If social media sinks its fangs there may not be an antedote

Facebook is a public forum. This rather obvious truth is often overlooked. Doctors who have impeccable professionalism at the office neglect to bring that same level of professionalism to their online communication. Accepting patients as social media friends and followers is a dangerous game because it leaves little room for human error.

Recently Yahoo.com ran a front and center story about an OB-GYN who in a moment of frustration posted an annoyed update about a patient's tardiness. Colleagues responded with sympathy suggesting to drop the patient. At which point the OB-GYN revealed sensitive personal information about the patient's prior stillbirth. This probably felt like a private conversation. It wasn't. It was out there and eventually it made its way to Yahoo reporters.

The doctor's actions are currently under review. It seems likely that she will escape with mild slap on the wrist. But, that does little to soothe the eroding effects of bad publicity. Who is going to request a doctor known to blab on FB?

A patient's privacy is a sacred thing and fiercely defended. However, it is not a two-way street. Doctors are provided with none of a patients protection. Bad press doesn't have to come from professional reporters. Social media fallout can be damaging enough. And the amount of license doctors have online seems to be shrinking.

We implore doctors to use their Facebook accounts (professional versions) for censored work topics only. Post about these safe zone healthcare media topics and stay away from virtual finger pointing.

• General questions related to your specialty
• Special offer promotion
• Discuss your research endeavors and academic publications
• Direct patients to helpful resources
• Promote blog posts

Big Brother is Reading Your Tweets

Photo Credit: theimaginativeconservative.org

This article posted on NPR.org is an eye-opener for doctors using social media for medical practice marketing. The information you publish on your blog or social media sites has the potential to trigger an investigation from your state licensing board. Obviously this is a big concern for physicians. And unfortunately reviews from actual board members regarding what constitutes inappropriate content is hardly reassuring. They mentioned the expected red flags; using a patient's photo without consent, posting false or misleading information, romantic involvement with patients. Other less expected red flags included placing doctors under scutiny for posting anything disrespectful about patients, even if there is no identifying information.

Posting disrespectful information is unprofessional, but worthy of an investigation? How much sway should your state licensing board have over what you can and cannot post? Tell us what you think in the comments section.

2013 SEO Trends: Rise of the Targeted Agency

Photo Credit: digitaltrends.com

We've reached the half way mark for 2013. Let's take a look at how SEO for doctors may evolve in the second half of the year.

The ever changing world of search, social and web/mobile tech is always difficult to forecast, however, a switch to targeted online marketing agencies seems to be in the works. Nigel Muir at TheDrum.com predicts that "Big media agencies will lose their hold on search marketing." He refers to "Shicklegate" as a prime indicator of why. The Shicklegate scandal started over a resignation letter tendered by an over-stressed UK account manager in which he detailed the various misdeeds of his boss. The letter went viral and the Twitter army hashtagged the exec and his boss into internet infamy.

The salacious details garnered most of the attention, but the fine print is where the effects on SEO marketing can be seen. It seems that designated account managers at some of the big agencies are being stretched dangerously thin. Their excessive workload can only equal negative neglected results for your marketing plan. An agency's name has zero relevance in SEO marketing. The only thing that matters is results and if the big boys can't deliver you may want to consider switching to a smaller more dedicated firm. With a targeted agency you can be confident that your representative is spending ample time focused on your business. They will make sure your keyword research and implementation is maximized because their success is directly tied into yours.