Building Online Community in Health: Blockbuster #hcsmca-#hcldr-#eRounds Toronto Meetup

In the early days of social media, people used various platforms, such as message boards, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, to freely express opinions on topics they were passionate about. As these platforms and their users matured, those with similar interests self-organized into online collectives where people discussed their thoughts and passions in more depth. Literally thousands of these collectives populate Twitter today, congregated around particular hashtags like #ilovetheleafs. But some collectives have graduated to full-fledged online communities where connected members exchange knowledge, discover new concepts and form real-life collaborations.

People from all sectors of healthcare — communicators to entrepreneurs, marketers to patients — have witnessed the success of these communities and some seek to replicate them. Unfortunately many community initiatives do not succeed or cannot maintain momentum. Some people and organizations have made advances in engagement through online communities, but many — particularly those in public health and disease prevention — continue to cast about for the Holy Grail: audience behaviour change.

On Wednesday, February 25 2015, participants of #hcsmca, #hcldr and Evening Rounds (#eRounds) will gather in Toronto for a combined, powerhouse meetup – #hccmty (healthcare community) to talk about:

• What do we want from online communities in health? Why do they matter?
• What makes a community successful?
• What can communities do?
• When (and why) should you seek to create a community (or not)?
• How do you build and sustain an online community?
• What is on the horizon in online community development?

Kathy Kastner (BestEndings) will moderate the conversation with meetup attendees guided by online community thought leaders: Colleen Young (#hcsmca), Colin Hung (#hcldr), Robyn Sussel (Signals.ca) and Blair Ryan (TheRounds).

Connections trump content in a successful community: 

COLLEEN YOUNG (@colleen_young), online community strategist and Founder of Health Care Social Media Canada (#hcsmca) will impart effective community building practices and proven techniques that ensure the survival and steady growth of an online health community. She will also demonstrate how self-disclosure discussions deepen the sense of community in the digital world, and the pivotal role of the community manager in sustaining activity and growth.

Graduating from sharing opinions to an online community and educational resource: 

COLIN HUNG (@Colin_Hung), Co-founder of the popular #hcldr global community will discuss tactics for attracting new community members, guiding the online conversation and transforming a community into an educational resource. Colin will also discuss why creating a social media community may not be the right goal at all.

From engagement to action and beyond: 

ROBYN SUSSEL (@robynsussel), Chief Strategist and health communicator at digital agency, Signals.ca, and Founder of Evening Rounds, will explain how motivation theory in combination with what we’ve learned about online behaviour (through massive amounts of data) can be used to encourage positive behaviour change. Robyn will also share practical techniques such as “nudging” that can help move communities from engagement to action and beyond to better health.

Building a physician community and a business: 

BLAIR RYAN (@TheRounds), CEO and Co-founder of The Rounds will discuss the core values of the company, which is Canada’s fastest-growing online network, exclusively for physicians. He will explain his thoughts on the significance of creating an online community for Canadian physicians that meets and exceeds privacy legislation requirements and why it’s crucial that physician participation in that community remain free. Furthermore, Ryan will explain how The Rounds is successful in its bid to connect physicians in a meaningful way.

Join us February 25 at 6pm at the Hard Rock Café in Toronto. See details and register today:

[Note: The event will also be livestreamed. Let me know if you are planning to meetup with fellow #hcsmca-ers to watch the livestream in your town.]

Follow #hccmty. Share your thoughts. Ask questions. Spread the word.

Find out what each panelist will be bringing to the conversation:

1. Flipping #hccmty – Meet the Panelists
2. Is an online community really the brass ring you are seeking? | Colin Hung
3. Five key components to building an online community for physicians | Blair Ryan
4. Don’t Knock the Nudge: Moving from online community engagement to real-life behaviour change in health | Robyn Sussel
5. Is anyone there? Is your online community a ghost town? | Colleen Young