The document discusses best practices for using social media for public health communication during crises. It recommends providing timely information to the public, allowing two-way participation, addressing rumors, monitoring multiple online platforms, and streamlining information. Example tweets and profiles from CDC and WHO are shown that give facts concisely with hashtags and shortened URLs. Setting up accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and creating a website are also recommended.

1. Social Media and
Public Health
(Crisis) Communication
Sarah Evans
Sevans Strategy
@PRsarahevans
sarah@sevansstrategy.com

2.  Give people information (ASAP)
 Allow others to comment and participate
◦ Share photos and video
◦ Link to other experts and sources
 Dispel rumors and misinformation
 Monitor (your own news and other breaking
news)
 Respond
 Comprehensive (multiple online accounts)
 Compile credible sources
 Streamline information
◦ Badges
◦ Widgets
Online Communities &
Social Media

3.  Email
 Twitter
 Facebook
 Ning site (create your own network)
 Web site and/or blog
 Text
 Photo (Flickr)
 Video (YouTube, Seesmic)
 Applications (badges and widgets)
What are you going to use & what
already exists? (your inventory)

4. Who owns your content?
WHO, CDC, Kane County?

5.  Build up your community (start now)
◦ Send an email announcement
◦ Reach out to people from your account(s)
 Include social media sites in your email
signature, print materials, Web site, etc
Let people know you’re there

6.  Is this just for breaking health news?
 Are you going to interact with people?
 Is more than one person going to update
the account(s)?
 Will there be updates 24/7/365?
 What is your voice/brand?
 Is more than one account on each
network appropriate (see upcoming
example)?
Let people know what you’re
going to talk about

7. Twitter is a service for people to communicate and
stay connected through the exchange of quick,
frequent messages. These messages are posted to
your profile or your blog, sent to your followers, and
are searchable on Twitter search.
Twitter lets users engage in conversations with other
users in 140 characters or less.
Twitter

8. Tweet Posting a message to Twitter
@ + name The command which allows tweets to be sent;
proceeds username (i.e. @journchat)
Retweet (RT) Sharing someone else’s information and giving
them credit (RT @name message…)
Following You choose to receive someone's updates
Followers People who choose to receive your updates
Direct Message (DM) Private message sent between two people
Block Preventing someone from reading your updates
Favorites A public area to save your favorite tweets
Fail Whale When too many people are tweeting!
Hashtag The # next to a word allows for conversation
tracking (#tweetup)
Tweetup A face-to-face gathering of those who tweet
Basic Terms

9. Profile Example

10. People are talking about H1N1 in
IL!

11. FACT: The CDC had less than 1,000
Twitter followers in March on May
21, they had 179, 871 and in July
487,324.

12. CDC Emergency Tweet

13.  Gave the facts
 Shortened URL (recommend bit.ly)
 Hashtag for tracking
What works in that tweet?

14. CDC Health Tweet

15. World Health Organization News

16. TIP: Encourage people to turn on
mobile alerts for your account so
they receive information real-
time.

17. Facebook

18.  Create a fan page
 Post and allow others to share links,
information, photos, videos
 Monitor for those interacting on your page
 Send messages to a targeted audience
 In an emergency you can update your
status and send a message to the group
 You MUST monitor this page (and think
about how you want to interact)
Facebook

19. CDC Facebook Fan Page

20. WHO Fan Page

21. Best practices to build off of

22. WHO Virtual Press Briefings

23. CDC Web site – Show and Tell

24. CDC Web site: here is where you
can find information

25. Widget: Promotion for you, update
once, message management

26. Other Tools for MD’s

27. SickCity.org: Real-time disease
detection by city

28.  Running Twitter feeds (yours + CDC)
 Widgets
 Links to your online profiles
 Email alerts
 RSS feeds
 Show where people can go for additional
information
 Link to other credible sources of
information
To do’s for your Web site

29.  Set up Google alerts
 Monitor http://search.twitter.com and
Facebook
 Identify who is in charge of your social
media presence
 Talk about your strategy and plan for
social media use
 Once you join in, you’re expected to
participate
To do’s for you

30. • Conserve Space and Track: Shorten your URLs
• http://bit.ly
• http://tiny.url
• http://www.tiny.cc
• 3rd Party Applications
• http://www.tweetdeck.com
• http://www.twhirl.com
• http://twitter.com/downloads
• Streamline updates = Ping.fm
• Mobile
• Blackberry = Twitterberry
• iPhone
• Tweetie
• Tweetdeck
• iTwitter (just launched)
Resources