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Facebook: A Place for Healthy Discussions
Michelle Latta, Jun 21, 2011 08:42 AM
A few years ago, psychologist Aric Sigman went out on a limb when he stated that the use of
Facebook could lead to increased health problems. His theory was that the increased isolationism
created by digital media could affect the immune system, possibly leading to heart disease, stroke
and even cancer. What he didn't take into account was the fact that many people are using
Facebook as a cathartic outlet to help alleviate their own stress as sufferers or friends and family
of sufferers.
I'm not about to make any claims that Facebook has health benefits. But, it has become extremely
fascinating to me to watch people overcome all of their reservations about sharing the intimate
details of their own or their loved ones' struggles with health issues. I encourage you to visit The
Komen Foundation's Facebook page to see how people are talking, sharing their stories and
supporting one another.
We hear a lot about privacy concerns, but according to eMarketer, half of all Internet users are
"not very concerned" or "not concerned at all" when it comes to their privacy online. While message
boards, private groups and blogs have been fostering communities and sharing for years, they
operate with varying degrees of consumer anonymity.
Facebook has given people a forum to put their thoughts and feelings right out there for everyone
to see, and there is no limit to the raw fear, pain and even graphic detail that can be found on the
site. Even stigmatized health conditions like cold sores have found their place. Just visit
www.Facebook/Abreva to see how consumers are openly talking about battling the cold sore virus.
EMarketer predicts that by 2012, 60% of the U.S. Internet population will check Facebook at least
once a month. If your healthcare brand is absent from the pages of Facebook, then now is the time
to change that.
Here are five tips for establishing an effective Facebook presence for your healthcare brand:
1) Choose an experienced moderator to generate your original post content, as well as
your responses to consumers, so that you can create the right tonality and inspire
followers to share their thoughts and feelings within your pages.
2) Take the stance of an authority on the issue or condition, including hiring outside
experts to help with sharing information and keeping your content fresh and
supportive.
3) Be a resource that links to other useful health resources on the Web.
4) Use engagement tools like polls, games and apps. These tools are not only fun, but
they also help to build dialogue, educate and even enhance compliance (where
applicable.)
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5) Lastly, be committed to a robust presence. This means investing money to bring
fans into your community. Drive consumers to your Facebook page by leveraging your
other digital assets and advertising. Even ads placed within Facebook will help to
create momentum.
Consumers are already having conversations about their health and well-being on Facebook. It's
definitely time to get into or, better yet, start the conversation.
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