2. • Social media can be defined as
– “Any tool or service that uses the internet to facilitate
conversations”1
• Allows users to access, filter, and react to
news
– Social networking platforms, blogs, wikis, and
podcasts2
What is Social Media?
1.Buolos M, Wheeler S. Health Info Libr J. 2007;24(1):2-23. 2. Kaplan A, Haenlein M. Business Horizons. 2010;53:59-68.
3. History of Social Media
1990s 2000 2005 2010 2013
World Wide Web
becomes a group
of dynamic
webpages1
AOL, Yahoo,
Amazon
Social media
landscape explodes1
Twitter, Digg, Flickr,
YouTube
Pew Research
Center announces
all age groups are
actively
participating in
social media3
Trends for 2014:
Twitter, Google+,
Facebook ads,
Blogging, Podcasts,
and Visual-based
content4
Social networking
platforms launched2
Friendster, LinkedIn,
MySpace, Facebook
Classmates.com and
Sixdegrees.com
create a sense of
virtual reunion2
1. Buolos M, Wheeler S. Health Info Libr J. 2007;24(1):2-23. 2. Goble, G. http://www.digitaltrends.com/features/the-
history-of-social-networking/#!EM83U. 3.Jones S, Fox S. http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/Generations-
Online-in-2009.aspx 2009. 4.Garst K. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kim-garst/social-media-marketing-
wo_b_5110966.html.
4. • The Conversation Prism-
visual representation of the
state of social media
• This digital ethnography is an
ongoing study that tracks
new social networks their
applications
• 2013 version: social media is
moving into an “era of
context”
Brian Solis Web site. www.briansolis.com/2013/07/the-2013-social-media-landscape-infographic/. Updated
July 8, 2013. Accessed September 16, 2013. Permission obtained for use of image.
2013 Social Media Landscape
5. Categories of Social Media
SM CATEGORY EXAMPLE(S) DESCRIPTION
Blogs
Blogger
Tumblr
WordPress
Managed by 1 person with the possibility of endless
connections through comments. The content can be
text or media.
Microblogs / Social Streams
Twitter
echo
Information is news shared in real-time format.
Social Networks
LinkedIn
Facebook
Google+
Personal profile pages that can be text, photos,
video, and audio
Media Sharing
Slideshare
Scribd
YouTube
A place to share PowerPoint presentations,
digital libraries (books/documents), and can be a
video sharing platform for individuals and
corporations.
Discussion/Forums
BigBoards
Professional
Societies
Social Networks
Discussion site (bulletin board) where people can
hold conversations in the form of posted messages.
Crowd Wisdom
reddit
digg
Collective opinion format. Discussions started by an
individual but moderated by a team of volunteers.
Interact via voting on articles and comments.
Wiki
Wikispaces
Wikia
TWiki
Webpages that are dedicated to collaborative editing
and sharing of information.
Social Bookmarks
Pinterest
del.ici.ous
Interaction via tagging websites and searching
through websites bookmarked by other people
RSS Feeds
MayoClinic
FDA
CDC
Nature news
Subscriptions allow users to automatically mine blogs
and website updates without the need for a web
browser. RSS feeds can be imported and synced
with dedicated apps.
Kaplan A, Haenlein M. Business Horizons.2010;53:59-68. Brian Solis Web site. www.briansolis.com/2013/07/the-2013-
social-media-landscape-infographic/. Updated July 8, 2013. Accessed September 16, 2013.
6. Top 3 Social Media Channels
in Health Care
• 72% of patients seek health-
related information online1,2
• Between 2005-2010, physician-
only social networks doubled1,3
• In 2010, more than 1200
hospitals were participating in
social networking sites1,3
1.Buolos M, Wheeler S. Health Info Libr J. 2007;24(1):2-23. 2.Kaplan A, Haenlein M. Business
Horizons. 2010;53:59-68. 3.2012 Health Research Institute April Issue.
http://www.pwc.com/us/en/health-industries/publications/health-care-social-media.jhtml.
7. • In addition to the top 3 social
networking sites, health-related
information is broadcast through
interactive websites1
– MayoClinic2
– WebMD3
– Patientslikeme.com4
• Interactive sites provide the
public users with1
– Health news
– Educational resources
– Support groups (forums)
Health Care Industry’s Use of
Interactive Websites
1. 2012 Health Research Institute April Issue. http://www.pwc.com/us/en/health-industries/publications/health-
care-social-media.jhtml. 2. MayoClinic Website. http://www.mayoclinic.org/. 3. WebMD Website.
http://www.webmd.com/default.htm. 4.Patientslikeme Website. http://www.patientslikeme.com/.
8. Government Agencies and Social Media
Government
Agency
Social Media Presence Applications
FDA Small:
Focus on real-time news
Twitter, Facebook, and RSS feed
alerts
HHS Moderate:
Forums, blogs, educational
podcasts/videos, and real-time news
RSS feed alerts, Scribd,
LinkedIn, Flickr, Facebook,
Twitter, and Google+
CDC Extensive:
Forums, blogs, real-time news, and a
dedicated SM page on their website
that includes; buttons/badges, content
syndication, podcasts,
image/infographic sharing
RSS feed alerts, Twitter,
Google+, YouTube, and
Facebook
FDA=The Food and Drug Administration, HHS=The US Department of Health and Human Services, and
CDC= The Centers for Disease Control
Bottemiller H. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/04/social-media-guide-to-food-ag-agencies/#.UkA_mBXD9Ms..
9. Pharmaceutical Companies and
Social Media
• Regulatory restrictions were initial concern
– Off-label use discussions
– Promotional marketing submission requirements
• As of 2013, primary barriers include
– Internal social medial strategies
– Confidence in company representatives engaging in
social media
– Acquiring resources for company-wide social media
initiative
Shandwick W. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/social-media-engagement-in-pharmaceutical-
industry-hindered-more-by-internal-lack-of-social-confidence-than-external-regulations-new-research-finds-
210225791.html.
• The pharmaceutical industry historically has remained prudent in
its use of social media
10. The Freelance Medical Writer and
Social Media
Full-time Employed Medical Writers
• Benefit from their employer’s
resources for information mining,
continuing education, and
professional development.
Freelance Medical Writers
• Rely on their own resources for
information mining, continuing education,
and professional development.
American Medical Writers Association. http://www.amwa.org/content.asp?contentid=50.
A medical writer has a responsibility to their client/employer to keep
abreast of the latest news regarding medical discoveries, treatments,
regulations, and policies.
AMWA Code of Ethics Principle 5
− Medical communicators should expand and perfect their
professional knowledge and communications skills
11. Methods-Phase 1
Google Search
• Conducted search of 13 terms in September of 2013
• Medicine and social media, health care industry and social media, government agencies and social
media, pharmaceutical companies and social media, social media platforms, social media
applications, social media bookmarks, social media filter, social media tools, history of social media,
medical writers and social media, health care industry social media initiatives, health-related news
• Identified social media platforms and tools relevant to medical writers
Subscription to
RSS Feeds
• MedPage Today, iHealthBeat, Medwatch Safety Alerts, What’s New: Drugs, Safe Health Care, WHO
news, Medscape, Medline Plus, The Pink Sheet (pharma prescribing news) and American Heart
Association
• Identified types of health-related news online and the rate at which it is broadcast
Monitoring of
LinkedIn
Discussion
Boards
• American Medical Writers Association (AMWA), Freelance Medical Editing and Writing, Freelancers in
Medcomm, and Professional Medical/Scientific Writers.
• Monitored July 31, 2013-October 28, 2013
• Considered optimal for launching student survey
12. Methods-Phase 2
• Survey through Survey Monkey
– Survey data was collected over the period of January 30,
2014-February 28, 2014
• Targeted FT and PT Freelance Medical Writers
• Survey was posted on LinkedIn group discussion
boards for:
– AMWA
– Freelance Medical Writing and Editing
– Freelancers in Medcomm
– Professional Medical/Scientific Writers
13. RSS News Feeds
RSS Feed Content Frequency
Medscape Medical news across all
therapeutic areas
Daily
Medpage Today Medical news across all
therapeutic areas
Daily
What's New: Drugs-FDA FDA announcements Daily
Safe Health Care-CDC CDC announcements As new arrives
iHealthbeat Technology and health care Approximately every 3 days
Medline Plus Health news-NIH Daily
MedWatch Safety Alert-FDA New safety information:
human drugs, medical
devices, vaccines and other
biologics, dietary
supplements, and cosmetics
Daily
WHO News WHO events, news,
educational information, and
public health announcements
Approximately once a week
Pink Sheet Pharma prescribing news
and updates
Daily
American Heart Association Education, news, research,
science news, sessions
Approximately twice a week
Abbreviations: FDA, The Food and Drug Administration; CDC, The Centers for Disease Control;
WHO, World Health Organization; NIH, National Institutes of Health.
14. Social Media Platforms Preferred by
Freelance Medical Writers
0
20
40
60
80
100
Blogger
Tumblir
WordPress
LinkedIn
Facebook
Google+
Slideshare
Scribd
Twitter
YouTube
Social Media Applications
%
15. Social Media Filters Used by
Freelance Medical Writers
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Google alerts
RSS Feeds
HootSuite
I do not use filters
Social Media Filters
%
16. Social Media Bookmarking Tools
Used by Freelance Medical Writers
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Twitter
Pinterest
del.icio.us
digg
reddit
FARK
friendfeed
I do not use
Other
Social Bookmarks
%
17. Freelance Medical Writers Professional
Use of Social Media
0 20 40 60 80 100
Exchange of information
Professional development
News and information
Research
Marketing
Seeking employment
Networking
%
ProfessionalUse
18. Preferred Social Media Platforms for
Communication
0 20 40 60 80 100
Facebook
LinkedIn
Google+
Professional Society Forums
Twitter
%
SocialMediaPlatforms
19. Amount of Time Freelance Medical Writers
Spend Participating in Social Media
0 10 20 30 40
>1
1-3
4-6
6+
%
Hoursperweek
20. Amount of Time Freelance Medical Writers
Spend Participating on Discussion Boards
and Forums
0 10 20 30 40 50
>1
1-3
4-6
6+
%
Hoursperweek
21. Importance of Webinars and Podcasts
to Freelance Medical Writers
Synchronous
Asynchronous
No preference
0 10 20 30 40 50
Not Important
Somewhat Important
Important
Very Important
%
Value
22. How Important Listservs are to
Freelance Medical Writers?
0 10 20 30 40
Not Important
Somewhat Important
Important
Very Important
%
Value
24. Conclusions:
Applications, Filters, and Bookmarks
• The 6 social media applications most often used by
freelance medical writers, according to study results
– LinkedIn (96.5%), Facebook (69.4%), Twitter (36.5%), YouTube
(23.5%), WordPress (22.4%), and Google+ (18.8%)
• Study results indicate that freelances do not use social
media tools
– 66.3% of participants responded that they do not use filters
– 69.3% indicated that they do not use social medial bookmarking
tools
25. • Professional use of social media, as indicated by survey
participants
– Exchange of information with colleagues (81.0 %), personal
professional development (70.2%), seeking out the latest news and
information (82.1%)
– Additional comments obtained through the survey indicated that
freelances use SM for marketing (4%), networking (4%), and seeking
employment opportunities (3.5%)
• 97.6% of respondents indicated that LinkedIn was their
application of choice for communicating with colleagues
– Other responses included: professional society forums (51.8%),
Facebook (32.5%), Google+ (12%), and Twitter (3.6%)
Conclusions:
Professional Use and Communication
26. • According to the results of the survey, respondents spend
far less time using social media than the average American
– 14.1% use social media less than 1 hour a week, 35% use SM 1-3
hours a week, 25.8% use SM 4-6 hours a week, and 23.5% use
SM over 6 hours a week
– Experian marketing 2014 report
Conclusions:
Time Spent Using Social Media
27. • Survey results indicate that participants value webinars and
podcasts
– 72.9% of participants felt that they benefited from webinars/podcasts
– Approximately half of the participants did not have a preference
whether viewing the webinar/podcast live or previously recorded
• Survey results indicate that most participants value listservs
– 1:5 participants reported no value
Conclusions:
The Value of Collective Learning
28. Final Thoughts
• Continue monitoring the impact of social media on health care
• Keep abreast of the 3 industry sectors and their social media
initiatives
• Understand the current tools and applications of social media
• Future research
29. Thank You!
• To Brian Bass for his role as my content mentor. My completion of this
capstone could not have been accomplished without your knowledge
and guidance on this topic
• To the AMWA Social Media Committee I offer my sincere appreciation
for the learning opportunities provided to me by being a part of this
community
• To the staff at the USciences Biomedical Writing Program and my
classmates for their continued support and encouragement
• Finally, to Kelly Flaherty. Thank you for all that you do
