target individuals with acne

• Twitter

1. looks like a small blog
2. tweets enable almost real-time communication

• Linked In

1. its a facebook for professionals
2. utility for communicating between colleagues
3. enables to present oneself to sollicit future patients

• Foursquare

1. like twitter
2. but it isn’t about saying what we are doing, but where we are (“I am at the dermatologist): by checking in many times, one becomes the “mayor”

• Sermo

1. for physicians (medical doctors)
2. discussion between doctors

• Google places

1. to know where you are

• Patientslikeme

1. les patients qui ont une maladie en commun se rencontrent en ligne pour parler de leur problèmes…mais surtout des médecins !

• Why should the medical world become worried ?

1. Medical doctors do not go and yet…
2. By not going, chiropractors, naturopaths…fill in the gap, as well as frustated patient groups or individuals (Jenny Mc Carthy who claims that autism is due to vaccines).

• How to benefit from social media as a doctor ?

1. fix realistic objectives
2. have a web site
3. have a blog (a regularly updated website): Google knows if updates are not done
4. have a social media with a fan page or group.
5. Make a video

• 6 pearls

1. share and engage
2. don’t practice medicine online (talk about medicine and dermatology but DO NOT GIVE MEDICAL ADVICE)
3. protect privacy (don’t forward messages…)
4. No spam (“post and tell patients to come and see me”)
5. Create high quality, personal content (“professional and personal”, and learn to seperate)
6. Don’t enter bad stuff: even if deleted its in fact stored

Contributors:

Dr Christophe HSU – dermatologist. Geneva, Switzerland

Social Media and Dermatology: How Twitter and Facebook will Help You and Your Practice. Benabio. J – 69th Annual Meeting of the AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) – New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America (USA)