WEB2.0 Social Media & Independent Pharmacy Real World Use & Possibilities
What is WEB2.0 & Social Media? Web 2.0 and social networking are communication mediums involving people who gather online to share information, knowledge, and opinions using conversational media. Conversational media are Web-based applications that make it possible to create and easily transmit content in the form of words, pictures, videos, and audio files.
Keys to Remember: Keep It Simple! 4 key words of social networking: 1) Communication 2) Collaboration 3) Education 4) Entertainment
Communication Mediums of WEB2.0 Popular Examples: Twitter Facebook & MySpace Blogs, LinkedIn Video/ Podcasting
WHAT IN THE WORLD!!?? Facey-Spaces Linky-Whatty Twinkle-Twatter Bloogity-Blogs What in the world are all these terms? How do I as a community pharmacist get involved? Why get involved and what about the time issue?
What is it? Twitter Micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as “tweets”. Tweets are text- based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Can be used as quick & succinct information sharing. Facebook / MySpace Social networking site has quickly gained notoriety with some of the most creative businesses and organizations. Users can add friends, contacts, and or associates and send them messages, update their personal profiles, post pictures, videos, and links to notify contacts about themselves, their businesses, and organizations. Linked-In Predominant professional networking to gain insight into areas and subjects interacting with others. To allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. The people in the list are called Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection. This list of connections can then be used in a number of ways. Blogs Easiest WEB2.0 Tool to implement and to wrap into your existing marketing and business plan. A blog is a type of website (or an extension of your existing website), usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries.
How do I use it? Twitter Resource for advertising and interactive communication between you and the community your serve. Tweeting once a day – until you begin interacting with others is recommended to help you assess the WEB 2.0 tool and its marketing value and community involvement of your pharmacy business. Facebook / MySpace Social networking site has quickly gained notoriety with some of the most creative businesses and organizations. Users can add friends, contacts, and or associates and send them messages, update their personal profiles, post pictures, videos, and links to notify contacts about themselves, their businesses, and organizations. Linked-In Predominant professional networking to gain insight into areas and subjects interacting with others. To allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. The people in the list are called Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection. This list of connections can then be used in a number of ways. Blogs Easiest WEB2.0 Tool to implement and to wrap into your existing marketing and business plan. A blog is a type of website (or an extension of your existing website), usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries.
Develop a Plan, Keep it Simple, and Be Consistent Internal audience Your employees Start out with an in-house blog. Involved your staff to help develop and create content internally first as the blueprint of your Internet WEB 2.0 endeavor Be Sure to Be You! Reflect your pharmacy’s personality within the community e-reflection of you and your staff as a caring, interactive, and educational health care provider dedicated to the pharmaceutical needs of your patrons.
Research, Interact, and Communicate Find several blogs that interest you and begin to follow and interact with those “bloggers”. Take a look at several Facebook pages that are health care oriented. Find a couple that you like and begin to follow those organizations and remember to interact. Use search engines to define your searches and the specific content you would like to learn about to help you formulate your own online strategies. Interview your staff and gain their ideas.
It’s another form of communications! Define the specific content you would like to learn about to help you formulate your own online strategies. Interview your staff and gain their ideas. You may find out that a member of your staff is already heavily involved in social networking – who might become your social media champion. Don’t get bogged down about the technical details. The majority of the WEB 2.0 tools I mentioned in this article are free to use and pretty easy to set up and begin your journey.
Need additional assistance? Tweet me a You are welcome to send me an (412) Remember to start out slow and use your incredible expertise in the field of pharmacy as your first foot forward. Social Networking is just one more way of interacting with people about a subject you practice every day as a community pharmacist and valuable health care professional.