Networked Student

Here is a video that I have stumbled upon looking for interesting topics to share with this group. It is not new, but the information is quite useful and provides good frame of reference for any of the educators who wish to better incorporate social media into their courses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwM4ieFOotA&feature=player_embedded

Twitter Use in Higher Education

Have you ever experimented with Social Media in your teaching? A number of academicians incorporate Twitter in their course work.

The following are two great compilations of tips that can help a novice or an experienced user.

http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2009/09/22/50-terrific-twitter-tutorials-for-teachers/

http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2009/07/21/100-serious-twitter-tips-for-academics/

If you incorporate Twitter in your pharmacy courses, please share with us what you do.

Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Shut Down Facebook Pages

The Washington Post is reporting that several pharmaceutical manufacturers are choosing to shut down Facebook pages rather than comply with new rules that state that they have to allow user to post comments on the "walls" of pages devoted to particular disease states and patient communities.

The industry is concerned that users might write about bad side effects, promote off-label use or make inappropriate statements about a product, and that the comments could raise concerns from government regulators.

Facebook will continue to allow companies to block comments on pages related to specific prescription products.

Social Media and Pharmaceutical Self-Promotion; A Bad Cocktail or Public Health Service?

John McElhenney has a blog post entitled Social Media and Pharmaceutical Self-Promotion; A Bad Cocktail or Public Health Service? where he reviews how various pharmaceutical manufacturers use Facebook. He asks

Do the pharmaceutical companies provide valuable information through channels like Facebook and Twitter, or is it merely advertising cloaked as social media conversations? How much of what is deemed "social media" is simply repackaging of the drug maker's message and how much of it is actual discussion and dialogue?

Gary Theilman
University of Mississippi

Integrating Social Media into Emergency-Preparedness Efforts

The New England Journal of Medicine has a short article about the need for studies to examine the use of social media in public health:

Studies are needed to evaluate the reliability and validity of public health–related information communicated through social media. Some relevant metrics (e.g., Twitter Analytics, Flikr Stats, and Google Analytics) already exist and are used by the business community, yet few published scientific studies have applied these tools to evaluating the capabilities or effectiveness of social media in public health emergencies. Also lacking are studies evaluating whether the integration of social media into public health efforts affects the costs, quality, or outcomes of health care.

What's been your experience with social media to communicate health information?


Gary Theilman
University of Mississippi

Pharmacists Warned Not to Use Facebook

In Britain, pharmacists are being told not to "friend" their patients on Facebook and other social media sites.

I've seen surveys on opinions regarding faculty/student relations on Facebook. But what are you telling your students about interacting with patients on social media?