Social Media Platforms and Practices

The course of which this abstract is a part is a comprehensive, skill focused training in social media and interactive technology applied to public health. This portion of the course will explore the evolving national and international social media environment. It will place the covered social media platforms, tools and practices in the context of the socially-networked online world. The behavior of consumers, policy influencers and public health entities online will be illustrated, and the connection to improving health outcomes will be discussed. The importance of social media to the contemporary practice of public health will be documented. The exploration of six building blocks, or platforms, of social media will enable the participant to understand the opportunities and assets available to them. Case studies will show how public health is employing these practices now, and examples from other public interest sectors will also be shared. This segment will then build on this knowledge to focus on developing the skills needed to use each of these platforms to best effect, with a focus on both execution and principles of success.