All Entries Tagged With: "linkedin"

Why Doctors Should Spend More Time Online…

It’s still a great time to talk about healthcare and social media.

Just like every other industry, healthcare has changed dramatically in the last 15 years with the abundance of information available to patients beyond their physician. Docs might not like it, but patients are going to continue to come in with questions about something they read online. More importantly, they might be reluctant to ask doctors at all, instead relying on “experts” on the Web.

Doctors need to accept the fact that patients are going to the Web first for information on their health just like information on big purchases, entertainment, and so much else. They’ll start with Google and their network of friends and families.  Then they’ll sift through the most effectively search-engine optimized sites for those they trust the most. The best way to combat misinformation from these resource is first to have an online presence and second to embrace in two-way conversation with patients.

The conversation is going to take place with or without you.  A physician should adopt social media to communicate with patients more effectively and publish reliable information their patients can use in their independent online research. Right now in healthcare, the  most widely used tool is email -A doctor or nurse can  answer questions and dispense advice by replying to emails to give patients immediate, actionable information. But the future can be so much more efficient. Hospitals could have a team online, acting like customer service representatives and chatting with patients to determine when a child’s fever warrants more concern than a cool wash cloth and Tylenol. Imagine if 10 hours spent online with patients can avoid 20 hours in the doctor’s office?

There are lots of tips and tricks out there, but Dr. Bryan Vartadedian from the Better Health blog network has it right when he says “90% of social media is just showing up”:

“I took a lot of heat when I posted this quote on Twitter a few months back,” he said in a post last week. “But I think there’s something to it.  Everyone wants to believe that social success comes from deep, ‘meaningful’ relationships.  These descriptors are relative in the virtual world.  Social media isn’t rocket science and simple visibility has real value when you’re starting out.  Find socially active doctors.  Be present. Be real. See how things evolve.”

Google Buzz, Part Deux

Let’s talk more about Google Buzz.   I mentioned this a few weeks ago giving you my general impressions of the new platform, and it seems the general consensus on the web bounces between “I HATE IT!” (which tends to be the gut reaction whenever a major player releases a new feature) and “let’s give it more time.”

I attribute the two reactions to two things: First, Buzz was automatically integrated with everyone’s Gmail. You had to click “accept” on a pop up menu – before you even got a chance to see what it was like! Second, it’s value is not immediately apparent.

Although Google automatically linked you to all your Gmail accounts, the learning curve to get the most out of it is pretty steep.

 I ‘m still trying to figure out how to integrate Buzz with of my other social media tools because the services it provides are already filled by Twitter and Facebook. In fact, Mashable readers ranked it third behind these two older platforms.

I

t’s not an intuitive program. If you’re looking for some basic guides to using Buzz, check here and here and here , and of course, Google itself. Just the presence of so many “how-to” guides is telling; there are lots of guides for Twitter, but those talk about the nuances of tweeting, not how to adjust settings, or worse, disable it. This is a big challenge for Google.

 Couple that with the multiple concerns about privacy, and no wonder people are upset.

However, Buzz is gaining some traction.

• A significant number of businesses are developing Buzz profiles and getting active. Here are some big businesses I was able to find  using Buzz: Samsung USA, Vizio, Verizon, CNN, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and more. (It took me a while to find where to search for profiles, just use the search bar at the bottom of this page.)
• Wordpress has already implemented a “Buzz This” feature for the blogs it hosts and HuffPost and TechCrunch have added “Buzz This” icons alongside Facebook and Twitter sharing icons
• The Washington Post reported last week that, according to AddThis, sharing via Google Reader has increased by 35% since Buzz launched. Still small potatoes compared to sharing on Facebook and retweeting, but presumably there will be more to come.

The bottom line is that these major organizations are paying attention. So as annoying as it may seem right now, you  probably should too.

10 Things You Didn’t Know about LinkedIn

Remember when you first heard about LinkedIn and signed up, thinking it would be convenient to have your resume online? And remember how you haven’t spent much time there since?….

You can wring so much more use out of our profile than you think; here are 10 tips to get you started.

1.) This tip could be an entire post on its own, but thinking about reordering your profile to highlight your best attributes.This is like getting getting dressed up for a big event. Horizontal stripes are bad, unless you want to accent width…LinkedIn started offering reording earlier this month, and there’s a handy video guide with tips on the company blog.

2.) You may have synced your blog feed with your LinkedIn profile, but did you know you can add video too? LinkedIn added a video application last spring, and its’ been generating a lot of buzz since, though the concept of video resumes has been around for a while. Reel Social Media has step-by-step instructions (with its own handy video guide). Important to remember: just becaue you can, doesn’t mean you should. Adding video is great for showcasing artistic talent, past speeches or presentations you’re particularly proud of, or could be a unique way to add reccomendations. Five minutes of you answering your own interview questions isn’t a good idea.

3.) LinkedIn also lets you tag your contacts with unique labels. Want to walk up to the speaker you just heard at a conference but can’t remember how you’re connected? Scroll through your tags and jog your memory.

4.) Be active. This sounds like a no brainer, but bear with me: how many of you check the site when you get a notification about some connection making another new connection, scan your profile, then log out? LinkedIn and social media are changing the way people communicate and the way people find jobs – if you’re not a frequent participant in that conversation, then no one knows just how many interesting things you have to say. Don’t get left behind.

5.) Use LinkedIn to drive more traffic to your own website, specifically the qualified traffic that will add content and conversation to your growing community. The gist? Make connections, first by linking yourself to people you know, then by answering the questions of people you don’t. And by joining groups that cater to your niche.

6.) Or start your own group. Lewis Howes, who literally wrote the book on LinkedIn, has a lot to say about this. Groups on LinkedIn are the same as groups on Facebook.  Use them to show your support for something or to meet others who think the same way. Lewis recommends that you should use LinkedIn to not just connect with people you know, but with EVERYONE. It’s the equivalent of walking up to a stranger and introducing yourself.. Just write a well crafted introduction, and don’t worry about tripping and falling on your face as you make your way toward someone to shake hands; remember, all your accomplishments are published for the world to see too.

7.) All of this advice is useful, of course, for someone trying to get a job. The bottom line is that LinkedIn makes it easier than ever to network continuously. Regardless of whether you are employed or not, you should be on LinkedIn as often as you’re on Facebook, creating a strong network that can support you when you need it.

8.) And because social media is sometimes about stoking egos, you can also see who’s viewed your profile.

9) You may have seen that you can upgrade your LinkedIn account, for a small fee… I just signed up for a premium account last week. We’ll see. (There is some good commentary here)

10.) LinkedIn is a great place to figure out WHO you are, WHAT you want out of your career, and HOW you can get there. Howes continues to list a few good questions to ask yourself when you are setting up a profile.

Your thoughts? How do you like to use Linkedin?

7 Habits of Highly Effective Social Marketers- Scott Henderson

In Interview #12 of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective Social Marketers” we have Scott Henderson, an Indiana native (sorry about the Colts Scotty) and someone who will soon be moving east to Boston. Will Scott join Red Sox Nation? Only time will tell.

About Scott
Scott is Principal of  Rally the Cause and CauseShift.com-Game changing ideas for causes, companies, and charities.

1. What one trait or habit got you to where you are today?
My delusional optimism has helped me jump off many cliffs without thinking of the reasons why not to do it. Most of the time, I do pretty well. But sometimes, I’ve had to be scraped off the canyon floor.

2. Your work day just started, what’s the FIRST thing you do and why?
I review my inbox, Twitter, and blogs to collect any action items. Then, I review the list of action items I created the night before and make sure I’m focused on the most important one before I start.

3. What makes you efficient with your day?
Scheduling my days in blocks of time when I’m not traveling. As much I can, I use the first half of the morning for planning, writing, and organizing, while the late morning is for phone calls and in-person meetings. Over lunchtime, I take about two hours to workout and eat. I structure my afternoons much like my mornings. In the evening after my son goes to bed, I will sometimes spend time writing and organizing because of the lack of interruption.

4. Your Favorite Business book of all time?
I’ve learned more from reading Machiavelli’s The Prince than from any contemporary business book.

5. 3 things on your desk right now/3 things you can’t live without

MacBook Pro
iPhone
Headphones

6. Habit you want to kick in 2010
Checking email and Twitter as often as I do.

7. Habit you want to form for 2010
Spending more of my evenings away from the computer.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Social Marketers- Libby Delana

Ok, Interview #9 of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective Social Marketers” series. Today’s interview is with a new social media friend (and neighbor here on the North Shore of Boston) Libby Delana. Libby had the brilliant idea of answering these questions in the genre of the day- 140 characters or less (very Twitter-esque of you Libby)

About me
Founding Partner, in a Next Generation brand development firm named M E C H A N I C A.

1. What one trait or habit got you to where you are today?
A sunny disposition, a fierce belief that just about anything is possible and a touch of discipline

2. Your work day just started, what’s the FIRST thing you do?
I do a few things first…MAKE cup of tea, CHECK Twitter, HuffPo, NYT, FB, Mashable, Slate, GoogleReader,  WAKEUP teen children, RUN.

3. What makes you efficient with your day?
Old school.  Moleskine with graph paper and iced tea.

4. Your Favorite Business book of all time?
Not a book but an specific moment working with Paul Hawken in the early days of Smith and Hawken “Listen openly and very carefully to your angriest customers, they are giving you very clear direction on areas for improvement”

5. 3 things on your desk right now/ 3 things you can’t live without
Hot tea, iPhone, moleskine, favorite black pen, and a pile of optimism

6. Habit you want to kick in 2010
Taking too few photographs

7. Habit you’d like to form for 2010
To create an even more wildly open, experimental, brave, human, connected, collaborative, and optimistic environment.

BONUS: A picture of Libby’s office- very cool space.

It’s Not Your 2004 LinkedIn Anymore

We’ve all heard of LinkedIn. Chances are, you may have checked LinkedIn earlier this week, added a few contacts, then went back to work.

But, strap on your seatbelt and get ready for the ride. LinkedIn is going social, and I mean REALLY social. Over the past three weeks, they’ve made several important announcements that will change the way you think of LinkedIn six months from now.

First, it’s important to know that LinkedIn is probably one of the most powerful and influential social networking companies out there. Why? Well, on its network you have the most affluent, educated people online, period.  52% of LinkedIn’s 52 million members earn more than $100K a year. And, take a quick look at the graph below from Compete. People are spending more time on LinkedIn, than Forbes.com and WSJ.com.

What is LinkedIn doing?
They are opening up their API. This means that third-party developers do the following with Linkedin data:
1. Let users access their information, profiles, connection on sites other than Linkedin
2. Let users make actionable decisions (post updates, accept contacts) on other sites
3. Search. Developers can put a Linkedin search anywhere on any website.

What does this mean for my business?
Bigger companies with deeper pockets will quickly be able to recognize and capitalize on this new development. Simply put,this will extend Linkedin’s community to your website. Imagine if you could meet, interact, and connect with employees, users, business partners and friends on say Ford.com using Linkedin?

What does this mean for me?
The first thing you’ll notice is integration with consumer applications and software. In my opinion, the two most pervasive tools that will pick up on LinkedIn’s new open API will be Microsoft Outlook and Tweetdeck (a twitter application). When sending emails and managing contacts in Outlook, all of your contact information will be pre-populated with Linkedin data. So, when sending an email to a friend, you’ll most likely  see his/her latest status update, and how he/she is connected to other contacts in your Outlook contacts file. With Tweetdeck, this means another column to update and view statuses. (Tweetdeck has already integrated with Facebook and Myspace.)

LinkedIn IS social…
For your boss/spouse/co-worker who is still a bit reticent about social media, these new development pus that conversation to rest. Companies will now use LinkedIn as an easier stepping-stone to “social” as they realize the value of integrated social systems that benefit themselves and their company. (And, we haven’t even talked about LinkedIn and “Augmented Reality” yet, that’s a conversation for another day…)

What do you think? Will this help you/your company make an easier transition into new media?

Linkedin Basics- YOU are the key link

A friend of mine proposed a few questions to me earlier this morning. Do you connect with everyone on Linkedin? Would you connect with neighbor who has 6 connections and works in an industry unrelated to yours? Is it the quality or the quantity of your connections on Linkedin that make it valuable?

I connect with people on Linkedin if:

• I have worked with them professionally
• I know them  personally
• They come recommended through a friend or business colleague

So, yes, I’ve turned down invitations to connect with people (I don’t know them).   I’ve also connected with people I haven’t met.  (I don’t know them, but I have some sort of reference point for them)

Should you  connect with people who were fired from a job, laid off or between opportunities?  Of course. Should you connect with people you wouldn’t recommend professionally, but know personally? Yes.

The value of your Linkedin network is there for you and your network, and not for someone to look at, rate, and overanalyze.  Six of my connections (and I am sure some of yours) list their title/occupation as “full-time mom”. There’s nothing wrong with that.  If my network helps a full-time mom get back in the workforce, great. If a full-time mom’s network helps me and my  business, great.

Your Linkedin network is both an outbound marketing tool for you and your personal brand, but also an inbound marketing tool to help other people find opportunities and shared connections within your network.

How do you use Linkedin?