Summer 2009

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Social Media Anxiety

T h e A m e r i c a n M e d i c a l A s s o c i a t i o n A l l i a n c e

inside every issue3 Your Alliance Experience

3 Letters

6 Healthy Connections

6 Bulletin

6 Healthy Communities

Summer 2009 Volume 69 Issue 3

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OUR MISSIONThe mission of the American Medical Association Alliance, Inc., is to partner with physicians to promote the good health of America and to support the family of medicine. As the organization’s member magazine, Connections is committed to providing readers with the news and information most relevant to today’s medical families.

We welcome your suggestions, concerns and ideas. Please send all submissions to:

ConnectionsAMA Alliance 515 N. State St., 9th Floor Chicago, IL 60654 Phone: 312.464.4470 Fax: 312.464.5020 E-mail: amaa@ama-assn.org

Executive Director Jo Posselt

Editor Rosetta Gervasi

Assistant Editors Kallie Norton Jennifer West

Advisory Board Nancy Kyler – President Susan Todd – President-Elect Marilyn Kezirian – Secretary John Lovin – Treasurer

Sandi Frost -Immediate Past President

Design and Layout Anna Matras

Connections (ISSN 1088-7393) is published four times per year by the American Medical Association Alliance, Inc., 515 N. State St., 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60654. The subscription price per year for members of the AMA Alliance is $3.50, included in annual membership dues. The subscription price for non-members is $7 in the United States and U.S. Possessions, $10 in all other countries. A single copy is $2.50. Printed in the U.S. Change of address may be made by sending old address (as it appears on your copy of Connections) and new address with ZIP code number. Allow six weeks for changeover. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Connections, American Medical Association Alliance, 515 N. State St., 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60654.

The inclusion of an advertisement in this publication does not indicate endorsement by the AMA Alliance for products or services.

© Copyright 2009 by the American Medical Association Alliance, Inc.

on the cover4 Social Media Anxiety

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Check out the next issue of E-Connection, the Alliance’s electronic supplement to Connections, including a piece about fast food facts — part of our obesity campaign with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Summer 2009 Connections 3

Your Alliance Experience

“Never doubt that a small group of

thoughtful, committed citizens can

change the world; indeed, it’s the only

thing that ever has.”

President’s Letter

Dear Editor:

Thank you for the kind words written in the Alliance’s magazine. I would agree being selected one of the first woman agents in the United States Secret Service was somewhat “pioneeresque” yet my mother believed marrying a doctor was the single most important thing I ever did. Perhaps she was right. I certainly didn’t believe it would bring national attention in such a lovely publication.

I speak across the country on a number of topics, including how the Alliance played a valuable role in my life. I call it “Do It Scared”... seems we are all doing a lot of that lately... but then we did survive the ’60s didn̕t we?

Best regards,

Kathryn Childers www.kathrynchilders.com

Maybe you have an opinion to share about something you saw in Connections? Or just a few chosen words about issues facing your community or the world in general? We’ll listen. Put your thoughts down and send them to rosetta.gervasi@ama-assn.org.

While we’ll be happy to withhold your name upon request, we can’t consider unsigned letters or commentary that doesn’t list the city and state where you live.

And please include your e-mail address if you don't mind hearing from other readers about your comments.

Alliance Member Puts Things in Perspective

Do youhave an axe

to grind?

These words of wisdom from Margaret Meade, famed anthropologist, helped to define my way of thinking about the world and my place in it. As president of the Alliance, for example, I have no doubt that you are making a difference in your corner of the world, part of your committed citizenship in the medical community. As a member of the Alliance, you are an integral part of the small group of thoughtful and committed citizens of the family of medicine, with the power to make a difference in the world we share.

The Alliance is your portal to a better world for medical families. This is the year that demands our voice and the impact we can have on the change going on around us. As president of the Alliance, I assure you that while we recognize, with the AMA, the need for health care reform, we know there is heated debate on how to accomplish this. To that point, the Alliance has opened portals for your feedback on our Web site, Facebook and the Student Doctor Network. We want to hear from Alliance members. We will share what we learn with the AMA as they work to meet the challenge of effective health care reform. If you are not a member, join now by clicking on the large icon on the right-hand part of the homepage.

In the meantime, I’d like to share with you my vision for this year and our activity in the family of medicine and invite your feedback if you’d care to give it. Please join me on the Alliance’s President’s Blog at www.amaalliance.org. The blog icon is on the lower left-hand side of the homepage. And tell a friend!

I’d also like to personally invite you to attend our Leadership Development Conference in Chicago on October 4–6, 2009, where we’ll have a better chance to talk in person and with others in this wonderful national network of physician spouses. The conference is held once each year. You won’t want to miss this one, particularly if you live in the Midwest within easy travel distance. The Conference will not just be for developing your leadership skills for Alliance endeavors, but also for providing you with opportunities to gain personal skills and resources that you’ll use in your everyday personal and professional life for you and your family. Visit www.amaalliance.org to register and see a complete program. I guarantee you’ll enjoy this Alliance experience.

Best regards,

Nancy Kyler AMA Alliance President Nancy.Kyler@ama-assn.org

4 Summer 2009 Connections

Social Media AnxietyT here’s no doubt about it: These are tough times. The economy tanked; individuals, families and Alliances are strapped for

time and money; and traditional advertising techniques — including word-of-mouth — just don’t seem to work as well any longer. But we are on the edge of a great shift in terms of marketing and networking, and that shift is called Social Media. If you aren’t familiar with this term or just need more information, then read on. In this article we’ll focus on a few of the more popular social media platforms that are definitely worth checking out.

Facebook Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites out there. It was founded in 2004 and has an active user base of more than 200 million people, and there are no fees associated with joining. If you are concerned that this and similar outlets are geared primarily to younger audiences consider this: According to Scott Meis, Senior Project and Social Media Director at Carolyn Grisko & Associates Inc., a strategic communications firm in Chicago, the biggest demographic shift with Facebook has been with 35 to 55 year olds. Accord-ing to Facebook, their site allows people to communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers in a trusted environment. Nevertheless, keep in mind, when utilizing Facebook and other platforms like it, the information you post has the potential to become public knowledge. Many social network-ing sites offer privacy settings that you can alter to your preference.

Beyond the individual uses for Face-book and other platforms like it, social media is used increasingly by organiza-tions, including associations for recruitment and retention purposes. However, Jeff Woelker, senior digital strategist at Slack Barshinger, an integrated business-to-business agency in Chicago, cautions, “I wouldn’t assume everyone is on Facebook or everyone is on Twitter. Poll your members and find out where they are online and then assume that there are other members there as well.”

Facebook has a page specifically created as a resource for non-profits. In fact, there are more than 30,000 non-profits already using Facebook pages. By creating a Facebook account you can raise awareness of your Alliance’s messages with Facebook ads and news feed. Facebook ads promote your organization and are highly targeted to a demographic, region, network or

interest through keywords. News feed helps your organization get discovered by other users. Utilizing the groups feature can help you build a strong community. The events feature can aid in mobilizing volunteers and members. And you can increase fundraising by using the causes feature which allows you to raise money and recruit donors.

In addition, there are several ways you can reduce costs for your Alliance through Facebook. Try using the discussion boards on groups. Send out mass messages using groups or pages updates. These are easy and free ways to share information. Blog about your organization’s upcoming events or recent activities through the notes feature. And posted items allow you to share important and relevant links.

To get started using Facebook, first create a user account. Then, create a page as the external facing presence for your organization. Then, invite members to spread your message to more family and friends. And finally, utilize the events feature to organize members.

MySpaceMySpace is similar to Facebook in that it is an online social networking site. It is also free to use. Woelker explains the difference: “MySpace was originally designed as a music-sharing or band Web site, and ultimately that is still its best use.” He prefers going to MySpace rather than a band’s own Web site. “I know exactly what I’m going to get on MySpace. I’m going to have an interface to listen to their songs and get information about the band. On the band’s individual Web site, I never know what I’m going to get.”

Another unique aspect of MySpace is the user’s ability to customize the design of their page. Woelker explains, “MySpace lets users design their pages, but not everyone has a good design aesthetic. As a result you can end up

with gaudy pages that are difficult to use. With Facebook, it says to their members, ‘This is what the design going to be; you populate the content.’”

After experiencing unprecedented levels of membership, MySpace is seeing a downturn in popularity due to several factors. Woelker explains one such reason, “People are inherently fickle and they want to be on the new, coolest thing. All of a sudden you had people migrating from MySpace to Facebook,” says Woelker. Despite this shift, MySpace still proves to be a formidable social networking site with a substantial user base.

To use MySpace, sign up and create a profile. Then, invite your friends to join your personal network or search the site for friends who are already members. Then, view the connections you create between your friend and their friends. Lastly, you can meet your friend’s friends and even suggest matches. MySpace reports some people have thousands of people in their extended network.

YouTubeYouTube was founded in 2005 and is the top video-sharing platform. You can easily upload and share video clips through YouTube and other Web sites, mobile devices, blogs and e-mails. “YouTube provides an easy opportunity to put your message into a very digest-ible format,” explains Meis. “When you consider that 70 percent of people on the Web are consuming some form of video content think about the power of being able to tell your organization’s story through a video format,” continues Meis.

YouTube offers a special program to non-profits. There is brief application

Summer 2009 Connections 5

Social Media Anxiety

“We are on the edge of a great shift in terms of marketing and networking, and that shift is called Social Media.”

By Kallie Norton

process and once approved, non-profits are provided with branding opportunities for which companies ordinarily pay hundreds of thousands of dollars. YouTube provides free banner ad space

at the top of the page and banner ads above videos. “If you have a fundraising campaign, you could create a series of two-minute videos around this campaign. In the video you could have a person describing the fundraising event, and while the video is playing an ad could pop up that directs the viewer to click here and donate now to this campaign,” says Meis. “It sounds minute, but they don’t let anyone else do that for free besides non-profits,” he adds.

“On the back end with YouTube, it’s a free analytics tool. They can provide statistics on what kinds of search terms people are using and how engaged they are over the course of the video. All of that information is trackable and you can trend what works and what doesn’t work over time,” points out Meis.

Getting started with YouTube is very easy and in keeping with the service they provide. On their site, they have several videos that walk you through the process.

TwitterTwitter provides a service for friends, family and co-workers to stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages called “tweets.” Tweets are messages of 140 or fewer characters. These messages are posted to your profile or your blog, sent to followers and are searchable via Twitter search. On Twitter you are able to follow someone and they are able to follow you. Follow-ing someone simply means you will receive their Twitter updates (the messages they post). Every time they post a message it will appear on your homepage. And likewise, when you post a tweet, your

followers will automatically receive your message on their homepage.

“The real reason Twitter is so successful is because of the mobile component

that goes along with it. Previously, to update your Facebook or MySpace page you always had to be tied to a computer. But with Twitter you can update your profile with any mobile browser. That unchains people from the constraints of the computer,” says Woelker.

One downside of Twitter is some users find it to be an extremely confusing platform. “Trends show that nearly 40 percent of users are signing up and then not returning after their first visit,” says Meis. “But the wide-open platform can also be an extremely beneficial aspect of Twitter; they let you decide what to make of it,” Meis continues.

One success story of a Twitter user Meis describes goes: A woman’s brother needed a heart transplant and didn’t have the health insurance to cover it. His sister happened to be a former reporter for CNN and had a couple of thousand followers on Twitter. She started a tag to raise support in a fundraising effort for the heart transplant. She caught the attention of a few celebrities and within a three-week period raised more than $800,000.

“On a grassroots level, you see that people are using Twitter to concentrate fundraising efforts. They are putting it to a very specific, niche purpose as a way of building support. That’s where I think you’ll continue to see that site evolve,” says Meis. Facebook has

followed suit and developed a similar news feed structure.

“You see that kind of structure, that direct conversation, people are really clamping on to. They want to get quick snippets of information,” Meis explains.

Joining Twitter is free and their Web site will walk you through creating an account.

LinkedInLinkedIn is a professional networking site with more than 43 million mem-bers. When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional experiences and expertise. Your network consists of your professional contacts and your contacts’ connections, linking you to a large group of professionals. A LinkedIn subscriber can find and be introduced to potential clients, service providers and area experts. Also, mem-bers can create and collaborate on projects, gather data and share files.

“There is a dichotomy on how people use LinkedIn and how people use Facebook. LinkedIn was designed as a professional networking tool in that it’s supposed to be your online resume. Facebook is meant to be more social,” says Woelker. “Depending on the marketing segment you are in, if you’re in business-to-consumer you would want to focus more on Facebook because you can access a greater consumer audience. If you are on LinkedIn, you are going to reach a more professional community,” Woelker explains.

Joining LinkedIn is free and easy. Simply go to their Web site, fill out a brief questionnaire and you are ready to connect with other professionals.

The important thing to remember when it comes to social media is outside of the time you put in to it, many of these tools are free. Meis says, “I view these platforms as open slates. They are continually developing and changing, which allows you to be as creative as you want to be when utilizing these sites to accomplish your organization’s goals.”

6 Summer 2009 Connections

The stories are ubiquitous. Whenever the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA or another peer-reviewed medical journal publishes the results of a study, no matter how small or obscure, consumers and health professionals alike are bombarded by media reports with “sexy” headlines that interpret (or misinterpret) the results. How can physician families and members of the public make sense of often contradic-tory study results?

Dr. Saul Levin, Vice President, Science, Medicine and Public Health for AMA, points out that, “Health and disease are multifactorial and more complex than what a single study may show. The translation of outcomes of a health study into patient and general public-friendly information needs to be carefully written and clear. Anyone

reading a study result should always think: is this the complete picture?”

The International Food Information Council (IFIC), an organization that communicates science-based informa-tion on health, nutrition and food safety, and is supported “primarily by the broad-based food, beverage and agricultural industries,” cautions that news bites don’t warrant behavior changes and advises the following tips for evaluating the science related to research reported on in the media:

• Reviewthestudydesign– How a study is organized can affect the results and the relevance for readers and viewers and studies that show associations and relationships do not necessarily indicate cause and effect.

• Checkoutthefundingsource– Funding sources for studies are always disclosed in the reputable journals and should be mentioned in the media reports.

• Considerthecontext– Peripheral but relevant information needed to put a study’s results into perspective should include considerations such as the duration of the study, details about the study population, informa-tion about the risk-benefit trade offs, as well as information on whether the study confirmed or contradicted previous studies.

MakingSenseOutofHealthHeadlines

Want to know more? Check out the Alliance’s “Personal Space” and “Especially for the Public” areas of the Alliance’s Web site at www.amaalliance.org.

AlliancePublication GrantAidsCommunity

Members of the Alliance Society of the County of Schenectady presented the Hands Are Not for Hitting Program to children of the Kiddie Care Pre-school. They visited three classrooms and approximately 40 children took part in the program.

“It was well-received by faculty as well as the students,” said Alliance member, Cheryl Stier. “We have been asked to return to the school again next year to present the program to incoming students.”

The staff also plans on using the Alliance “Shape Up” workbooks for their unit on eating healthy and “I Can Be Safe.”

Contributing to health-related causes does not necessarily mean reinventing the wheel. It’s often the little things that can have the greatest impact. The Travis County Medical Society Alliance found this out when they decided to collabo-rate with their local health clinic, the Niskayuna Co-op Nursery in Niskayuna, New York.

The Volunteer Health Clinic Committee was created in 2008 with the intention of connecting with the local clinic to provide practical assistance.

According to Dr. Amy White, Alliance member and pediatrician, they met with

the director of the clinic and the volun-teer coordinator to see exactly where their efforts could be best utilized.

The committee consists of a group of Alliance members who spearheaded volunteer projects at the clinic that included: organizing sample medica-tions; cleaning the facility; helping to rearrange charts; framing the finger paintings of the volunteers’ children and hanging them in exam rooms; and a beautification day that involved weeding, sanding and painting.

“For us it was about meeting whatever needs we could for the clinic,” said White. “It plays such an important role in the community and with few part-time and full-time staff, every bit helps.”

It is operated by more than 400 volunteer physicians, nurses and other allied health professionals and numerous Alliance members.

CountyAlliance“Adopts”LocalHealthClinic By Jennifer West

Healthy Connections

Healthy Communities

Summer 2009 Connections 7

As we go to press, several health care proposals are winding their way through Congress, including the bill that has been receiving the most press, H.R. 3200, the American Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. The House Energy and Commerce Committee met in a marathon session before it adjourned for the House’s August recess to mark up the bill, which was approved by a vote of 31 to 28, with five Democrats voting against it.

This is only the first step in a long route to passage for legislation that could affect the health and lives of most Americans, including the 47 million that are currently uninsured, and the practice of every physician in the U.S. Key issues addressed by the agreement include a public plan option, CO-OP, subsidies and mandates, end-of-life planning, Centers-for-Medicare-and Medicaid payment, and innovation.

The Energy and Commerce Committee is the third panel in the House to mark up H.R. 3200. Over the August recess, the three committee products will be combined into a single bill for consider-ation on the House floor.

In the meantime, the AMA is working to correct misinformation in the public debate, According to the association’s August 12, 2009, Health System Reform Bulletin, AMA contacted White House staff to again express strong concerns with some recent medical treatment examples used by President Obama. It noted that a recent example of surgeons being paid $30,000 to $50,000 to ampu-tate a diabetic’s foot, was misleading.

Express your views. The Alliance is offering several avenues for your opinion. All are being shared with the AMA Advocacy team as they work to meet the challenge of health system reform. Share information with your

family, friends and colleagues and encourage their feedback. The latest available information and the various Alliance feedback mechanisms are available through the Alliance health system reform portal at www.amaal-liance.org at the highlighted box at the bottom of the home page.

Health System Reform Mark Up– Step 1 of Many in Legislative Process

“Keep watching your

e-mail for E-Connection

and special alerts and

checking the Web site for

the latest developments

on this critical issue.

Join our Experts CircleMany physicians are specialists, but the Alliance is trying to tap into the unparalleled expertise of physician spouses. Please let us know where your expertise lies (professional or personal) and with your permission, we’ll call on you when we’re looking for an expert in your field. E-mail your specialty and contact information to us at rosetta.gervasi@ama-assn.org. Thanksforyourhelp.

Expe rts Circle

Take Advantage.If you are like most AMA Alliance members, you personally rent a car at least three times a year. Now, your Alliance membership helps you do it for less. As a new advantage of your national membership, if you sign up for Hertz #1 Club Gold, you will save as much as 25 percent on car rental fees and enjoy exclusive privileges.

To learn more and to register, go to www.amaalliance.org or call 1-800-654-2210. The Hertz Club Gold $60 fee is waived for Alliance members — another advantage value for your Alliance membership!

AMA Alliance

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