You 2.0

For better or worse, I'm viewed as the social media expert within my school. A side benefit of this is the opportunity to share what I know with whoever is willing to listen. Recently I was asked to conduct a brief series of workshops on behalf of the Office of Career Services.  The presentation you see here was a part of that effort. 

You can view another one, focused on how Twitter can be used for research and other professional purposes, here.

Those who participated had great questions, and gave me ideas on how I could refine these types of presentations even further. With any luck I'll get to do them again in the fall!

You 2.0

View more presentations from Jodi Sperber.

Virtual and actual life connecting

I've been using Twitter since, oh, 2006.  And in that time I've watched it evolve.  Participated in that evolution, for that matter.  What was once a way for me and some friends to broadcast random observations or clever (to us) commentary has become a powerful tool for networking, professional development, and research.

Of course, I still continue to use it for the random observation/clever (to me) commentary aspect as well.

Thus, when I received the following email last week, I was reminded first hand how much Twitter has made an impact:

"Congratulations, your registration to attend the STS-132 Tweetup on May 13-14 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been selected! The two-day event will provide you with the opportunity to speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts, and managers and to view the launch of space shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station that is targeted for 2:19 p.m. EDT, May 14. The Tweetup will also include a "meet and greet" session for participants to mingle with fellow Tweeps and the team behind the tweets from @NASA."

I kinda can't get over it - I'm headed to Florida to watch the shuttle propel into space.  From the press site. And meet NASA personnel involved in the shuttle.  Not to mention some of the personnel behind NASA's social media efforts which have been, if I may be so bold with a pun, stellar.

 

NASA has for some time been taking advantage of social media tools.  Blogs, Flickr, Facebook, Ustream, YouTube, podcasts, iPhone/iTouch apps...  And of course Twitter.

Having never been to a Tweetup before, I'm not exactly sure what to expect.  I do know, however, that I am a few weeks away from a tremendous real world experience that I'll remember forever.

The power of collaboration

I spent a few days last week at the 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) in Atlanta, GA.  It was fantastic to have the opportunity to dive headfirst into a group of people as enthusiastic (if not more so!) about how to use social media to help forge social change.  I walked away with inspiration, ideas, and new connections with great folks, and am already looking forward to next year's, being held in DC. 

Of course, being a technology conference, there was an abundance of people tweeting, blogging, sharing slides, and otherwise sharing their experience.  So much so that the infamous Twitter fail whale made an appearance once or twice...


My personal goals for the conference were to meet others in the social change/social media space (check!), see examples of how others approach social media use in their organization (check!), and get some concrete advice for strategically bringing social media into existing communications activity (check!).

One of the mot difficult aspects of the conference was having to decide which workshops to attend.  With so many good options from which to choose, it took several rounds of reading, rereading, highlighting, and then narrowing to come up with my final six.

I was happy with my decisions and all, but could tell via conversations and the twittersphere that I would have been equally happy with other sessions.  Sadly, it is not possible to be in more than one place at a time (yet).

After I got home, still high off of the conference energy, I saw that someone had posted their notes from one session into Google documents.  Smart thinking!  "Self," I thought, "why not do this for all the notes?"

Within two minutes I had a public folder set up, and all of my notes were pasted into Google docs.  I also created a quick spreadsheet for people to list links to blog entries, slides, videos, or any other content.

I then began spreading the word of its existence via Twitter, using all the ways I could think of: sending a note out to my own followers, retweeting and thanking others who participated, including relevant hashtags, and including influential users the tweets.  With a little persistence, others started championing the idea as well.  Hooray for teamwork!

As of this writing, we have 23 sets of session notes being shared, with over 100 collaborators reading and editing.  I think this is fantastic, and I've already found great value in going through these notes.  As I couldn't attend everything, this is the next best thing.

I'm pleased that others have found this to be a useful resource, and more pleased that others have ideas on how to make it even better.

I hope to see this type of collaboration put into place at next year's conference (mark your calendar: March 17-19 in Washington, DC) - one more way to keep the NTC love going!

Travel 3.0

My wife and I are planning a trip to New Orleans at the end of March, and I'd like your help in planning our visit. This is partially for a conference, and partially because it will be my birthday.

More on that in a minute.

First, let me take a moment to talk about maps.  They've plotted the skies, the seas, and the land in between. They shape how we see the world.  They are powerful tools, not to mention incredibly useful.

As a fan of road trips, I have many memories of lugging an enormous spiral bound road atlas around, plotting routes to get from point A to point B. With the advent of GPS, I find I use paper maps less often.

[As a sidenote, paper maps - particularly when they are outdated and thus less useful - make for lovely wrapping paper. Always a hit.]

Crowdsourcing maps is a relatively recent phenomenon that has gained tremendous traction. OpenStreetMap is looking to you and I to make a thorough map of the planet.  WikiMapia has a similar goal.  Of course, it's more than just keeping track of new roads and businesses.  Ushahidi showed just how quickly people can create a map of in times of crisis.  Open Green Map lets you share, and learn, where ecological, cultural, and civic resources can be found.  Very handy when you are looking for a bike rack, among other things.

For a compelling visual of the volume of individuals contributing their knowledge, check out Tim Berners-Lee's recent TED talk on open data.  At 3:34 he touches on OpenStreetMap, complete with a spinning globe.



So, what does this have to do with my upcoming trip to New Orleans?  Everything.  My traditional method of getting the lay of the land involves asking friends and colleagues for advice and suggestions (let's call this Travel 1.0).  Last summer we went on an extended road trip in the Pacific Northwest, and rather than paper maps we simply did some pre-trip research via the web, and took our iPhones and a portable GPS (Travel 2.0).

This time around I'm upping the ante.  Travel 3.0.  I've started poking around the Wikimap to see what others have contributed.  The reviews in particular are very helpful.  I've also created a Google Map for my trip, and am inviting anyone to provide input on what we should check out.


View New Orleans March 26-28 in a larger map

What do you know and love about this city? Please let me know!

Think before you text - making donations via SMS

Just over a month ago I wrote about the impact of new media, particularly Twitter and the ability to donate funds via text messaging. I've continued to think about this topic, and recently wrote a paper specifically on the subject of text message donations. There's more detail in the paper; you can head over to Scribd or SlideShare and give it a read if you like.

The impact of text messaging was undeniable for Haiti donations. Over 30 million dollars pledged to relief efforts, and most of it done via text. It's fantastic that so many individuals want to pitch in, and that mobile technology has made it easier than ever before to immediately satisfy the desire to help. The success of fund raising via text has been tremendous.

While the ease and volume of donating via text message had an undeniable impact, several details of this approach need to be reviewed to provide a more complete portrait of text-based giving. By considering the full cycle of text donations, including processing time, fees associated with mobile giving, and systemic limitations, a more informed opinion can be formed to address the question of whether or not this is a viable long term philanthropic strategy.

Others have written about this as well; check out these posts for additional information.

From the individual donor perspective, there is instantaneous satisfaction. For example, if you wished to donate $10 to the Red Cross to support relief efforts in Haiti, all you would have needed to do is send a text message with the word “HAITI” to 90999. A confirmation text would arrive almost instantly, and once you responded in the affirmative a second message thanking you for your generosity would be received. Thus, you would assume that $10 is now on the way to Haiti by way of the Red Cross.

The actual course of action, however, is not as expeditious. Behind the scenes, the following activities take place:

1. You send a text message to your organization of choice
2. You wait for your phone bill
3. You pay your phone bill
4. Your wireless carrier pays an intermediary set up for such funds
5. The intermediary pays the charity you selected

When all is said and done, it can take 60-120 days for your donation to make it to the intended organization, pending the timing of the billing cycle and how quickly you remit payment. Thus, your full donation amount would make it to its destination as intended; it simply would take longer than you probably anticipated. 

The wireless service provider’s current position as an intermediary is problematic and makes text message donations a less appealing approach. The general focus for these companies generating maximum profit (they are, after all, commercial entities), evidenced in part by the fact that there are even charges associated with text messaging, an activity that requires little from an infrastructure standpoint and is arguably free.

Until a universal “crisis response” policy is created by the industry – or the FCC and other affected parties working with the industry – outlining what fees are waived, when they are waived, and guidelines for rapid fund disbursement is established, it is cumbersome to involve them in ongoing philanthropic efforts. It only delays the distribution of funds to the intended organizations and places arbitrary limits on the amount that can be donated by a single person.

I know there is an active community out there developing ideas and applications that leverage mobile technology to connect organizations and causes to those who are interested in participating. This is where we should be going, and I believe future efforts will bypass text messaging without sacrificing the ability to immediately take part.

Until then, I'm sticking to the web to make my donations: easy, unlimited in the amount you can donate, and it goes immediately to the agency you wish to support.

Philanthropy, New Media, and Tragedy in Haiti: A New Era Brings New Ways to Help

I wrote the below a few weeks ago, and am just getting around to posting it here. An earlier version is posted here. Many others are focusing on the impact of new media - here and here are two great blogs to watch on this topic.

Philanthropy, New Media, and Tragedy in Haiti: A New Era Brings New Ways to Help

It will take years to fully recover from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12. Along the way, a tremendous amount of resources will be required to help heal the injured, rebuild infrastructure, and provide general relief and services. As with many natural disasters before, both large- and small-scale organizations are already on the ground, trying to create order in chaos and help restore impacted areas to functional.

What makes the response to this tragic event different is the immediate utilization of new media to help organize efforts and, perhaps even more importantly, raise funds to support the work that needs to be done. Asking for help is inevitable when tragedy strikes; new tools, however, are making it is even easier to participate.

Perhaps nothing has had as immediate an impact over the last few days as mobile text messaging. This has been a critical element of sharing information and raising funds. The use of text messaging has been employed with great success – millions have been donated to aid organizations at a pace never seen before.

This type of effort has been in existence for several years, with organizations like MobileGiving.org establishing the process for a wide array of charities to receive donations via text messaging. This disaster, however, is a turning point for text donation opportunities, and with more than 280 million Americans possessing a mobile phone, we should anticipate that this avenue for supporting a specific cause will grow exponentially in the coming year. Chances are that this will become a de facto element of future fund raising efforts.

Twitter, the popular microblogging service, has also been a tremendous source of information regarding the earthquake aftereffects. Search for the hashtag #haiti and you will find yourself in a sea of tweets from individuals organizations. The information ranges from first person accounts (including pictures), detail on relief efforts, donation details, news, reactions, and conversations on how to help.

As evidence of how mainstream media has embraced this tool, one needs to look no further than NBC News Correspondent Ann Curry (@AnnCurry). An avid user of Twitter, she actively solicited local individuals for interviews.

The above is a brief but powerful display of how technology has influenced our immediate response to world events. It also highlights the importance of these tools as a means of gathering information and a growing expectation that we should be able to find real time updates for world events as they unfold. Long after #haiti stops being a top trending topic (i.e., one of the most referenced subjects), the tag will still be a viable way to see what people are talking about, providing a rich data source for insight on ongoing developments.

Creativity combined with new media has accomplished the feat of shortening the distance between a private citizen’s desire to help and the ability to do so by leveraging familiar tools and creating mechanisms to instantly connect and support. What will be tested in the coming months is the ability to keep individuals engaged and connected to the ongoing needs of a damaged country.

There is a danger that the immediacy of text donations provides people with a sense of “I’ve done my part, and I can move on” when in reality the harder part is the long term rebuilding efforts. In an information-soaked world, organizations will have to embrace the tools of new media (and the spirit of transparency and accountability) to maintain the attention of potential supporters, reminding them of why they acted in the first place, specifics of how their participation has made an impact, and how their continued support will influence positive change.

Social Media and the FDA

This is a long post. The bottom line? New policy should reflect and respect the medium.

“Global, social, ubiquitous, and cheap”

With these words, Clay Shirky, a prominent voice in on the social and economic effects of Internet technologies, succinctly encapsulates the appeal of social media. Within the past five years, there has been an explosive growth in tools that allow the Internet to act as a means for anyone, anywhere, anytime, to communicate with others. The capability to engage in two-way interaction is a significant shift from traditional information and communication delivery via the Internet, and this shift is raising questions in a variety of sectors.

Health information seeking and the web have long been intertwined. Health is one of the most frequently searched topics on search engines such as Google, with the number of searches growing exponentially each year. A recent study indicated that nearly two out of three US adults look for health information online, and 41% of e-patients (health consumers who use the Internet to gather information on a medical condition) have read someone else’s commentary or experience via social media channels.

With such a captive and engaged audience, why haven’t pharmaceutical companies jumped into the fray? Based on sentiments expressed at recent FDA hearings on the use of the Internet and social media tools, the answer can be boiled down to a simple notion: uncertainty. Uncertainty regarding whether or not manufacturers would be held responsible for content created by a consumer. Uncertainty of expectations and responsibilities when dealing with social media tools that are highly constrained by space limitations (Twitter, for example, which limits content to 140 characters per entry). Uncertainty of what types of sponsored links are appropriate, and fear that the FDA will respond to these efforts with warning letters, as they did in April 2009, leading to a marked decrease in such ads being placed.

As a result, what exists today is irregular and disjointed at best. As there are currently no guidelines to clarify a single approach, companies are left to their own best judgment, which may or may not be in the consumer’s best interest. This can also create unanticipated repercussions, as witnessed by the series of warning letters mentioned above.

The last time the FDA issued any guidance on how the Internet could be used as a mechanism for advertising and communication was in 1997. At that time, the agency contended its current regulations were sufficient, arguing that print media was similar enough to online media that no new guidance was required. This position immediately generated controversy. Given the tremendous development in technology and the advent of social media – much of which has made it abundantly clear that the online world is quite different than traditional media – both consumer advocates and the pharmaceutical industry felt the issuance of new guidelines was long overdue.

It is with this as a backdrop that the FDA released a notice of a public hearing and request for comments on this topic. This meeting took place on November 12-13, 2009, with public commentary still open and written comments being accepted until February 28, 2010.

The organizing efforts of interested parties leading up to this event were a valuable illustration into how social media has taken hold. Initially, bloggers with particular interest in the pharmaceutical industry reported on the hearing, providing their thoughts on what to expect. Soon, the conversation was broadened using Twitter, with the hash tag of #fdasm. This brought in a much wider audience, allowing for anyone using this to follow along the conversation in real time.

As the date grew closer and details for the hearing itself were being released (speakers, presentations, logistics for the meeting), one individual created a website devoted to this topic and invite others to contribute. The page, which still exists, contains an in depth array of documents and press coverage related to the hearing itself, a constantly updated Twitter feed for any tweets with the hash tag of #fdasm, and lists supporters of the site (which anyone can join). This is a robust example of how social media can be harnessed to create a collaborative environment creating transparency and the opportunity for participation.

Over the course of two days, more than sixty testimonies ranging from marketing and communications agencies, research companies, health and medical Web sites, major search players, pharmaceutical companies, and consumer groups, were heard to explain the current use of social media for health related purposes, as well as thoughts on how to guide policy and regulation. Conversation focused largely on advertising limitations, accountability for communications, how to incorporate detailed drug information into restricted space allowances, and adverse event reporting.

Given limited individual consumer involvement at the hearings, it is unclear whether the topics discussed reflect the full spectrum of opinions and insight. While public comment is still open for individuals or organizations to submit their thoughts, it would be prudent for the FDA to arrange a second hearing with consumer representatives to ensure that this is not overlooked.

In considering what policy might be warranted, different perspectives must be accounted for. From the pharmaceutical perspective, there is concern over what regulations may be placed upon the ability to advertise directly to consumers, a subject that was discussed at length by the speakers.

From the patient perspective, however, the primary interest is less focused on advertising, and more on being able to get the information they need at the time it is needed. At its core, social media policy within the FDA needs to take into consideration what is at the heart of social media – the consumer. It is consumer driven, participatory, and two way.

Policy should reflect and respect the medium.

Given this, a key question being posed is whether pharmaceutical content can be interpreted as information or advertising. The former would fit into the social media world, while the latter could be considered Direct to Consumer (DTC) advertising. In creating policy guidelines to help clarify communication and responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies, the FDA needs to take into consideration the differences between traditional media and social media. By creating guidelines that reflect the realities of social media, the FDA can balance their core mission of protecting and promoting the public’s health while providing guidance to industry groups.

This fundamental difference between traditional regulated media content and newer forms of communication facilitated by online mechanisms is new territory for the FDA, but territory they will certainly need to address as policy is determined. Perhaps the most striking difference in the social media/traditional media juxtaposition is that traditional media can be classified as “push” while social media is more “pull.” In the former, there is control over the message, while in the latter communication is open to anyone. In the former, a message is carefully crafted, signed off by internal parties, approved by a number of individuals tasked with the responsibility of owning the content. In the online world of social media, many consumers are more interested in immediate access to information, delivered in a way they can understand, using tools that are convenient, regardless of what time of day they go searching for it.

Social media involves listening to what others are saying, and observing how a product or idea is being discussed. Content is user driven, and thus less centralized. FDA policy needs to reflect this new world of communication.

People are increasingly sharing their personal experience and information online. In doing this, individuals are empowered to take more responsibility in managing their own health. However, most consumers do not check sources to see whether this information is accurate. This is not to say that what is posted is false or misleading – it is entirely possible that someone could have a more effective treatment, or very real side effect, that simply has not been studied in a more formal setting. With all of this in mind, however, there is a clear space for pharmaceutical companies to take initiative and provide a substantial amount of expertise on drugs that they produce, and the health conditions for which they are approved. The question it poses is where this insight should be made available.

Of course, one of the complexities of social media is that there is no “one size fits all” approach. How various social media elements are utilized (videos, texting services such as Twitter, social networking sites, wikis, blogs, etc.) is highly dependent on the specific focus, strategy, and company culture. By participating in environments established by others, pharmaceutical representatives would help lend credibility to their mission in that they would show willingness to engage outside of environments they have created and that they control. For some topics and conditions, however, it may make more sense, however, to create space that is independent of an already established platform such as Facebook or Patientslikeme.com.

The notion of two (or more) way communications providing a more personalized experience cannot be understated when considering social media. While drug companies cannot be everywhere at all times, they can proactively create and participate in channels where an individual can share their ideas and first hand experience. This could be accomplished via the creation of monitored discussion boards, regularly scheduled webcasts, and partnerships with highly engaged e-patients when internal social media policies are being considered and/or updated.

FDA regulations need not dictate specifics of what types of tools may be used, or how any given online environment should appear; they do, however, need to provide consumers and companies with the confidence that they engage without fear of retribution. This type of regulation could be as simple as requiring transparency when a company representative elects to participate (i.e., not posing as a patient simply to promote one drug over another), and the expectation that discussion might ensue.

Given the unchartered territory encompassed by social media, FDA regulations will also need to address how companies can directly engage a consumer. This could include whether or not an industry representative, or a profile that is managed by multiple people but represents a single company, is permitted to engage in ongoing discussion, or whether they simply provide factual information and then remain silent. With initial guidance from the FDA, companies and consumers could then move to determine what their specific approach will be, knowing that the baseline rules have been set forth.

One element not raised within the November hearings but noteworthy from the consumer perspective is that current marketing rules mostly address what happens before someone takes a drug. The FDA must to also address what happens while someone is taking the drug. Within the FDA, the Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications (DDMAC) holds responsibility for ensuring prescription drug information is “truthful, balanced and accurately communicated." One of the reasons social media has taken such a strong hold within the health sector is that one consumer can hear directly from another to get answers to questions such as what side effects have been experienced, whether or not people are complying with recommended dosage, how else the drugs are being used, if cost is the most significant barrier, and whether any alternative approaches proven more effective.

This type of information, particularly for those with a chronic condition, is an ongoing conversation that is dynamic and contextual, which is the very need that social media can satisfy.

In relation to this, the FDA would be wise to consider sponsoring research to poll consumers on how they are using the Internet, including social media, with a specific focus on prescription drugs as they approach policy decisions. In this way, they can gain more up to date information regarding how today’s consumer is using social media. Are they looking for information only? Adherence information? Side effects? Support? As the speakers at the hearing were principally industry representatives, there is still an unanswered question with respect to what the average person really doing online. Others have approached this question, including the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project and the National Cancer Institute. Space remains, however, for the FDA to get more focused information to help drive policy recommendations.

The agency should also recognize that even after initial policy is created, there will be an ongoing need for internal expertise to ensure that current policy is being followed, while looking into the future to make certain that what policy does is exist is still relevant. A number of firms already operate in this space for the private sector, and the FDA should consider creating positions, perhaps a new office, internally to monitor changes in social media. Responsibilities would include representing agency interests and providing expert council on updating policy and regulation relating to new media as needed. This position could also act as a conduit to both share and receive updates on how social media is being employed by consumers, ensuring that minimum standards are met.

As the FDA considers the above options and others not raised at the hearing, they should set an example of how to engage via social media by establishing a mechanism for any interested parties to discuss the options being considered. In this way, the FDA would gain first hand knowledge of using social media to create standards. Social media is about empowering individuals by giving them a voice – this would be a good opportunity to show that the agency is serious about making changes and protecting the consumer.

Typically the FDA takes up to two years to publish new regulations. Given the complexity of this issue, this could easily be pushed out until 2012. However, given the rapidly changing environment and increasing number of e-patients, it would be wise to prioritize this topic and create an initial set of guidelines within the next 8-12 months. These guidelines could then be modified within the next 8-12 months based upon findings from FDA-sponsored research on this topic. To expedite this process, a clear timetable should be established, with deadlines set forth on revisions and ability for the public to provide input.

Throughout the hearing, the FDA panelists asked few questions, mostly listening to the information and ideas being put forth. They provided little indication of how they would proceed, or when any regulations or policy would be issued, if at all. It cannot be denied, however, that social media is going to continue to develop in the coming years, and the FDA needs to take steps towards ensuring that consumers are reasonably protected from harm, provided with pertinent safety information regarding drugs, and that this information is within easy reach. Keeping an equal pace with private sector development is a near impossibility, given the speed of academic inquiry and the need for constituency approval for policy changes. Still, there are guiding principles that can be used to generate thoughtful and germane solutions to the concerns at hand.

There is no doubt that the number of people who use the web for everyday health decision making will increase, particularly as more people connect via broadband or handheld wireless device. With this in mind, policy needs to take shape to ensure that consumers are able to find reliable information and contribute in ways that both empower and inform. To quote Mark Smith, the CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation, "If we don't get policy right, we won't realize promise of health IT.”

Has the Class Divide Gone Cyber?

This fall I am taking a class called "Social Justice and the Obama Administration," taught by Anita Hill. She's a fantastic teacher, getting the entire class engaged and talking. It's the kind of class where you leave with your head spinning in a good way. This is partly due to the fact that Professor Hill has a teaching style I've noticed in any teacher I've had who's also a lawyer - any point you make is valid and welcomed, pending you can back it up. For you lawyers out there this might seem like standard fare; for the rest of us this is a nice respite from dry lectures and less successful means of getting people talking.

We cover a wide range of subjects, and are required to present to our peers a few times during the semester. By the end of the semester you get a good sense of what your peers are interested in - education, child welfare, economics, obesity, etc. I'm the social media kid, and thus my most recent presentation was on social networking, with a social justice bent.

I've had the idea to look at class divides online since hearing a news story in 2007 regarding a military decision to limit access to certain spaces online. It was a particular low point in the Bush years/Iraq war, with record low approval ratings for the prez and general unrest about the debacle in Iraq. STRATCOM decided to shut down a few websites, citing bandwidth issues, and in doing so cut off the social networking site used more often by soldiers (MySpace), while leaving the social networking site used by Officers (Facebook) intact. While this could certainly be positioned as saving valuable bandwidth, this could also easily be interpreted as an effort to prevent soldiers from reporting back to their families about their interpretation of the conditions overseas. Officers, however, were free to maintain contact with their loved ones.

It seemed unfair, and it seemed class based.

Looking at numbers alone, each site is a behemoth. As of this moment, Facebook ranks as the #2 website in the United States, and MySpace is #5. Even with MySpace numbers falling off, they still have over 120 million users (Facebook has topped the 200 million mark). The question, however, is who chooses to use each site. As social networking expands, which it is has done so rapidly that research documenting these changes can hardly keep pace, where you choose to see and be seen is quickly becoming your personal brand. Just as you might choose Gucci over Coach (or vice versa), or Dunkin' Donuts over Starbucks (or vice versa), you might choose Facebook over MySpace (or vice... you get my point).

I'm certainly not the only one thinking about this. In fact, someone beat me to the punch in a far more eloquent manner. danah boyd wrote her doctoral thesis on the topic of social networking and teens, dedicating a number of pages to how teens perceive each of these sites. Fascinating stuff.

Still, I thought it worthwhile to share with my class, and get them thinking on this topic. I wanted to know if they believed that there really was a divide, or if it was simply market forces that drove people to one or another. It kept them talking for quite some time - a sign of a successful presentation.

In case you wanted to give it some thought as well, below are the slides I put together. My speaker notes aren't included (neither are the fancy animations) so you'll have to either take it up with your friends and family, or start the conversation here.




With that presentation done, I'm now on to write up my final paper - leveraging Twitter for social justice causes. Again, lots of material to pull from!

APHA 2009 - Social media, social media, social media

I am just back from the 2009 American Pubic Health Association conference, which took place this past week in Philadelphia. I thought I'd write down some of my takeaways while it was still fresh.

If you read nothing else below, the takeaway is that social media is a huge topic across interest areas. I’ve attended this conference for 10 years (give or take), and there were more presentations on this topic than ever before. If I were in advertising, I might sum it up by saying, “Social Media: if we do it’s right, it’s the future. If we do it wrong, it’s the future."

People twittered throughout the conference. You can search #apha09 to see what they were talking about.

Onto the conference bits. You may want to grab a cup of coffee/tea, as there are a number of bits…

Setting the stage

Dr. Christopher Gibbons led a very good talk laying the groundwork for why we should care about social media, and the potential impact. His ideas resonate very much with my own, so on a personal level it felt validating. On a professional level, he has written several papers and edited a book on the topic of health and technology which are worth checking out.

He also mentioned a report recently released from AHRQ that reviewed a number of research on this topic. The focus is on outcomes, which is a huge gap in this field. We are currently long on shiny new toys, but short on what impact, if any, they have.

Programs using Social Media

As this is APHA, there was a lot of focus on programs, and how the tools are being employed. Here's two that I found interesting, and one general note:

• Alaska Palliative Care telehealth initiative: Given the vast expanse and rural nature of the state (the presenter spoke about an area the size of Ohio with 24 miles of paved roads total), and the limited human resources making it hard to attend remote sessions, they tested out a teleconference approach. Options to attend included in person, at a group site, or online. They tracked site usage stats, and saw people coming in from all over the world. Production cost was much less ($28k vs. $125k when all done in person) and the feedback was highly positive. They are already planning the next one for April 2010.
• A Facebook-esque interface for a smoking cessation program aimed at African American smokers using an identity framework (personal, group, and relational) presented by Dr. Jennifer Warren of the University of Minnesota, allowing participants to interact with various spaces in a virtual neighborhood (barbershop, health center, church, others). The goal was to allow participants to hear the messages in ways that resonated. This also used local community leaders in video segments, adding an element of personalization and local relevance. This is still in testing.
• In general, the CDC Health Communications group (which I know is about to undergo some changes) is doing some really innovative, slick, and relevant work in this area. Of the federal agencies, they seem to be the most actively involved in using web 2.0 tools.

Research and Evaluation

Rarely was there an evaluation component to programs, aside from process evaluation. This is problematic, as it gives no sense as to the utility and/or evolution of these tools, and if/how they are linked to any outcomes. Perhaps it is too early in this field to know best practices, but developing new theoretical frameworks is needed.

That said, there was some research covered during sessions. The bulk of this was reviewing the latest Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) data from the National Cancer Institute. I attended at least three presentations where preliminary analyses of the recently released 2007 data were shared. A data point I noted down was that of those people who are online, African Americans were 1.58 times more likely to use social networks (not health focused networks, just in general). Other data reiterated previous findings that those who are online looking for health info are more likely to be white non-Hispanic, female, more educated. Sylvia Chou from NCI has a paper in press on this topic, slated to appear in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in the next month or so.

There was no trending analysis making comparisons among this growing dataset (this is the third iteration of this survey). I was hoping someone would look at the data over time but no luck. Perhaps something I can do. Additionally, the research being done by Susannah Fox and her colleagues at the Pew Internet and American Life Project is well regarded and oft cited.

Further thinking

In general, social media was seen as a supportive resource, and not a replacement for seeing a provider. However, unless I happened to raise the question, there was no mention of people without regular access to a provider (or a consistent provider who knows them) and how this subgroup may leverage various social media tools. Or if they already are, for that matter. What research exists on the topic does not seem to include health insurance coverage metrics. The health disparities researcher in me has many questions on this topic.

The IT geek in me is left wondering about the interoperability of platforms. I am seeing a future where how we interact with health related tools (some explicitly health focused, some not) is much more decentralized, and thus I am continuing to raise the issue of how we get all of this information to be compatible; in essence, I wonder how we can create the whole person out of the bits of themselves that they put out in disparate spaces online. I also wonder how/if formal networks (I’m thinking EMRs, or other provider-related information) will be joined with informal social networks (patientslikeme and the like) outside of the traditional health care system. Or is this just a new world, and I’m stuck in old thinking on this matter?

The age old conundrum, of course, is that research takes time. Private sector development will always be faster. To that extent, I am left wondering how private/public partnerships can be created to combine development and evaluation of benefits.

If anyone has questions or feedback on the above, or want to talk further on this, please do. I look forward to continuing to engage on these topics!

On the move

Lots has happened since last I blogged. P got a great job in the Boston area, I got into both doctoral programs I applied to, I was offered (and am taking) a fellowship at one of them… It’s a year of happy change.

Now, after nearly six years of making our way in Manchester, we get to go home to Boston. First step: sell the house.

As we are gearing up to sell our home, we had to find a realtor. We met with two in total. After meeting the first one, we should have just stopped, as we both liked her a lot. But we thought it can’t hurt to interview a second one to get a sense of different styles and see what two sets of professional eyes thought of the house.

Here are some excerpts from realtor meeting #2:

Realtor: [seeing my Smith College hat] Did you go to Smith?
Me: No, my wife did.
Realtor: Oh. My niece went there.
Me: Really? Is she -
Realtor: [cutting me off]: Gay? Yep. She’s gay.
Me: Oh. I was going to ask if she was also a super dedicated alum. They all seem to be very dedicated… But, um, ok.

Realtor: The couple in one of my houses is getting divorced. It’s like they have blinders on, and can’t see what’s in front of them. And they are holding on to everything even though they really should get rid of it if they want to sell the place.
Me: [wondering why we are even talking about this, and trying to close the topic]: Well, you won’t have to worry about that with us.
Realtor: I hope not! After fighting for all of those rights!

Realtor: [takes out camera and starts to show me pictures of her recent trip to Florida] This was the view from our deck.
Me: [stunned silence, actively thinking about how to end the conversation]

I'm calling realtor #1 today to move forward.

And this is only the beginning of the adventure!

So much for the cut off jean shorts and van halen t-shirt

I've posted before that I work on the set of "Office Space." Cubicles, TPS reports, weird office interactions...

Below is the verbatim directive on dress for our Boston office's holiday party:
"Festive Attire is usually seen around the holidays, with the mood of the party being Semi-Formal. For her, it means to choose looks with a bit of sparkle or holiday bent (i.e. a beaded sweater with black pants, a red silk blouse with a black skirt, short dress).

Dressy Casual calls for dressed-up versions of casual looks. For him, it could be trousers and a sportcoat, for her a dressy pants look or a short dress. Jeans, shorts, T-shirts and other casual looks are not appropriate for Dressy Casual."

Typical Monday Morning

Before I begin, allow me to acknowledge that I recognize the below events are a sign of a life pretty well lived. As a good liberal Democrat/NY Jew, I feel I need to start with a little self guilt. And, given that I haven’t slept much in the past few days, this entry is just as much about capturing the events for posterity as it is for sharing the stories.

And now, on with the show.

I made it to work today. That, my friends, is an accomplishment. This past weekend was a whirlwind, mostly due to my father in law getting remarried and the surrounding events. I came in to the office slightly hung over, majorly fatigued, and with the hopes that it would be quieter than home.

Last night was the actual wedding and reception. It was a rather intimate, and quite elegant, affair. Honestly, the only downside of the night was the DJ, who only played songs that made me feel like I was at an 80’s Bar Mitzvah (think “Shout,” “Twist and Shout,” “We Are Family” and any other overplayed song you hear at these types of events). I would have been a better DJ. For serious.

P’s siblings were split between various tables, which I was initially nervous about, as it meant I’d have to pull out the shiny interactive me, as opposed to the quirky introverted me… These things can always be a crapshoot, and I am quite certain I am not the only one who has war stories of the people that were altogether inappropriate, dull, or otherwise incompatible.

Turns out I didn’t have to worry at all in the department, as P and I spent a large portion of the evening speaking with our table companions. The couple across from us were fantastic. New York dwellers who love living in NY. One of them was a writer for, well, let’s just say a TV series P and I kinda worship. And to her credit, she was cool with periodic gushing about how much we loved her show. On top of that, she and her fiancé were genuinely cool people. Thus ensued lots of clever jokes, funny stories, and general revelry.

I think I want to be their friends. I have a bit of a crush on their personalities.

Having brought the Wii with us to our hotel room (which I think is an entirely reasonable thing to do thankyouverymuch), we invited them back for some intro to the world of dorky gaming. Luckily, they were just as tired as we were, and didn’t take us up on it (although I totally would have played – being tired has never gotten in the way of my ability to indulge in a video game), although they did come by with their sweet dog to make an introduction.

We’re totally in.

P and I got to bed around 1am, and were up by 7:15 to squeeze in a few more minutes with sibs who live far away. I dragged my bum out of bed and into the freezing cold morning. A muffin helped calm my tummy from the past evening’s activities.

We got home to the reminder that our roof is being repaired today. Great for the house and all, but entirely unpeaceful if you want to have some quiet time before reengaging with the outside world. Our poor kitties were all hiding under the beds, and looked at us as if to say, “Are you going to kill us now?”

I went to go hop in to the shower to wash off some of the aforementioned revelry, only to discover that the roofer was working directly above the skylight in the bathroom. I wasn’t so much in the mood for a nudie show, so I skipped the shower and threw on work-ready clothes.

Truth be told, I kinda dressed up today because in my head tardiness is offset by how well you are dressed. It isn’t logical, but it makes perfect sense in my head.

So let’s do a brief recap: late night, with lots of good food and perhaps some alcohol involved, chatty chatty with new people, up early, no shower, loud banging as if the ceilings are about to fall in due to work on the roof.

My only chance for quiet was to head in to the office. As I am getting to my car, the woman who cleans our house every couple of weeks pulls up. I could swear this is not her week to come, and our house is a total disaster from having just arrived home yet not unpacked one iota. Could she show her friend around the house, who is going to be cleaning on her behalf while she visits family over the holidays?

Of course, I say, trying not to blurt out the fact that I wish her luck poking her way around the mail and other papers that’s been tossed about thanks to the freaked out cats, the laundry that is awaiting folding, and the sheer amount of crap that is all over the porch from the roofers.

I got out of there pretty quick, and found respite in cubicle land. Never did I think I would hear myself saying this, but it was actually more relaxing to come to work.

Your cube farm or mine?

Today I received the following email:

Attached is a listing by department of teams in [current office location]. As part of the planning phase for the [new office location] buildout, I would like to ask each person to review this list and be sure that your name is listed with the correct team. If there are any revisions please let me know. After this list has been validated we will sit with each department to map out seating arrangements.

What I learned from this email is the following:

• The official names of each department for those that work in this office (which changes frequently enough)
• Who works in what department (which changes frequently enough)
• My office is moving

I guess that's the official nonofficial word that we're packing up our cubicles and heading to new ones in the near future!

We don't need no stinkin' mouse

As I am sitting here individually copying every single class I have ever taken past high school into a centralized application system (which I should write about in full someday, if for nothing else than posterity of this annoying task), I am finding that I am lacking in knowledge in the Mac keyboard shortcut arena. I am, if I may say so myself, a fairly expert user of keyboard shortcuts in the PC realm. I scoff at the mouse at work. On our home computer (a Mac Mini, which I love outside of this keyboard shortcut thing) I am less savvy.

So I turned to our friend Google for some help, and was provided with any number of pages that gave me the help I need. The learning has begun.

I thought to myself, "self, you've created a handy keyboard shortcut one pager for your friends. It's just as good as any of the sites you've seen. Why do you keep it hiding on your computer, where no one can find and benefit from it?"

So, here you go. A listing of all the keyboard shortcuts for your PC life. Note that these should work in most Microsoft Office programs, and in some cases (like ctrl+P) they are fairly universal.

Nerdcore, beatches!

ctrl + A = Select all
ctrl + B = Bold
ctrl + C = Copy
ctrl + D = Change font
ctrl + E = Align center
ctrl + F = Find
ctrl + G = Go to (page)
ctrl + H = Find/replace
ctrl + I = Italics
ctrl + J = Align justified
ctrl + K = Insert hyperlink
ctrl + L = Align left
ctrl + M = Indent
ctrl + N = New file
ctrl + O = Open file
ctrl + P = Print
ctrl + Q = Reset paragraph
ctrl + R = Align right
ctrl + S = Save
ctrl + T = Hanging indent
ctrl + U = Underline
ctrl + V = Paste
ctrl + W = Close window
ctrl + X = Cut
ctrl + Y = Redo last action
ctrl + Z = Undo
shift + → = Highlight letter by letter right
shift + ← = Highlight letter by letter left
shift + up arrow = Highlight line by line up
shift + down arrow = Highlight line by line down
ctrl + shift + → = Highlight word by word to the right
ctrl + shift + ← = Highlight word by word to the left
ctrl + shift + up arrow = Highlight paragraph by paragraph up
ctrl + shift + down arrow = Highlight paragraph by paragraph down
ctrl + → = Jump word by word right
ctrl + ← = Jump word by word left
ctrl + up arrow = Jump paragraph up
ctrl + down arrow = Jump paragraph down
ctrl + home = To beginning of document
ctrl + end = To end of document
ctrl + enter = Page break
ctrl + pgdn = To bottom of page (or to next tab in Excel)
ctrl + pgup = To top of page (or to previous tab in Excel)
ctrl + del = Delete word by word
ctrl + backspace = Backspace word by word
F2 key = Rename file (in some programs and on the desktop)
F1 key = Help
F3 key = Find file (on desktop)
Shift + tab = Go back one tab (or field by field)
ctrl + [ = Decrease font size by 1 point
ctrl + ] = Increase font size by 1 point
ctrl + alt + del = Emergency exit, view task list to end stuck programs
alt + ← = Go back a page in Internet Explorer
alt + → = Go forward a page in Internet Explorer

Others:
- in Microsoft outlook, hit ctrl + M to check mail
- in Microsoft outlook, hit ctrl + N to create new message
- in Microsoft outlook, hit ctrl + enter to send message

All Hallows Eve - in the middle of the day

Manchester is a weird town. It’s a place where I’ve watched a man shout “ah, shut up!” at a passing ambulance’s (apparently annoying) siren. It’s a place where the local motel has a sign reading “Stay for a night… Or a lifetime.” It’s a place where, if I walk or ride my bicycle to work, people are astounded.

I only live about two miles from my office.

The political aspects are fun, as we are an epicenter of sorts for the NH primaries, as well as the presidential race in general. It’s certainly true that you are provided with multiple opportunities to meet any candidate on any ticket. The day after the elections, however, it is as the circus left town, pulling up the stakes and hurrying out on a midnight train. Even they don’t want to linger. Then we are just left with the town itself.

I’ve been here for nearly five years, and I can’t wait to leave.

One of my ongoing peeves is the insistence on “celebrating” Halloween on the Sunday before, in the middle of the day. Thus, last Sunday, (October 26), from 1-4pm was the “official” time for trick or treaters.

We also celebrate the fourth of July on July 3rd.

This year’s non-Halloween Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day. It was broad daylight. It was not Halloween. As a result, there wasn’t much Halloween spirit in the house minus our two black cats. Who, incidentally, were sleeping in the sun as it was the middle of the day.

The amount of kids that show up varies year to year. In our early years here we stocked up on candy (which we put in a special cauldron, even) only to have three kids show up at the door the entire time.

Two years ago, the neighbors’ grandson (who I’m guessing was around 12 at the time) came to the door dressed in a basketball jersey, big jeans, and sunglasses. I asked what his costume was and he said he was a rapper, pointing to a stretch limo parked on the street. Apparently his grandfather had rented it/borrowed it from one of his potentially crooked friends (a blog story for another blog day) as the cornerstone of his costume.

He was trick or treating for candy, but wasn’t going to walk? No effort and all the reward? I was not impressed. I thought I’d make him work for it, which was admittedly not the nicest thing I could have done. I asked him to show me his skills. Give me one small rap. Show me something in character. Even I can bust out the lyrics to “Jump Around” or numerous other 90’s gems upon command.

He looked at me quizzically and pointed at the limo again. No rap emerged.

I still gave him a full size candy bar, as that’s the kind of girl I am.

Slowly but surely we’ve cut back on the candy purchasing, until this year, when we finally didn’t bother at all. All we had to work with was some leftover items from a night of making s’mores.

(As a side note, that meant we had both plain chocolate bars and peanut butter cups. Try branching out with the s’more making components– delicious!)

And, well, you know where this is going… We had a small crush of kids this time around, all looking very cute in their various witch, ghost, zebra, action hero, etc. costumes. I tried to avoid them, but I made the mistake of stepping onto the stairs (I’d been hiding upstairs), thus exposing a living human being to the eyes peering intently through our front window.

I opened the door to at least 10 kids eagerly hoisting bags at me, and I didn’t have enough for all of them. I made some sort of silly joke about how they were going to crush my entire supply, and then tried to pick those kids that looked like they were holding lesser-full sacks. I ran out completely, and some kids simply had to go without.

Not without candy, mind you. They seemed to have plenty of candy. Just without candy from me. Still, I felt pretty bad that I had to look in their little eyes, shrug my shoulders, and simply wish them a Happy Halloween. Even thought it wasn’t Halloween, and they weren’t looking for my good wishes. They just wanted the sugar.

It was a small costumed nightmare, and I am so happy that this is my last year of this silly non-Halloween Halloween.

Marching band - A way of life

I took a different route to work this morning, and on my way passed by a sight that took me back in time: the local high school marching band was practicing. They were in a local park next to a very busy road, giving them an ever changing, yet ever present audience to show off their evolving formations and semi-rehearsed songs.

All through middle and high school I was a bit of a band geek. I played (and still play, sort of) both the cornet and the trumpet. First the cornet, as that is what my brother played. Then the trumpet, as it turns out only my brother played the cornet.

Where I went to high school, marching band was a big deal. If you wanted to play in the regular band, you had to play in the marching band. As a result, we had just under 200 kids in the group, which in a school of 800 is significant. Our band leader was a traditionalist, favoring old standards (“Old Man River” comes to mind), rather than the more contemporary stuff (“Eye of the Tiger” comes to mind, as, after all, it was the late 80’s/early 90’s). And we always stayed in long straight lines, unless we broke off into lines of eight people to make circles. This was cause for lots of teenage angst, as we wanted to be the cool marching band (think “Drumline”), but we did what we were told.

What we lacked in panache we made up for in numbers.

I think I could still do some of the routines if pressed. I could certainly play several of the songs, along with our fight song and alma mater.

A highlight each year was going to the annual Marching Band Festival, held at Hofstra University. It was a total showcase of good, clean dorkiness, and we took it very seriously. Extra rehearsals (two a days!), extra practicing at home, lots of chatter in the cafeteria…

It was a televised event.

As the biggest band, we often went last, and we stormed the field each year with our time-honored entrance of running on to the field in precise steps, with eight steps equaling 10 yards. Each step was counted off in a mumbly way, except for when you hit each 10 yard line and the final stop, at which point you shouted.

If you can imagine, it sounded something like this:
“ONE two three four five six seven eight
TWO two three four five six seven eight
THREE two three four five six seven eight
FOUR two three four five six seven eight
DOWN!” (<-- = stand at attention)

The hometown crowd loved it. Man, those were heady days.

Oh – the uniform. As with any marching band, that was a critical component. Ours were a bit brutal – dark green wool pants, matching blazer, a thick vinyl overlay for the jacket with a big “H” across the chest. Plus, a stiff green and white top hat where the requisite tall plume was attached. And white gloves. It was head to toe boiling hot, particularly on Memorial Day, where we marched in the hot sun for hours.

I will say that the polar-ready uniform did come in handy in the winter months. For example, we played at a Jets game every few years (see where marching band can take you?) and I remember it being particularly frigid there. I am sure I had some sort of hot-coals-in-my-pocket contraption to keep my fingers from chipping off my hands.

I went to look up the uniforms to show you what I mean, but apparently they’ve changed it up a bit. Here is what they look like now. Lucky them.

I’ve been lazy with the blogging as of late. However, after a super fun dinner party last night, I’m reinspired to give it another go. Hats off to JordonCornblog for reminding me that they can be about anything, and they are fun to read.

Thing is, whenever I sit down to type an entry, I suddenly lose all the clever thoughts I have been thinking since I awoke. Any moment of the day could be blown out into a full entry… Some examples from this morning:

• On my way to work, I passed by Olympian Joanne Dow out for a workout. She is a speed walker who probably walks faster than most people run. She and I overlap with our standard routes, it seems. Although I am guessing she doesn’t notice me in the same way that I notice her. I’m just another silver Jetta, not an Olympic athlete.
• About three minutes after seeing what it takes to be an Olympian, a man on a Segway rolled on by. It isn’t uncommon to see these machines around here, as they were invented in our fair city. Still, they always strike me as sorta goofy. I kinda want one, but in the same way that I kinda want to walk Ari the Cat on a leash every day – that is, I think they are good ideas, but I’m not sure I want to be seen doing it in either case.
• We have some new security posters in the office. They have goofy sayings like “Loose Clicks Sink Ships” (with, of course, an image of a ship going down). You can see the full repertoire of posters here. A silly reminder that I work on the set of Office Space, complete with TPS reports. Yes, we really have TPS reports.

All this, and it’s only noon.

We're gonna make it after all....

Tomorrow I leave for Reach the Beach. Our team has cycled through many potential participants, and finally picked up the 12th runner yesterday. I am hoping my team mates are avoiding risky activities like, I dunno, walking or taking stairs. We’ve already lost one runner to a broken foot.

At this stage, I think that most of my organizing duties are done, and I can safely speak about them in the past tense. In the end, I think what it most needed to play this role of captain is patience. And, if I were to do it again, a set of rules on payment (and, more importantly, any expectation of refunds if you drop out late in the game).

Course maps are printed, my clothes are laid out on the bed, we’ve divvied up food, we have safety vests and blinky lights, the vans are rented, and the weather is looking to be pretty darn fantastic. Now all I have to do is run!

And the excitement begins…

The perfect toy

Ari the charming cat has a habit of getting up with the sun. In the summer that means he is in your face around 5am, yelling at you to get up and play.

I admire his energy.

Last night, the most wonderful toy he could have ever imagined arrived. And it arrived at around 2am: a lightening bug.

Just as Guitar Hero feeds my love of both music and video games, this insect fulfilled Ari’s desires for a toy that a) moves constantly, b) lights up, and c) never gives out.

Both P and I were awoken by Ari’s running about, and I quickly realized what exactly the fuss was all about when I saw a little dancing light come and land near my head. The lightening bug buzzed about the bedroom for an hour or so (at least it seemed like that), going back and forth from the window to the bedroom door and back, with intermittent stops at the ceiling light right above our bed.

The only object between the window and the bedroom door is our bed. Thus, in human terms, this translates to an eight pound weight being bounced on you over and over, with periodic stops on top of your body if you happen to be near the middle of the bed. Plus the added noise of a chatty cat alternately meowing and attempting to climb the (very thin) curtains.

It was a circus. And even though P and I are both rather sleep today, it was very sweet.