#hcsmca: from fledging to flourishing

Can it be that #hcsmca has progressed from fledgling to a flourishing community in just 2 weeks? No, but it’s well on its way.

As a community manager I know that communities are not self-sustaining — that’s a whole other blog topic. But I am breathing a little easier now having had two successful chats and two weeks of great sharing under the hashtag #hcsmca.

Still I was rather surprised when the web communications department of the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition contacted me to ask if they could participate in #hcsmca. Of course! I welcome government participation with open arms. I was anxious to see what would unfold.

Thus Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal Health Critic and former Minister of Health (@ujjaldosanjh) submitted this topic: How can social media help caregivers find good/solid advice when they need it most?

Conversation about caregiver needs, usage of social networks and criteria for “solid advice” ensued. We shared resources of existing networks. I’m not sure what the Liberal party had hoped to gain by participating in #hcsmca, but they definitely got plenty to listen to — the first step in understanding a community’s needs and priorities. @ujjaldosanjh’s final post before leaving for question period read:

— @ujjaldosanjh: this forum proves there are a lot of ideas out there. Great info to share with my #LPC colleagues esp when talking w constituents. #hcsmca

While it was the Oct 5 announcement of the federal Liberal party’s Family Care Plan that prompted their participation in this week’s #hcsmca, I hope Ujjal Dosajh and other federal stakeholders will join us again to continue the conversation about caregivers and other health issues in Canada.

We shifted gears for topic 2 where @mikenstn asked: How do you define social media when pitching it to your organization? Many great definitions and resources were shared, but I’d like to highlight these quotable posts:

— @nursekama: T2: My little social media mantra is: Engage, exchange, and be enriched.
— @craigtyyz: T2 – My mantra is connect, communicate, collaborate. You can’t get to the good stuff unless you can have a dialogue.
— @CareToKnowORG: T2: I also explain sm karma – listen, engage, share… what hc providers/orgs get back only grows and gets better.

For topic 3 we turned from organizations to physicians. @ability4life asked Would you like to see Canadian doctors using social media and how? And docs, why/how do you use sm? You’ll find some great ideas in the transcript, but it’s obvious to me that this question will be well worth revisiting in the future. I leave you two oft-retweeted thoughts from doctors participating in this week’s conversation.

— @doctorfullerton: Social Media is very important for self-care. As working population diminishes, people will need to do more for themselves
— @Jon_Slater: #hcsmca T3. Use it for the smiles I get, the sources of information and the wisdom of others.

As always, be sure to read the transcript of the chat to get a complete picture of the discussion.

What would you like to highlight about this week’s discussion?