| Social Networking for Doctors |
 |
| Written by Jennifer Flaten | ||||||||
| Wednesday, 01 October 2008 19:00 | ||||||||
Some consider use of a social networking site such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Plurk a fundamental tool for their business. They use it to advertise, connect and collaborate. It is a wonder that anyone has time to keep up with all of them, especially busy doctors. Many professions such as lawyers, marketers and real estate agents have their own dedicated social networking sites. And, believe it or not, so do physicians, sites such as doctorshangout.com , imedexchange.com , and sermo.com are gaining in popularity with physicians. Even the Canadian Medical Association has launched their own physicians networking site, Asklepios. Although, sites like sermo.com exist, many doctors are still hesitant of the value of social networking. This is easy to understand, considering how many items compete with each other for a physician’s time; things like reading medical journals, patient follow up and continuing education. With all these constraints on their time, it is no wonder that many doctors feel they do not have the time to spend cultivating an online profile. Yet, there are benefits to social networking on a site that is specific to doctors. Sites like sermo see online as a way to bring the doctors lounge into the 21st century. These sites are for the exclusive use of physicians. You will find only other doctors, no advertising, no spamming and no fees. Sermo.com, takes great pains in making sure that only doctors use the site. Rigorous screening maintains the integrity of the advice and knowledge base. A physician can feel comfortable describing a patient's symptoms, or uploading a picture of a patient’s unusual presentation, knowing that only other trained professionals will view it. The insight gathered from these other physicians can be invaluable. In addition, sermo often times has paying opportunities for physicians to consult with major drug companies or research institutions. There is also the fact that no one understands the demands faced by doctors better than other doctors. It is nice to have a place to go to voice frustrations, complaints and triumphs, specific to the medical community. In addition, with online networks, attendance is at the doctor’s convenience. If the only time a doctor has free to network is midnight, an online doctors lounge is available 24/7. Chances are they will find another physician that only has midnight free to social network and a connection will be made. | ||||||||
|
About the Author: Jeff Merron is a full-time freelance editor, journalist, and copywriter who has written for the New York Times Magazine, ESPN.com, Slate, Byte Magazine, Macworld, Consumers Digest, and many other national publications. He's also a regular contributor to IT Business Insider and 108, a baseball magazine. He has a Ph.D. in Mass Communication Research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
|
