Developing a social media policy P:02 Social media and illicit drug use P:04 Building an online community P:05 Lessons learned from a facebook campaign P:06 Moderating social media healthcare communities P:09 How to create a good app P:10
Australian Drug Foundation • Alcohol & Drug information
Opinion
Harnessing the potential of social media for health promotion. Jerril Rechter, VicHealth P:03
App review
Blood Alcohol Calculator P:11
ISSN 2201-9197
Leveraging social media
Using new communications technologies has never been so important for health promoters.
June 2013
r Join oeu onlining list mail side in Details
Developing a social media policy
In this issue 02 Developing a social media policy the potential of 03 Harnessing social media for health promotion media and illicit drug 04 Social use: challenges and benefits for
individuals and service providers
an online community 05 Building from a user’s perspective learned from 06 Lessons a Facebook campaign
and managing 09 Moderating healthcare communities & social media campaigns
10 How to create a good app review. Blood Alcohol 11 App Calculator (BAC) with Dexterity Test
Part of the prevention series
Keep an eye out for the Prevention Research publication and the prevention seminar on leveraging social media in health promotion. druginfo.adf.org.au
02
When the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) identified the rapid uptake of social media as both an opportunity and a risk for its member agencies, it developed a paper to clarify its position and to provide direction. The paper was conceived as a way of canvassing some broad issues that would prompt organisations to begin a dialogue about how they could develop a healthy relationship with social media. It acknowledged that the worst position an organisation can take in relation to social media is to have no position at all. However, given its quickly evolving nature and its array of platforms and multiple uses, it is important that any organisational position be about broad principles rather than detailed schematics. So, although the future will be fluid in relation to social media, we believe that organisations can develop a mindset that is positively engaged in assessing both the opportunities and risks posed by this new media. When developing a position on social media, consider the positives: how can we use it to enhance what we do, improve how our staff work and better meet the needs of our clients? After all, this technology, this cultural custom, is here to stay and will only become further embedded in society in ways that we cannot yet imagine. If we cast our minds back to when the first harbingers of social media appeared in the late 1980s, who would have dreamt that the lethal looking ‘bricks’ would be used as cameras, music libraries, cinemas, navigation devices, tracking devices, fashion accessories and, of course, as a way to tweet. The point is, we have no idea what social media platforms will exist in 10 years’ time, their potential uses or the social norms they will create, but we can be certain that they will
still be here in some guise. So, in the first instance, it is important to create guidelines that support organisational goals without being too prescriptive about the types of social media platforms that might be used. The risks attached to social media are obvious. Lost productivity, the blurring of work and personal settings, the merging of personal and organisational points of view, the indelible nature of social media, and occupational health and safety concerns, all come to mind. These risks are not insurmountable and can be managed by engaged forward thinking organisations. On the other side of the ledger, what are the opportunities? Firstly, social media provides an opportunity for organisations to communicate with their audiences in a way that isn’t dependent on traditional media. For a sector as marginalised as the alcohol and other drug area, whose clients are often depicted by the media in a range of stigmatising stereotypes, this is a great opportunity. Organisations are already utilising social media to enhance formal and informal workforce development, and in a range of different contexts with their clients. VAADA benefited from writing a discussion paper on social media because it compelled us to address our relationship with these new platforms, viewing them not as a problem to be solved, but as an opportunity to develop new ways to communicate and to do business. Chris McDonnell is Project Officer at the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association – a peak organisation that aims to reduce the harms associated with alcohol and other drug use in the Victorian community.
Jerril Rechter is CEO of VicHealth
opinion
Harnessing the potential of social media for health promotion Someone once told me “nothing changes as fast as change itself”, and they were right. Through 25 years of health promotion, VicHealth has seen some significant transformations in the culture, lifestyles and behaviours of Australians, for better and for worse.
One of the most dramatic shifts has been in the way that we all communicate, and even that is changing daily. Coming to grips with fast-moving technology is a challenge, but it is undeniably critical to the work that we do. If we don’t find ways to use social media to amplify and extend the reach of our work, we cannot hope to counter the influence that comes from those whose products have a detrimental impact on health. New(ish) technology offers the harm reduction sector several longhoped for advantages to improve our communication methods. Social media is a much, much less costly medium than any that has gone before it, in terms of generating both unpaid and paid content (such as advertising). The production costs are lower and the barriers to entry are virtually non-existent.
Engaging people through social media requires that we be open to having a conversation; positive, neutral and negative feedback is almost inevitable. Treating social media as a one-way street is a sure strategy for failure. It is also important to remember that nobody likes a gatecrasher. In one sense, social media is a party that anyone can join – but if you ignore or misunderstand the unspoken rules of engagement, you will be asked to leave, or just be ignored. And, once you’re in the door, it’s important that you speak the language. Tone (and consistency of tone) is critical. Identifying the ideal tone will depend on the message you’re trying to convey, but one thing is guaranteed: if what you’re writing sounds like brochure copy, you need to have another look at it. Social media is agile, cheap and potentially far-reaching. It allows for interaction directly with individuals, with groups and with whole communities of interest. It is an effective platform for testing new ideas, gathering information and growing the evidence for innovative health solutions that have real impact in the ‘real world’. It is not without its tricks and traps, but once those are taken into account, social media gives us more opportunity than ever before to support community action, and build individual awareness, knowledge, understanding and action.
We are at a point in history where there is unprecedented opportunity to make health promotion everyone’s business by using technology to reach the general population. And, if you get your message right, ordinary people will do a lot of the ‘heavy lifting’: sharing, liking, re-tweeting and generally promoting your message. Social networking services, such as Facebook, blogging, video sharing, mobile phone applications and the use of gaming technology, enable us to engage with people anywhere and any time – a depth and breadth of engagement unimaginable even five years ago. However, social media’s enormous potential conceals the critical challenge in harnessing it for health promotion. Getting it right requires a very specific approach to engagement. The fact is that one-way messages just don’t work in the fully engaged digital world. Today’s switched on audiences are more than passive, uncritical recipients – or repeaters – of a message. They expect, and even demand, a two-way conversation.
03
Social media and illicit drug use:
challenges and benefits for individuals and service providers The growth in online communities has been vast but unsurprising. Social networks expand the human desire to communicate with friends, family and those with similar interests. They are also increasingly being used by people seeking information about particular health issues. These issues can include alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. Studies of social media use and AOD concerns have usually coalesced around two main themes: alcohol and young people. While such studies are useful, collectively they may contribute to a perception that these are the only frames of reference for considering social media use in an AOD context.
Challenges of public discussion of illicit activity Discussion of illicit drug use, including the sharing of peer experiences, advocating for drug policy reform, and providing information about harm reduction, treatment and recovery, is a common activity across most social media platforms (and age groups). A wide range of sites, groups and hashtags are dedicated to the discussion of one or more drug types. However, concern among individuals and service providers about privacy, including concern about potential liability for social media postings, is also common. When ReGen surveyed AOD service users about their social media use, they consistently reported concerns about privacy. However, almost as consistent were reports that they discuss their own AOD use on social media. This conundrum, and its implications for users of social media, is one that requires more comprehensive study. Research, such as that conducted by Dr Monica Barratt at the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI), has begun to explore the finer detail of the interaction between people’s substance use and their social media and other online activity. It has also demonstrated the potential that social media holds as a point of access for ‘pre-contemplative’ users who would otherwise be unlikely to have contact with AOD researchers or service providers.
Opportunities for service providers The Global Drug Survey (www.globaldrugsurvey.com – shown on left) and Drugs Meter (www.drugsmeter.com) initiatives demonstrate the capacity of web-based and social media approaches to integrate research, harm reduction and treatment access for new target groups. Of particular benefit is the potential for such approaches to support earlier interventions that prevent the escalation of AOD-related harms to the point at which people traditionally seek assistance from treatment services. Improving the accessibility of evidence-based harm reduction information and treatment interventions is, potentially, a significant benefit of social media engagement that must be considered by the Australian AOD sector. While young people are not the only ones engaged in these online communities, the increasing prevalence of the ‘digital native’ has clear implications for future service planning. If service providers are not suitably prepared to respond to the growing cohort of people for whom web-based approaches are their preferred method of contact, we may undermine the effectiveness of any future developments in treatment planning and delivery. Ray Stephens is the Online Project Leader at UnitingCare ReGen. Paul Aiken is ReGen’s Evaluation and Communications Team Leader.
04
Building an online community from a member’s perspective Trust
Customer-centric
If I’m a member of your community, I need to trust you before I’ll do what you ask of me. Trust is about making small agreements and keeping them. This is crucial in any relationship and building an online community is no different. When I started my own Hello Sunday Morning (www.hellosundaymorning.org) blog, I promised my readers that I would share a blog every Sunday for the year. I did that, even when I didn’t feel like it. When people see that you do what you say, it builds trust in what you have to say and to offer, and this translates into a positive relationship where both sides listen and act. Great things take a lot of energy to build over a long period of time. There are a lot of dreadful websites out there in the AOD field that no one uses because the funds ran out on the person who was responsible for building that trust. And once it’s gone, it’s really gone. So, be there for the long haul or get behind someone that will.
When it comes to alcohol and other drug services, your customer is not the person funding you. The number of websites and the amount of information that focuses on exploring the problems that governments experience with drugs and alcohol, rather than concentrating on the problems that people who use drugs experience every day, is mind-boggling. For example, if I’m your average binge drinker, I’m not going to associate my drinking with issues such as rape or violence or anything like that, even if some of these things have impacted me or people I know, because I will frame my drinking in a positive way that supports my lifestyle choices. However, if you present me with an argument that resonates – losing weight, feeling better about my life or not losing friends when I change – I am more inclined to listen and to act.
Another aspect that is critical to building trust and the success of online communities is authenticity. If you are trying to set a standard, you keep it. If I’m a member of your community, I want to be able to read about your life and how you use alcohol or drugs – authentically. I want to know that there is a real person on the other side asking me to change. I want to see their change, because if that is not there, forget it.
rst Listen fi
Keep promises
Be simple
Write like a person
Blog often
Keep it simple Have just one or two simple things that you ask. Don’t try to change every part of my life. Just focus on one or two little things – the things that will make the most difference. Chris Raine is the Founder and CEO of Hello Sunday Morning, an online platform and blog supporting individuals to take a break from alcohol.
Build trust
Be consistent
Keep the momentum
05
Lessons learned from a Facebook campaign In 2012 the Australian Drug Foundation ran a campaign to inform young people and parents of the risks associated with cannabis use. Facebook was used to assist in communicating this message and to provide a vehicle for young people to add content.
This was my first experience using Facebook in a campaign and I learnt some valuable lessons about the difficulties of communicating a specific message in a shared environment. While the interactive nature of Facebook makes it an ideal platform to have a conversation, it also allows other users to alter the course of the campaign or distort the message, whether intended or not. Despite these drawbacks, Facebook is now one of the communication tools that I will consider using again in some circumstances, and that I will recommend to others for future campaigns. Here are some of the key lessons that I have learned:
Be clear about why you are using Facebook Facebook was chosen because it was already being used by our target audience and it provided a platform to run an interactive competition.
Make sure you have the right resources and skills Like any service, if people do not receive a response in the expected timeframe, they are unlikely to return. Facebook is no different. Additional support was brought in to help develop targeted messages, and to monitor the page and ensure that queries were responded to promptly. This often meant monitoring the page until 11.00 pm.
Post regularly Before the campaign commenced, a schedule of content was developed for the page. However, it was flexible enough that when issues arose through feedback, questions or in the media, we could adjust our messaging to keep it current and relevant. We also adjusted the times that content was posted on the page as the campaign developed to better align with the online habits of the target audience.
Provide a reason for people to visit and share your page A competition was run that required entrants to post content on Facebook and others to vote for their favourite entries. This incentivised our audience to share their entry and drive others to the page.
06
Don’t be afraid to break the ’rules’ occasionally Many of the social media best practice guides recommend organisations allow their community to self-moderate. However, self-moderation is difficult to achieve for a short-term campaign, because a strong community has not yet been built. In this case, a small group of people were found to be regularly posting calls for the medical use and legalisation of cannabis. These people were not the target audience and their comments did not relate to the campaign. We also suspected that the subjects they were discussing were intimidating the target audience of young people, so we decided to remove the ability to comment on our Facebook page. People who did want to discuss the legalisation of cannabis and related issues were encouraged to take up the debate through the ADF Facebook page. Young people were invited to engage with the campaign page by ‘liking’ the content, posting a private message that only the ADF could see, visiting ADF’s Somazone website that enables young people to ask anonymous questions, or navigating through to supporting material. Once the comments were turned off, we saw a huge increase in ‘likes’ to the page.
Invest in paid advertising Different types of paid Facebook advertising were used to help promote the page throughout the campaign. Live monitoring allowed us to manipulate the advertising by discontinuing the ineffective ads and increasing those that were successful.
Plan a strategy to continue engagement with the audience after the initial campaign During both the campaign planning stage and the actual campaign, many discussions took place about what the next steps would be for our Facebook page when the campaign concluded and how we could continue engaging with the audience we’d gained. The campaign was successful despite some setbacks along the way, and it highlighted some important lessons about the use of social media. In particular, as Dr Nicholas Carah the author of the Prevention Research paper: The social media prescription for better health explains, there are clear reasons why social media can help promote messages around alcohol however more research is needed about its place as a tool for communicating messages around illicit drugs. Cindy Van Rooy is Program Manager at the Australian Drug Foundation
07
08
Moderating and managing healthcare communities and social media campaigns Health promotions rely on offering evidence-based advice. So, how does this work in online communities and social media environments where user-generated content, and peerto-peer recommendations and advice are sought? Online community management and moderation is essential to navigating this new area for health practitioners and providers. There are three vital steps to good online community management: 1. Define the community objectives and create participant guidelines to safeguard community interests (including regulatory and organisational obligations). 2. Use consistent moderation of the community to set the right tone. Enforce guidelines but also highlight positive behavior. 3. Value and encourage peer-to-peer interaction.
1. Community objectives It is important to identify online objectives at the outset as this will help to define community guidelines, which are essential in a social media space. Is your aim to reach as many as possible? To have in-depth conversations with a few? To refer people to professional support? All these objectives can be tracked and measured.
2. Consistent moderation The interactive nature of online communities means there is a risk that visitors may post content that infringes the community’s guidelines or health promotion regulations. However, peer-support and dialogue play an important role in communicating healthcare messages and, with effective moderation, this information can be shared, discussed, reinforced and promoted by participants. Moderation does not always mean deleting content - it is also important to respond to, and correct, potentially misleading information. Moderation helps shape the dialogue, which can be enriched by highlighting great user content. As well as reacting to comments or content, moderators should proactively shape the tone and culture of the space, and foster a safe and welcoming environment. It is vital to encourage selfgovernance, such as feedback, reporting of issues by members, and members telling others what is, and isn’t, acceptable in the community. It is also beneficial to create a culture where it is the norm for members to support an opinion with a fact, link or source. For example, fact sourcing is actively encouraged in parenting communities where visitors often discuss medical issues surrounding birth, babies and children.
3. Peer-to-peer interaction As part of our service, Quiip works with ReachOut.com; a youth mental health organisation, as well as The Line; a federal government youth initiative about respectful relationships, underpinned by an objective to reduce domestic violence against women. With ReachOut.com our team provides out-of-hours community management assistance for the moderators of their peer support online forums for Australian youth. Because of the nature of peerto-peer interaction, ReachOut.com does not promote advicegiving in this context. To create the right environment, moderators quickly respond to new posts with supportive and empathetic comments, expressing an understanding of what the member is experiencing. This encourages other community members to
respond similarly - providing support, sharing experiences and suggesting actionable help, but not offering advice. Moderators also provide links to published articles both on ReachOut.com and externally (including fact sheets, help lines and support groups). In this circumstance the visitor is seeking peer support and dialogue as much as factual information. While there has been a shift in the way healthcare campaigns are delivered, the foundation for health promotion will always be evidence-based advice. Peer-to-peer interactions can be supplemented by providing community members with a phone number to access individual and personalised advice, or by providing a link to a single source of truth, such as information on the websites of industry bodies or journals, government publications or other reliable sources of information.
Conclusion Australians are some of the most active social network users in the world - with an astonishing 11.5 million Facebook users. Navigating social media for health promotion is challenging, however with effective community management health practitioners and providers can reach their audiences and the platform can provide great benefits to the health industry. This management involves setting objectives and guidelines for the online community, moderating the community to set the right tone and culture, and valuing peer-to-peer interactions. Social media also provides the platform for other beneficial exchanges: • Professionals can network online across borders and time zones to share and advance their knowledge. • Patients can provide each other with the emotional support needed to survive daunting medical diagnoses by sharing experiences. • Practitioners and patients alike can make use of online reviews and recommendations to find the best services and products. • Organisations can use this channel for advertising, marketing and communicating.
Social media presents us with so many opportunities, and the advantages far outweigh the manageable risks. Alison Michalk is CEO and Community Manager at Quiip – an Australian-based organisation offering social media moderation and online community management services.
09
How to create a good app Keep it simple
The health and pharmaceutical sector, like all others, is undergoing a multidimensional tech-tonic (clever, yes, thank you) shift as a result of new and emerging mobile technologies. Common healthcare methods, clinical behaviour, medical consulting and systems globally are being improved and evolved through the use of interconnected mobile platforms. And the benefits can be as relevant to the bottom line as they are to overall patient wellbeing.
Too many apps and websites try to do too much. We all want to be able to pick up an app and intuitively understand how it works. In healthcare, or in a clinical setting where maximising time and efficiency is always a factor, a clunky user experience will result in a product that is simply not used.
Aesthetics matter Despite what is said, the majority of people judge a book by its cover. Intelligent use of screen transitions, smooth animations and stylish design components make a huge difference. Ideas that sit in the clinical realm where trust is paramount need to be particularly cognisant of this, as a clean, clever design will reflect important clinical brand values and help develop confidence in the product.
Just because you can, does not mean you should
To ensure that your digital eHealth solution is as userfriendly, marketable, useful and potentially profitable as you envisage, there are a number of issues to consider before embarking on the operation.
There are always many additional features and content that can be ‘thrown’ into apps and websites and often developers do just that. However, keeping your digital assets easy to use and hastening their passage to market sometimes means leaving things out – and slowly phasing in functions and content if necessary in future versions.
What is the best device for the idea? Is the idea appropriate for phone or tablet or both? Some visually rich app ideas better lend themselves to tablet executions, and are less relevant for phones. The choice of platform really depends on the insight behind the idea and the user’s needs.
Your View
subscribe
Readers are invited to submit articles to Prevention in Action. Subscribe to the DrugInfo Alert for advance notice of the next topic and information on how to submit articles adf.org.au/subscribe
10
App
What can an app provide that a website can’t? People generally won’t use an app that simply replicates a garden variety website. Apps should do something that websites cannot. The best apps take advantage of functional features of mobile devices, such as the ability to record, send direct real-time communications, accurately assess a user’s location, access other apps and information within the user’s phone, and more.
Where will people be? There is little point providing functionality in an app for tasks that are better executed via a computer. Think about where patients, doctors, pharmacists or healthcare professionals will be using the product and how it integrates into regular workflows and behaviour.
Blood Alcohol Calculator (BAC) with Dexterity Test 0 out of 5 stars Release date: 17 July 2011 Cost: Free Creator: Appy Guys LLC Review date: 4 April 2013
ProjectProject have experience in digital products for the healthcare sector, having worked with SmilingMind. com.au as app and website consultants and having built a variety of other health sector products, including the recently launched PicSafe Medi app (picsafe.com – secure mobile clinical imaging system).
This app asks four questions to calculate your approximate blood alcohol content (BAC). First, choose your sex – that’s pretty simple. Second, enter your weight, in pounds mind you, which isn’t an easy conversion for Australians under 50. Third, honestly now, enter how many drinks you consumed. Fourth, enter over what time period (hours). At no time does the app ask you what type of drinks you consumed. The dexterity test provides four coloured squares and asks you to repeat the sequence as it flashes and plays a different sound for each colour. It’s quite annoying. If you hit the wrong colour you are admonished with, ‘Pretty lame, try again’. In all seriousness, the designers clearly state that the app is for entertainment purposes only. However if you want to measure your BAC, don’t try this one at home. Available in iTunes.
Chris Gillard is CEO and Creative Director of ProjectProject, which specialises in building brands, apps, websites and businesses.
The Australian Drug Foundation reviews alcohol and other drug apps on adin.com.au. You can suggest an app to be reviewed through the website.
Allow for the future ProjectProject always take a phased approach to building apps. If there are multiple functions that ‘should’ be in an app, it is often better releasing a product faster, with core functionality (known as Minimum Viable Product) and subsequently taking in feedback and iterating. This results in a cheaper product that is faster to market.
Australia’s leading alcohol and drug search directory AN INFORMATION SERVICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN DRUG FOUNDATION
ADIN.com.au 11
Alcohol & Drug Information
The Australian Drug Foundation
We provide information and resources on a range of topics for allied health and youth workers, clinicians, teachers, students, parents, people who use drugs, policy makers, workplaces, local governments and sports clubs.
We are a leading source of evidence-based information and resources about alcohol and other drugs. Since our creation in 1959, we have advocated for change, which has impacted on minimising harm caused by alcohol and other drugs in our society. We are creating strong, healthy communities through: education and support for parents and young people, and extending our reach into sporting clubs and workplaces.
Visit www.druginfo.adf.org.au Call 1300 858 584 Email druginfo@adf.org.au
The Prevention in Action publication is supported by the Victorian Government
Stay informed twitter.com/AustDrug linkedin.com/company/australian-drug-foundation facebook.com/AustralianDrugFoundation audioboo.fm/AustDrugFoundation adf.org.au/subscribe
Healthy people. Strong communities.
Alcohol and drug information Community programs Policy and advocacy Workplace services
Australian Drug Foundation Level 12, 607 Bourke Street Melbourne PO Box 818 North Melbourne Victoria Australia 3051 Phone 03 9611 6100 Fax 03 8672 5983 adf@adf.org.au www.adf.org.au ABN 66 057 731 192 Disclaimer The Australian Drug Foundation has used its best endeavours to ensure that material contained in this publication was correct at the time of printing. The Australian Drug Foundation gives no warranty and accepts no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of information and reserves the right to make changes without notice at any time in its absolute discretion. Views expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and the informants, and may not reflect the views or policies of the Australian Drug Foundation. Unless otherwise noted, images are for illustrative purposes only.
Copyright Š Australian Drug Foundation, June 2013. ABN 66 057 731 192. Content within this publication may be freely photocopied or transmitted provided the author and the Australian Drug Foundation are appropriately acknowledged. Copies of this publication must not be sold. Authorised and published by the Australian Drug Foundation, 12/607 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 3000.