Archive for the ‘Tweets’ Category

Jon
Mandel

OB/GYN 2.0

Monday, July 26th, 2010

I recently read a USA Today entitled "Some doctors join Facebook, Twitter; others wary," which has sparked another debate about health care going digital. Dr. Jeff Livingston, a certified obstetrician and gynecologist, is using social media to promote his practice, MacArthur OB/GYN, and create a public platform for a subject matter that quite often is stigmatized as too confidential and personal to discuss. As he notes in the article, he isn't publishing personal health information online, but instead shares helpful articles and advice that he believes would benefit his followers and fans. macarthur-ob-gyn-facebook

(more...)

 
Molly
Hippolitus

#DCWEEK The Food Revolution: One Byte at a Time

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Last Friday kicked off Digital Capital Week (DC Week), a ten day festival focused on "technology, innovation and all things digital in our nation's capital." In addition to attending digital events all over the city, Spectrum is gearing up to host a panel discussion entitled The Food Revolution: One Byte at a Time, Thursday 6/17 at 10:00 am at our K Street office. Our panelists will offer perspective, valuable insight and personal anecdotes on how they've used digital and social media platforms to drive the food revolution in this hour-long session.

In anticipation of Thursday's event, we are taking questions for our social media pro-foodie panelists. A brief synopsis of each panelist and  their bios is below-take a look and tweet us (@SpectrumScience) or email your questions, then come to see if we ask yours.  dcweek2

(more...)

Tags: ,

 
Spectrum

#140Conf

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Last week we attended the 140 Characters Conference NYC - referred to in the Twitter world, as #140conf.  The conference that many online pegged as a 'must attend' for twitteratti and tech geeks alike was centered around the premise of exploring the "state of NOW" and looking at the effect that real-time communications have on individuals, industry and the world at large.

Over 100 speakers took part in the two day conference and weighed in on the real-time web and how social media is making an impact across the board; including tech entrepreneur Jeff Pulver (the founder of the conference140conf) advertising legend Donny Deutsch, and head of corporate communications for Johnson & Johnson, Marc Monseau.  Each speaker contributed thoughts, ideas and questions on the obstacles and immense advantages that come along with being actively engaged on Twitter and across social media.  The NYC conference drew more than 1,200 people, with an online audience for the live webcast of more than 77,000 individuals globally. Above are just a few thoughts contributed by the speakers who laughed at, praised, bashed and dissected the ways to use technology in communicating in today's world.

- @bkownacki, Senior Digital Strategist and @_mollify_, Digital Associate

 
Brendan
Kownacki

Championing for a Good Cause

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Between tracking the latest swine flu outbreak, crunching numbers for taxes and following the latest health care reform efforts, there are a lot of things for people to spend their time thinking about...and this is all outside the burdens of our everyday lives. Especially if you have a "9 to 5" job (which more often than not probably seems like an 8 to 8 job), then your mind is probably overrun with things to think about and finding the time or mental capacity to stand up for a global cause can be daunting.

So what gets people involved in championing a good cause?

On a daily basis, more and more celebrities are becoming active in standing up for global health initiatives and using their celebrity status to drive attention, as well as recruit support and money for their chosen causes. But how are the Hollywood elite connecting themselves with everyone else to accomplish their goals? Online, of course.

In preparation for World Malaria Day on April 25, it was recently announced that the Special Envoy for Malaria at the United Nations will incorporate a social media component to their efforts for the next year and has named a special envoy of journalists, digital experts, business executives and celebrities to lead the charge to use online tools to build a following with the hopes of making a difference. The idea is that a little action every month from these public figures can yield a big impact for global health. (more...)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 
Kaitlin
Doody

The Power of the #Hashtag

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

When describing Twitter hashtags to clients, we typically describe them as a method for aggregating similar content and community building. Basically, when a Twitter user tags a keyword with the hash - or pound symbol (#) - the Tweet will appear in the conversation thread on that specific topic.

In the past year and a half, many online Twitter chats have cropped up - more than 100 Twitter chat schedules are tracked here. Reminiscent of AIM chat room-style group discussions, this more refined method of group dialogue allows Twitter users to virtually meet with people throughout the Twitterverse. By tagging their posts with the same hashtag, users can follow the conversation surrounding their shared topic of interest. Most groups have a set time they meet each week and typically, a moderator will field questions and pose them to the group to ensure the dialogue continues to flow.

Chat groups are always welcoming new participants and even if you don't feel like interacting, interested individuals can simply follow along with the group's hashtag at their designated meeting time. Twitter chat groups provide a uniquely useful and efficient method for connecting, interacting and learning. Public relations and communications chat groups allow industry newcomers, seasoned experts and everyone in between to provide and share a variety of perspectives and obtain 140-character snapshots of qualitative insights. For example, @Mikinzie, a PR college student, participates in #prstudchat because she values this weekly time to network with "awesome PR pros who are always willing to talk/ help." (more...)

Tags: , , , ,

 
Erin
Turner

My E-Patient Twitter Success Story

Friday, February 26th, 2010

When I arrived at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota a few weeks ago, I was asked: "Who referred you to us?" My answer was not traditional: "Twitter."

For the past five years, I've suffered with pain in my right wrist on a daily basis, despite regular treatment from an orthopedic surgeon. I was diagnosed with an LT ligament tear and told that my only surgical option was a partial fusion of my wrist - a treatment he did not yet recommend and I was unable to accept as a solution. At the time, I remember having a conversation with my father: "You hear about these ballplayers tearing things and coming back to play the next season," he said. "It seems like there should be a better solution than that." (more...)

Tags: , , ,