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The Power Of Social Media Networking In Health Care

In a recent Harvard Business Review Blog, David Armano writes about the six pillars of influence that lead to measurably favorable outcomes.

To achieve measurably better health, the pillars Armano explains can certainly be adopted.

He notes how the “social web can amplify signals, influence behavior and lead to action.”

Social networking has changed the landscape in health care.  Technology has paved the way for instant communication and feedback.

While some companies continue to question the value of social media networking, debating whether or not they should be on Twitter or Facebook, others have superseded the hesitation, and are presently into the next phase of social networking. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*

Are Social Networks Being Used For Psychomanipulation?

This Techcrunch post, The Illusion of Social Networks, is worth thinking about. The author Semil Shah suggests that we have a tendency to use social networks to create illusions for our audiences.  And over time these illusions compound to create something that may not reflect real life.  It’s a type of socical psychomanipulation.

But I wonder if Shah overstates the shady side of human social conduct.  I’m more optimistic about the promise of human connectedness.  The crowd is smarter than we think.  And while we can create any story possible, it’s ultimately the responsibility of the listening masses to decide what’s real.  It’s our job to ask the hard questions.  Be it television, the web, or our own homes, we’re individually responsible for who we let into our world. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*

Should Physician Social Networks Include Chiropractors?

Should physician social networks include chiropractors?  I don’t think so.

My human signal likely wouldn’t benefit from a chiropractor’s input.  Similarly, I’m not sure that a chiropractor would benefit tremendously from the input of allopaths and osteopaths.  This isn’t a judgment about any chiropractor’s value, it’s just that our worlds are too divergent.  To suggest that ‘we all just need to get along‘ is missing the point.  Complementary physical care has its place.  But a great community is about people who have the capacity to make one another stronger through cooperative relationships.

I suspect that the chiropractors have the numbers to support a tidy little vertical of their own.  There’s a big opportunity for someone so inclined.

Would I willingly participate in a network that connects MDs and chiropractors?  I would if the network proved valuable.  And that can be a challenge independent of who you invite.  Sermo, for the record, excludes chiropractors from membership.

Nicholas Christakis in Connected suggests that all of this should evolve on its own, independent of what any of us individually believe.

We do not cooperate with one another because a state or a central authority forces us to.  Instead, our ability to get along emerges spontaneously from the decentralized actions of people who form groups with connected fates and a common purpose.

What do you think?

*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*

Are Social Networks Compatible Or Competitive?

The BlogWorld Panel - Kerri Sparling, Kevin Pho, and Bryan VartabedianI was in Las Vegas, but it wasn’t all just spending quality time with blogging buddies.  There was work to do — we were there for the Social Health track of BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2010 to help inform others about the discussions taking place in the medical blogosphere, and the power of these communities. 

The panel that I was participating on was Social Networks & The Medical Blogosphere:  Compatible or Competitive, with fellow panelists Kevin Pho and Bryan Vartabedian (see photo) moderated by the fabulous Kim McAllister. The big question was: “Are these social networking technologies helping or hurting the blogosphere?”

We, as a panel, gave this a lot of thought as we prepared for our discussion, and we ultimately settled on the answer of “Well…both.” Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*

Can Social Networks Predict Epidemics?

Nicholas Christakis talks about how social networks predict epidemics in a TEDMED presentation:

After mapping humans’ intricate social networks, Nicholas Christakis and colleague James Fowler began investigating how this information could better our lives. Now, he reveals his hot-off-the-press findings: These networks can be used to detect epidemics earlier than ever, from the spread of innovative ideas to risky behaviors to viruses (like H1N1).

*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*

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