Communicating Online about Healthcare....what works?

Defining "Quality" in Online Communications

Quality has many different definitions.  Definitions, or measurement criteria, for quality that might apply when assessing the quality of online communications include the number of hits, value of the content, the appeal of the site's presentation, and/or the ability of the site to engage others (i.e. number of postings to blogs).  Ultimately, I like to think that the true test of quality of any web-based communication is it's ability to add value - or produce something of value that can help indiviudals, groups, or society as a whole improve some component of health or healthcare. 

Blog vs. Twitter....do they balance each other out?

In looking at both the class blogs and other blogs on healthcare (of which ebiz states there are at least 12,000), my observations include the following:

1.  The amount of web-based blog information is seemingly limitless
2.  Twittering may be used balance out the non-stop chatter of blogging
3.  Personal opinion appears to be the basis for the information in most indiviudal blogs (including the 12,000 rated by ebiz.) 
4.  Titles matter - if you can capture the essence of your blog in the title, you have done users a service
5.  Engagement versus entertainment....many sites appear to be more focused on entertaining the user (like number the 2 rated blog "Respectful Insolence") and, like the Respectful Insolence blog, they are filled with videos of the ego-centric authors of the blog
6.  Offering a service....some of the best blogs I visited offered services to the reader/user.  For example, some offer a listing of current books, websites, etc that the authors have read along with a brief synopsis...others offered healthy recipes, etc.

Community Blogging - the real value?

If we slightly modify the criteria for quality by adding to the "value" criteria "user satisfaction" which might include both number of hits and number of responses to blogs, then true quality appears to be embedded in the sites that house Community Blogs.  Community Blogs can be defined as sites that bring together a medium-sized group of individuals to comment regularly on topics relevant to the blog theme.  The depth and breath of information (and usually also the professionalism) from individuals on these types of blogs appear to be the best.  Some of my favorites include:
Healthcare blog, diabetesmine, hospital impact, psychcentral, and julie's health club.

Is Facebook replacing the typical hospital directory?

An example of value recently appeared in a blog posting on the hospital impact blogspot, entitled Five Ways to Engage Patients with Facebook Pages.  This posting quoted the Mayo Clinic exec who claimed that at Mayo Facebook has replaced the typical hospital directory and this is how patients now search for and select their physicians.  The posting then demonstrates for physicians how they can use Facebook to create an extension for their practice. 

Funny, but after all of this review, I can't help but wonder if the analysis of the quality of online communication is really just an analysis of what might be considered in the "paper" world magazines and newspapers, just presented in a more friendly manner......