Social Media in Practice: The MTW Experience

Emma Aldrich

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

emma.aldrich@nhs.net

01622 224647

What we use:

• Blog: mtwlibrary.blogspot.co.uk• Twitter: #mtwnhslibrary• Netvibes: www.netvibes.com/mtwlibrary• Wiki: Pilot project for Leadership

Faculty

Blog

• Started in 2005• Slow start – only made 70 entries in the first

three years• Use it for:

– Advertising new resources– Information about trials– Book Club, Film Club– Changes to scheduled opening hours/ events

Blog

• Change the style every few years

Blog

• Lots of links to and from our website plus links to other key resources

Blog

• 10260 page views so far……

Blog

• Google analytics help us to see its value and help us to understand what our users want

Twitter

• We cheat…….– Use twitterfeed to reproduce all blog posts and

send them to our twitter account automatically.

• Currently have 16 followers• Improving now our Trust has a Twitter and

Facebook presence, but blocked on the Trust Network!

Netvibes

• Started the site in 2010.• Slow growing

– Get uptake from specific departments with named leads

– Tailor each tab to the needs of the department– Promote at top levels as much as possible, via

Local Faculty Groups– Strip it back – don’t get carried away!– Can use tools like Yahoo Pipes to blend feeds

Netvibes

Netvibes

Netvibes

Wiki

• Recognition of skills in using social media• Start a wiki for the Leadership Faculty Group

– Pilot phase– Review next week– Uncertain of interest/ uptake– Will offer to other departments/ faculties if a

success

Reflection…..

• Sometimes feel we are more interested in the technology/ potential than in what it can actually deliver with it

• Know when to give up (GP VTS Google Group)• Still believe that even if only a handful use the

pages and sites we have set up, we may reach otherwise unavailable groups