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I was watching TV and there was Twitter and Youtube again and I got those social media “hee bee gee beez” . You know, the feeling that makes you scratch your head and think, “What are they doing with social media? I know you go through this when you encounter any of the new stuff happening on the web and then find yourself annoyed or curious  hearing ordinary professionals all jacked up and excited about using these tools.

I am so intrigued by how much sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube are taking us places we’ve never been before, in this case, the operating room. I think the best way to learn how to use all these social media tools is to glean from the folks who have a purpose behind their social media motives.

Some hospitals are using social networking sites to interact with a web audience live during surgeries

Just like those pharmaceutical commercials on TV, I also add disclaimers to swallowing the social media pill.

“You may experience occasional nausea, foaming of the mouth, and temporary heart palpitations. We’ve all been there accepting invites to Linkedin wondering, what am I doing this for?”

From experience, finding a purpose to do anything online has to be backed by your values and principals. I will showcase principals as often as possible for you to help you not feel so disjointed by all the noise surrounding social media.

Social Media Principle #1

Empower your visitors with instant interactive interpersonal communication and feedback mechanisms to be the most relevant and effective as possible.

It’s no dream; this is a reality as the medical arena makes health care more interactive propelled by principals.

All the tweeting about procedures is not just helpful for potential patients. Surgeons are also using Twitter as a teaching tool.

Three surgeons rotated between working on a patient and hovering over a computer screen in Detroit last month, typing answers to questions sent in by medical students via Twitter. They were performing a complicated open-brain surgery.

From thousands of miles away, students asked about the techniques used, whether the patient felt any pain, the music they were listening to in the room.

At one point, an observer wrote and asked, “Shouldn’t these surgeons be operating rather than tweeting?”

The answer from the doctors: “At any given point, there is a very senior team with the patient [eight total], and whichever one of us is not doing surgery at that particular moment, we jump on the live feed.”

Dr. Steve Kalkanis, one of the team surgeons, said, “There’s a whole new generation of medical students and residents coming of age around the country, and it’s a generation skilled in instant interactive interpersonal communication and feedback, and I think that if medical education is going to be as relevant and effective as possible, it needs to keep pace with this new standard.”

That’s precisely why the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota had something called a “Tweet Camp” Wednesday to bring doctors, nurses, and staff up to speed on Twitter and other new social networking technology. The whole story

Social Media Principle #2 “Go Where They Are”

The Mayo Clinic was one of the earliest medical centers to embrace social networking and now it has a full-time staffer who spends most of the day dedicated to the task.

The clinic uses sites like You Tube, Twitter, and Facebook to reach potential patients.

“Word of mouth, in terms of awareness for Mayo, is the most important factor,” said the clinic’s Lee Aase, who’s head of online outreach. “We haven’t done any advertising. The whole story

About Jerry
* Founder of Jerry Hart.com, Your Social Media Explosion.com and Hart Creative Marketing.com
* Author of Blueprint to eMarketing, (Blueprint Press, Sept. 2006) Printed in 7 languages
* Morning Show Radio Personality in major markets, including including KISS FM in San Francisco
*Brother is the drummer of the “Grateful Dead”, Mickey Hart. Father was the manager.

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