Considerations for implementing a social media presence for a public health training center or health organization

As Facebook recently surpassed one billion users, many public health organizations are still weighing the potential benefits of usage, along with implementation challenges. Newer sites like Twitter, show great promise for sharing current public health information and connecting public health workers around the world, but come with less research and examples to observe. Organizations considering these social media platforms need to balance the potential marketing and collaborative opportunities for public health workers with privacy and technical concerns. In shaping the decision to manage a social media platform, organizations must consider the demand, resources required, intended functions, as well as which platform to invest their time and efforts. This presentation will highlight the culmination of a three-staged research project documenting a case focusing on the decision–making process of a public health training considering social media implementation. Stage one focuses on initial thoughts, knowledge, and concerns of the major stakeholders. Stage two considers the potential of a formal presentation, showing examples of social media uses in public health as well as an overview of positive and negative considerations for social media, as a change agent for these stakeholders. Stage three concludes with a survey of the original stakeholders, as they show how a formal training in social media helped shape their opinions heading into a decision. Ultimately, other public health organizations can go behind the scenes in witnessing the decision making process of this case organization, as well as learn more about the factors considered and debated.