Despite having more than 400 million active users, Facebook still has its skeptics.  Some common complaints I’ve heard:

• “It’s a waste of time!”
• “Who needs an update on what I’m eating for lunch?”
• “Why do I need to be a Fan of anything?”

Okay, sure. My status updates aren’t always riveting or note-worthy (see: “Dear Coffee, Marry me. Xoxo, Kelly”) and I’m not ashamed to say I “like” a Fan Page called “I Don’t Feel Like Folding My Laundry So I Just Restart The Dryer.”

But while I’m not alone in using the Status Update and Fan Page for innocuous fun, some people are using these basic Facebook features to help improve their health…and even save their own lives.

Like this guy, who decided to quit smoking and inadvertently created a support group among his Facebook friends simply by updating his status with the number of days he’d been smoke free.  As his friends followed his progress, they “liked” his status as the number of days increased and left comments of encouragement when his updates expressed wavering resolve.   Having a virtual audience to not only hold him accountable but also to offer him support no doubt helped contribute to his continued success.

Then there’s this woman, who is using Facebook to help her find a kidney donor.  Living in a state that ranks among the nation’s lowest in percentage of licensed drivers who are registered organ donors, she got creative and set up a Page called “Mel Needs a Kidney.” As of the end of May, she had heard from about 100 people who offered to get tested to see if they were a match.  In addition to increasing her chances of finding a donor, her efforts are also helping raise awareness of organ donation and registration in Michigan.

So while it’s true many Facebook users limit their activities to tending virtual farms or tagging friends in party photos, there are some who are using the platform to improve their lives.  And that’s something I’ll “like” any day.

Earlier this year, I showed how online engagement after the earthquake in Haiti helped prove that people are using social media to connect with others in meaningful ways.  Today, I bring you yet another example, this time in relation to healthcare.

A new study reports that 40% of online consumers are turning to social media for health information.  And they’re not just talking about medical conditions, diagnoses, treatments and news.  The study found the primary reason for using social media was emotional:

“…many healthcare social media users want reassurance, support, and a sense of intimacy from people who are going through a similar experience.”

But according to a recent New York Times article and Pew Research report, this won’t come as a surprise to the many Americans affected by chronic illnesses.  Over the last few years, social networking has become a lifeline for many who are living with a chronic disease or life-changing condition.  By blogging, chatting and engaging with others on social networking sites like PatientsLikeMe, Diabetic Connect and CureTogether, they are able to share advice, war stories and empathy with others in similar situations.  Best of all, this can all happen from the comfort of home, a great advantage for those whose illness has left them homebound.

As social media continues to grow, look for more hospitals and physician practices to better connect with patients (and ultimately improve the patient experience) by complementing their informational Web content with virtual support groups and online forums.

In the wake of the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12, social media is proving once again to be a powerful tool for sharing information and raising funds in times of crisis.  Check out these stats:

• Three days after the earthquake, 3% of all blog posts were related to Haiti’s earthquake.
• By January 15, the American Red Cross’ Twitter account had gained more than 10,000 followers.
• By January 22, 42% of Facebook users in the United States had donated money or goods to aid Haiti relief  -  23% of these donors did so via text message.  
• More than $25 million has been raised for the American Red Cross’ relief effort in Haiti through $10-donations made by simply texting HAITI to 90999.

These figures help reinforce the belief that people turn to social media not just to consume information, but also to connect and engage in meaningful ways with organizations and each other.

Any healthcare marketer worth her salt knows that women are the primary healthcare decision makers in America (although, with the current economy, some suspect the tide might be turning).  So when I saw an article on how to market to women on Facebook, I couldn’t help but be interested.  Because women make up more than 56% of the overall Facebook population, it’s a great place for your hospital or physician practice to connect with its core audience.  But how do you keep these decision makers engaged? 

A couple of my favorite tips from Mashable:

• Quality Counts:  Annoy your female fans with spammy updates and be prepared to face the wrath of the “hide” button.  Remember, they can remove your marketing messages from their news feeds with the simple click of a mouse.  And, of course, out of sight = out of mind.
• Provide Utility:  Give your fans something to look forward to on a daily or weekly basis by regularly posting helpful tips or practical ideas that can improve their health or lifestyle.
• Give Fans a Voice:  Make your fans feel involved by creating a two-way conversation and asking their opinion.  Bonus: You have an instant focus group at your fingertips.
• Keep Your Fans in the Loop:  Update your fans about current goings-on, good and even bad.  With the rise of transparency in healthcare, Facebook can be a great venue to help address negative news before it gets out of hand.

How does your organization use Facebook to engage its female audience? Please post your ideas in a comment below!

While Twitter is hoping to find a way to monetize its operation in 2010, many people have already discovered how to use the microblogging site to raise funds for worthy causes.

Back in November, I blogged about a movement that used Twitter, Facebook and mustaches to raise awareness and money for men’s health.   Today, I stumbled upon another fantastic fundraising campaign: BlameDrewsCancer.

The story: When Drew Olanoff was diagnosed with cancer last summer, he created the Twitter hashtag #blamedrewscancer and vowed that for every tweet blaming something on his cancer, he would raise one dollar for the Lance Armstrong Foundation LIVESTRONG.  Using this hashtag, Tweeters gave Drew’s cancer credit for closed coffee shops, working on holidays and global warming…and in the process, raised more than $15,000.

But Drew didn’t stop there.  With Twitter’s permission, he put his Twitter name, or “handle,”(@Drew) up for auction and caught the eye of Drew Carey (@DrewFromTV).  The Price Is Right host has since promised to donate one dollar for every person who follows him or @Livestrong, up to $1 million.  Pretty cool, huh?

Do you know of other organizations that are successfully using Twitter or other forms of social media to raise money and awareness?  Please leave your examples in a comment below!  And the next time you feel like complaining on Twitter, don’t forget to #blamedrewscancer.

In 2009, the potential negative consequences of text messaging became a dominant hot topic in tech news.  From the dangers of texting while driving (or even walking!) to the serious implications facing teens who send explicit photos via cell phone, it might seem like this convenient method of communication has been causing more harm than good.

Thankfully, however, some have discovered ways to harness the positive power of the text message.  For example, researchers in New York have discovered that sending medication reminders via text message to young liver transplant patients can improve the rate of adherence thus reducing the chance of organ rejection.  Another study found that people were more likely to wear sunscreen if they received a daily text message reminding them to do so.  And public health programs in California are using text messages to educate teens and young adults about STDs and sexual health.  We’ve even recommended the use of texting to help our clients reach out to Gen Y moms-to-be.

As texting continues to grow in popularity (an estimated 4.1 BILLION text messages are sent/received EVERY DAY, double the number from 2008), I’m hopeful we’ll find more and more ways to use this simple, low-cost technology to encourage healthy habits.

Did you know that a man is 35% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than a woman is to be diagnosed with breast cancer?   And while most of us know that October goes pink for breast cancer awareness, did you know that November grows mustaches for men’s health?

That’s right – November is now Movember (with “mo” being slang for mustache, of course).  
Here’s a quick synopsis from  the Movember Foundation:

The Movember Foundation challenges men to start Movember 1st (November 1st) clean shaven, then grow and groom their moustache for 30 days to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for prostate and testicular cancers.

I absolutely love this campaign!  What better way to get guys talking about their health than by pitting them in a friendly competition, doing something as “manly” as growing a ‘stache?! 

I first heard about Movember via Twitter a few weeks ago, and it has quickly blown up in the socialsphere:  A Facebook search for “movember” this morning yielded 77 Pages and about 4,200 Groups.  As this blog is posted, the MovemberUSA Facebook Page alone has 3,958 fans and counting, a gain of more than 350 members since Friday afternoon.  Men participating in Movember, or “Mo Bros” as they are called, are posting photos of their facial follicles on their “Mo Spaces,” and “Mo Sistas” are getting in on the act by recruiting more Mo Bros and helping raise funds, which will benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation Livestrong.

Over the years, Susan G. Komen’s Race of the Cure, Pink October and many other events seeking to bring awareness to breast cancer have empowered the female population;  I hope Movember will do the same for our brothers, fathers, sons, boyfriends, and husbands, and succeed in its mission to “change the face of men’s health.”

I absolutely agree with the comments in iHealthBeat’s article about the sub-optimization of the White House’s new health reform Web site. Why go to all the work of creating a new media-rich site and not optimize it for the masses to find?

Though the meta keyword tag is not used by the major search engines, a look at the Reality Check site shows that its writers are more worried about nabbing searchers who spell Barack Obama’s name wrong than getting folks who are curious about health reform to the site.  Unfortunately, it’s not clear that the staffers who threw the site together understand SEO – much less SEM – at all. They don’t even have ‘Barack Obama’ in text for the bots to find (the president’s name is only in a graphic and an alt tag).

Our SEO team’s recommendations?  Write a better title. Embed in the content common search terms like  “Obamacare,”  “health care coverage” and “health bill,” as the authors of the article suggest.  Deploy a suite of online analytical tools including AdWords, WordTracker, Google Analytics and others to identify additional popular search terms related to health reform. Create keyword-rich anchor text and cross-link to the various .gov sites.  If that sounds like too much work for our government friends, they could simply hire us to put Reality Check at the top of the search results.

Last week, I called my doctor’s office to reschedule a check-up and was placed on hold for 9 minutes before speaking to the appointment desk.  NINE MINUTES.  While waiting for assistance, I contemplated hanging up and trying again, but my stubbornness outweighed my annoyance.  (Apparently, I’m more patient than most:  According to a study by one physician practice, 65% of patients placed on hold would hang up within two minutes.  Furthermore, 90% would hang up after four minutes.)

Listening to 540-some-odd seconds of soft rock hits from the ‘80s further solidified my opinion that all medical offices should at least be able to manage nonmedical issues via the Web in some form or fashion.  While my doctor’s office has used electronic medical records for years, it is behind the times when it comes to patient communication.  More and more, doctors are using Facebook and email to interact with patients.  Personally, I try to keep my Facebook friend roster strictly social:  No parents, bosses (sorry, Carol!) or clients allowed – and now, no medical professionals either.  But while I won’t be ‘friending’ my doctor on Facebook any time soon, I would love to be able to communicate online with the practice about administrative issues such as billing and appointments.  I’m convinced that online access would lead to greater office efficiency and an improved patient experience. 

So the next time I’m in the market for a new doctor, you can bet I’ll be adding “Web-friendly” to my list of criteria.

This summer, Coleman, the outdoor-equipment giant, dubbed its campsite “the Original Social Networking Site.”  More than a cute marketing concept, this claim practically lays down a challenge to our Facebook-Twitter-YouTube-obsessed culture to put down the computers and cell phones and get back to “real” social networking – the kind where people actually do things…together…in person.

So this past weekend, I took Coleman’s challenge: I grabbed some friends and went camping in Middle-of-Nowhere, Mo., where cell phone/Wi-Fi service was nonexistent.  For a full 48 hours, I was unable to check my email, update my Facebook status, send a text or even make a phone call…and to my great relief, I was okay. 

Perhaps it was because I was too preoccupied with activities like building a fire so I could, you know, EAT, but I didn’t once feel the urge to post “Gathering kindling and hoping the rain stops soon” as my Facebook status.  And I didn’t wonder who had emailed me or if I was missing an important text message.   As it turns out, I CAN live sans social networks or cell service (at least for a few days, anyway)!

I take pride in this personal victory considering the New York Times article I ran across last week that revealed many Americans are hopping online soon after, if not before, hopping out of bed each morning.  Whether it’s texting over toast or social networking instead of reading the morning newspaper, this is a trend with which I am all too familiar; I check my email, Facebook and Twitter account via my Palm Pre before my head is even off my pillow every morning. 

But after this weekend of “roughing it,” I can at least take comfort in knowing my morning Internet craving can be overcome.  And you can be sure I’ll keep visiting the “original social networking site” in the future to keep my online habits in check.