My client is an organization to the core of their being. They are closed off and use mostly old ideas to try and advertise themselves. As I mentioned last week they are trying to educate the public at large of the needs in the laboratory medicine field. How do they do it now? They write to politicians, they hosted a lab expo with vendors a few years back and they hold an annual conference. These are great ideas but besides being time consuming, they don't reach a large enough audience.
Writing to politicians only helps if the letters are in the thousands... take our stolen cell phone from the reading, if they hadn't gotten so many people involved, would the phone have been returned? No Way! Expos and conferences are also good but they cost money (which the group doesn't have believe me!) and what if people can't make it? These only benefit people that can attend at that time, an old idea in the world we live in...
So what needs to happen here? They need to open the door, or at least a window to the possibilities of joining the network... joining the now! So how can they start?
1. Facebook it! Many of the members (there are only about 15) are on facebook, some have written text books and have accounts to advertise their writings. How many lab professionals have facebook accounts? Many I am sure! So start a group and friend as many as you can. They can put weekly posts out with information about the field or allow members of the public to ask about lab tests (not specific results but for example how does diabetes monitoring work). This could open up a whole avenue of people to the group.... and cost them nothing!
2. Skype it.... rather than having one expensive conference every year that is only fairly attended, host panel discussions on skype every month or so with professionals from all over the field. These can cover emerging topics and crisis as they happen. Then post them to facebook and maybe a group website and heck throw it on twitter! This way as hot topics come up everyone can talk about it and view it when they are able to. This will allow everyone to join the conversation and can lead to some great brainstorming and ideas from a much larger pool of people. Again this will cost very little and include a much larger audience!
3.Tweets aren't just for baby chicks.... Well I am still learning how to use twitter, I will admit that but what a great resource! Placing last weeks presentation on twitter was extremely easy. The more I play with it, the better I get. I am sure they can host sessions on twitter like "Ask a Lab Professional" where the public can ask simple questions. They can also advertise upcoming events like chats and skype presentations.... you get the idea.
4.Blog it.... I am becoming a huge fan of the blog! I think it is a great way to talk about almost anything but also put some personal perspective in their too. The client could easily blog about legislation that is bad for our profession, new technology for detecting Lyme's Disease or even what is the most flattering color lab coat and why. Again this will cost nothing and can reach all kinds of people not to mention starting some interesting conversations and that brainstorming that I love.
I am sure that I can add more tools to this but you get the idea... in order to create advocacy for what we do we have to take it to the masses! Show them that we are critical in health care! Keep throwing information at people so we stay present in their minds! We have to open the door and let the network in! My hand is on the doorknob, I am hoping my client will let me turn it....
By the way, blue is the best color for a lab coat.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
A Centralist Living in a Decentralist World
So I have this client and they are a grass roots advocacy group for my profession of laboratory medicine. They have been around for a few years but they are struggling to increase membership and get their voice heard. The question is why?
After examining the readings and the models presented it came to me, they are using a centralized approach to their group. They are not so great with technology and are resistant to using it.
They still schedule meetings once a month that many members are unable to attend because of their hectic schedules and communicate mostly through emails that go back and forth.
They also try to communicate with potential members by word of mouth and email lists. As mentioned in the model, this takes time and does not reach as many people as they could potentially. Also, their efforts are wasted in trying to meet when no one has the time....
So that is my client and the question is how can we fix this problem by adding membership and exposure? By taking it to the people of course!
This client needs to expand their horizons... rather than trying to schedule meetings every month they should consider using a social technology like skype so they can meet across the distance of their homes or offices or even the playground. A wiki might also be helpful in allowing everyone to communicate in one format rather than the barrage of emails. I actually tried to start one for the group but they did not really understand how to use it and it fell by the wayside. If they gave it a chance, it would give them a place to bring up topics that need to be addressed and plan events that they want to hold.
A facebook group is another great idea! Each member of the group can invite their friends on facebook and educate not only lab professionals about the crisis in our field, but the general public as well. Many people don't realize we have a huge shortage looming.
Lets take it to twitter! Get people to follow the group and tweet an interesting fact about lab medicine everyday and post upcoming events.
If they can decentrailze their efforts and open their minds to the possibilities, this grass roots effort can take flight. They may have trouble with this as it takes some of the control out of their hands...a common problem of a decentralized model.
My final thought about my client is that in this world we live in, if you want to reach people you have to make an impression and communicate in a manner that resonates with them..... to reach the future, you have to talk to them their way.
After examining the readings and the models presented it came to me, they are using a centralized approach to their group. They are not so great with technology and are resistant to using it.
They still schedule meetings once a month that many members are unable to attend because of their hectic schedules and communicate mostly through emails that go back and forth.
They also try to communicate with potential members by word of mouth and email lists. As mentioned in the model, this takes time and does not reach as many people as they could potentially. Also, their efforts are wasted in trying to meet when no one has the time....
So that is my client and the question is how can we fix this problem by adding membership and exposure? By taking it to the people of course!
This client needs to expand their horizons... rather than trying to schedule meetings every month they should consider using a social technology like skype so they can meet across the distance of their homes or offices or even the playground. A wiki might also be helpful in allowing everyone to communicate in one format rather than the barrage of emails. I actually tried to start one for the group but they did not really understand how to use it and it fell by the wayside. If they gave it a chance, it would give them a place to bring up topics that need to be addressed and plan events that they want to hold.
A facebook group is another great idea! Each member of the group can invite their friends on facebook and educate not only lab professionals about the crisis in our field, but the general public as well. Many people don't realize we have a huge shortage looming.
Lets take it to twitter! Get people to follow the group and tweet an interesting fact about lab medicine everyday and post upcoming events.
If they can decentrailze their efforts and open their minds to the possibilities, this grass roots effort can take flight. They may have trouble with this as it takes some of the control out of their hands...a common problem of a decentralized model.
My final thought about my client is that in this world we live in, if you want to reach people you have to make an impression and communicate in a manner that resonates with them..... to reach the future, you have to talk to them their way.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Save the Sea Monkeys!
I finished the readings from last week and they were interesting indeed. The first part was how with all of the new social technologies, it is easier to inform others of causes at a faster and cheaper cost. Here is how it would go:
Your cause: Save the Sea Monkeys- this may be a stretch but hey it is my blog!
The Old Way
You discover that sea monkeys are severely endangered by reading articles in newspapers and magazines. You want to get involved and decide to create your own group to educate the public about how they can save these precious creatures. You mail out some letters to friends and walk around with a clipboard asking people to join your cause. You may schedule some meetings with your members and then chain yourself to a tree to get attention, keep in mind this can get you arrested!
This takes time to organize and money to mail out information and for other supplies. Also, it will take time for your group to grow through this method.
The New Way
You read an article online about the dangers to the sea monkey population and are intrigued. You surf the web looking for additional information and become distraught at the plight of the sea monkey. You get on facebook and create a page that explains the Sea Monkey disaster to anyone that will listen and send it to your 425 facebook friends. Many of them become interested and join your page and send it to their friends. You also tweet incessantly about it and many of your followers retweet the messages and so on. Before you know it you have thousands that are interested in saving sea monkeys and through the internet you look at ways to help them as well as continuing to educated the public at large. This costs very little, just a internet connection and a computer and the passage rate of information is as quick as you can get it out.
I think that using social technology to get help educate people about causes or stolen cell phones can be a powerful too. The only thing that worries me is that the information is subjective, it comes from one perspective and you don't see the other side of the coin. Life today is crazy and many people may read about your cause or stolen property and not have the time to investigate the details you chose to leave out to make yourself or your cause look good. Balance may get lost. It will be interesting to see where technology and social networking will lead us in the years to come.
By the way the sea monkey population is still severely endangered!
Your cause: Save the Sea Monkeys- this may be a stretch but hey it is my blog!
The Old Way
You discover that sea monkeys are severely endangered by reading articles in newspapers and magazines. You want to get involved and decide to create your own group to educate the public about how they can save these precious creatures. You mail out some letters to friends and walk around with a clipboard asking people to join your cause. You may schedule some meetings with your members and then chain yourself to a tree to get attention, keep in mind this can get you arrested!
This takes time to organize and money to mail out information and for other supplies. Also, it will take time for your group to grow through this method.
The New Way
You read an article online about the dangers to the sea monkey population and are intrigued. You surf the web looking for additional information and become distraught at the plight of the sea monkey. You get on facebook and create a page that explains the Sea Monkey disaster to anyone that will listen and send it to your 425 facebook friends. Many of them become interested and join your page and send it to their friends. You also tweet incessantly about it and many of your followers retweet the messages and so on. Before you know it you have thousands that are interested in saving sea monkeys and through the internet you look at ways to help them as well as continuing to educated the public at large. This costs very little, just a internet connection and a computer and the passage rate of information is as quick as you can get it out.
I think that using social technology to get help educate people about causes or stolen cell phones can be a powerful too. The only thing that worries me is that the information is subjective, it comes from one perspective and you don't see the other side of the coin. Life today is crazy and many people may read about your cause or stolen property and not have the time to investigate the details you chose to leave out to make yourself or your cause look good. Balance may get lost. It will be interesting to see where technology and social networking will lead us in the years to come.
By the way the sea monkey population is still severely endangered!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Who am I and what am I doing here...
Well I am new to the world of blogging but have to give it a try for my course... this weeks question is "who am I and what am I doing here"...
Who Am I? very hard question but the basic answer is a 34 year old white female. I have 3 daughters that teach me lessons in life every day. Today my 12 year old taught me that you must always be yourself, even when your friends aren't happy about it as she made her way to face them at school. My 8 year old helped her little sister get in the car and helped buckle her in her seat because we were running late without having to be asked showing me that teamwork in invaluable. Riley, who just turned 5 yesterday, reminded me that "rocking out" in the car helps wake you up.... so as I said they teach me every day. I am recently separated in the past six months so who I am is in the process of being redefined but I have found my family and close friends to mean so much more to me than I could have imagined. I am sure there is more but I think that will do for now.
Why am I here.... to learn! I am the type that always wants to move forward and push my own boundaries. I left my job in the clinical microbiology lab at a local hospital almost 3 years ago to become a clinical coordinator at the local community college for their new Medical Laboratory Technology Program. We were grant funded and everything had to be built, oh plus there was no guarantee that I would have a job when the grant ran out. We have pulled it all together, I learned how to create a class while teaching it and deal with problems on the fly and yes my job is now solid.
I decided I needed to go back and get my Masters first because to move up the rank from instructor to Associate Professor I must have one, but also because I have always intended on going back to school. This degree seemed to match what I needed and this class looked awesome. As the mother of 3 girls, I want them to learn that you never settle in life and that you have to work hard to achieve your goals... as much as they teach me, I want to give something back to them.
How is that?
Who Am I? very hard question but the basic answer is a 34 year old white female. I have 3 daughters that teach me lessons in life every day. Today my 12 year old taught me that you must always be yourself, even when your friends aren't happy about it as she made her way to face them at school. My 8 year old helped her little sister get in the car and helped buckle her in her seat because we were running late without having to be asked showing me that teamwork in invaluable. Riley, who just turned 5 yesterday, reminded me that "rocking out" in the car helps wake you up.... so as I said they teach me every day. I am recently separated in the past six months so who I am is in the process of being redefined but I have found my family and close friends to mean so much more to me than I could have imagined. I am sure there is more but I think that will do for now.
Why am I here.... to learn! I am the type that always wants to move forward and push my own boundaries. I left my job in the clinical microbiology lab at a local hospital almost 3 years ago to become a clinical coordinator at the local community college for their new Medical Laboratory Technology Program. We were grant funded and everything had to be built, oh plus there was no guarantee that I would have a job when the grant ran out. We have pulled it all together, I learned how to create a class while teaching it and deal with problems on the fly and yes my job is now solid.
I decided I needed to go back and get my Masters first because to move up the rank from instructor to Associate Professor I must have one, but also because I have always intended on going back to school. This degree seemed to match what I needed and this class looked awesome. As the mother of 3 girls, I want them to learn that you never settle in life and that you have to work hard to achieve your goals... as much as they teach me, I want to give something back to them.
How is that?
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