A beginner's guide to setting up a Facebook page for hospice. Includes the mechanics as well as Web 2.0 strategy, suggestions about HIPAA and employee social media policy as well as information on demographics and optimum use of social networking.
Original plan was to have a 3 hour Bring Your Own Laptop Pre-Conference Workshop. Couldn’t do this year, so had to condense to 1.5 hour lecture demo. Sigh. (If want a Pre-Conference, not that on your eval form!) Don’t expect that you will be able to follow all of this step-by-step. Think of this as a watercolor. Going to get an overview and see things now so when you try it yourself, you will at least recognize you are in a familiar place. Handouts won’t correlate completely to what we are doing because we are going to do a LIVE session with the lucky winner of our hospice drawing. Handouts are there, though, following the general path we intend to follow during the list demo so you can take notes. Again, if you feel lost at times, don’t be hard on yourselves. Think of this as a basic orientation to identify landmarks for future reference. It will be easier to try on your own having seen the overview of how this goes. Highly recommend you also download the reference pdf. It has super tools, more than we can cover now, to give you a leg up as you get started.
Most people think of Facebook in terms of Marketing and Sales. If you are working on improving direct from family referrals, absolutely. But there are numerous other departments that can benefit. If putting together a Facebook Task Force, be sure these departments are represented.
Most like print media: Publisher to reader Even broadcast is generally one way: Push communication Excellent way to present resources to an audience
Invite engagement. Remove barriers. Build relationships When you see a page that has text fields, radio buttons, checkboxes, this is 2-way communication. Asking for input from your viewers, and hopefully responding to it. Interactivity is the most concrete action. Means the person is committing to you in some way. Is often the way you deliver services online (exchange of information/registration,donation, purchase of merchandise…)
Instead of one publisher, anyone can publish, either by making comments to the things you say (on a blog), or by having a page of their own (e.g., Facebook, YouTube). Instead of uni-directional monologue, or bi-directional dialogue, is an open conversation: Many-to-many
Democratization: Has been considered the democratization of the Net. When Time magainze said the Person of the Year is “You” and then last year Person of the Year was Mark Zuckerberg. This is what they meant. Like we each got the power of the Gutenberg press. We each can have a presence now. Makes room for “citizen journalism” like what happened in Egypt. No power brokers mediating information. Community: Because it’s an open conversation, allows people to more easily gather in groups of like-minded folks without having the limitation of time and distance. Everyone gets a chance to speak. Plus, you get to “meet” or reach the friends of your friends, simply by observing who is connected to who. Marketing: How does this apply to marketing: No longer marketing to but rather it’s about getting people excited about your brand and as they talk about it, they are in essence marketing you to their network. Becomes a “marketing with” proposition. In fact, bald faced marketing will have people fleeing. Honest relationship: Cultural expectations and styles of communication. Expectation of the culture is transparency. You become more of a person, not just a brand. Your presence indicates you want to have a conversation with your viewers, not just talk at them. Means you need to show some spirit and personality. Also, like any relationship, you need to show commitment and stick=to=itiveness. Highly engaged: Expectation that you will check frequently and respond. That you will post regularly. (You decide how often). But you are checking because you want to respond to the viewers who bother to say things to you.
Go to Home Page and set up a PERSONAL Profile first. Although you can just go directly to Create a Page at the bottom, BUT Facebook WILL NOT INDEX YOUR FAN PAGE (put it in its search engine) unless you have a Personal Profile set up by the Administrator. You don’t have to put lots of energy into a Personal profile, and you don’t need to let people see your personal information. Facebook is simply happier if there is a person affiliated as the Administrator.
Because is a simple layout, and the same layout for everyone, allows for certain freedoms. This is the Wall. Think of it as the place where you post what you want to say. This is where most people will arrive when they get to your Fan Page Notice the number of Likes on ths side (#1). Being popular is part of Facebook success. When people LIKE you, the things you post on your Wall will appear on their Wall. This is how you leverage that social graph. Getting LIKED is one of the most important parts of having a Facebook Page. That is why they make the LIKE button so big and at the top (#2) Average # of LIKES on a Fan Page is 65. 394 LIKES is fabulous!
HH posted about a story they sent out about a celebration. They are trying to get people to subscribe to their Life is Precious stories, which they email out once a week. Links to the story and to signing up.
Someone LIKED this post, and indeed wrote back offering to bake birthday cakes for patients. HH wrote back that this was a great idea and included the name and email address of the Volunteer Coordinator and told the viewer the VC was waiting and excited to hear from her. Anyone going to this page will see this exchange. They can comment, on it themselves. Offer to help themselves. Or simply LIKE it and then people in their social network will see the post. Viral community building.
You have control over what people see on the other parts of the page, but you do NOT control what is seen in this right column. In fact, a 20 year old female will see very different things in this right hand column than a 50 year old male. These items display based on what Facebook thinks you are likely to be interested in. Sometimes they are suggesting connections of other people or businesses you might like. Sometimes it’s paid advertising space from companies that have targeted the viewer’s demographic. Unlike Google, Facebook knows who you are.
This is where you can pack the page with lots of info about you. Think of what things people might search on. Who your target audience is. Be sure to put links to your website(s) as much as possible.
Photos: Picture is worth a thousand words. Having an album lets you tell your story with pictures. Gotta love Harleys for Hospice! Be SURE you have releases. Especially true if patients or family members (HIPAA)!
Other Pages you have LIKED
Pick a Category This is important. Can’t change afterwards. Suggest a Company Page (Local business is oriented around getting retail foot traffic in. Not so appropriate. Will be more limited in the kinds of items you can add.)
Name is permanent. Will be part of your Facebook Web Address. Think carefully. May want to search ahead of time and see if there is another group with the same name.
Notice we are at a new section in upper left: Getting started (red & yellow arrow). Will walk us through Begin by uploading an image
Logo parameters are 180 x 540. (Called the Profile photo. Bit confusing, artifact from personal page) Handy to have a square component as Facebook is going to to excerrpt a “thumbnail” to put beside your posts. Going to Leave “Get Started” for this next part and click on Edit Info so we can move to Step 3. Filling in the Info page.
Basic Info Page. Highly indexed. Facebook is a giant search engine. Think in terms of keywords your target audience is likely to search on and include lots of info about those topics. Whenever possible, put in URLs early in the text. Sometimes fussy. Didn’t take them the first time I entered. Had to come back later and re-enter. To view the completed page, unfortunately, need to go a circuitous route: View Page
Pass through Getting Started and then Click on the Wall (left hand navigation).
Are on Info page (yellow arrow). Good to check to be sure you like what it says. Notice URLs appearing early. Also that some passages may be long and will have “Read More”. Want to have the most important parts appear before this (especially URLs). Sometimes fussy about URLs when first entering. But can come back later and put them in. Can change by going up to Edit Info, arrow in upper center of page. Next is to add a Photo Album. To do that, let’s go back to the Wall. (Good habit to use that as your anchor spot)
Back at the Wall, Click on the Add Photo icon in the top row
Just a tip window letting you know you can add several at once
Put captions for each photo and decide which one is going to be the “cover” of the album. (Yellow Arrow) Can publish (means will show on your Wall and all Fans will see as a status update. Or can skip the publishing part. Just creates the album, no fanfare.
Your choice if you want to add comment or not. (Notice thumbnail). Want to get back to Wall. Unfortuately, circuitous route AGAIN through Getting Started.
Click on Wall
Ready to start entering content
General demographics: Age, big determinant Patients, no Family caregivers (Boomer daughters & sons), yes Would not rule out spousal caregivers Potential employees Potential Volunteers Potential Donors
If just going to write something, no links to another website or photo, click up at Status (yellow arrow), type in what you want to say, and then click “Share” to post for public. Suggest you periodically try to start conversations by asking a question geared to your target audience.
Now it appears on your Wall. People can click “Comment” to reply.
Often want to generate connectivity by posting a link to something on your website, or on the website of another company. 80:20 rule. Recall Hospice At Home had a link to their email list form. Enter link and then click Attach
Notice Facebook added in a picture from the other website. (Can choose from thumbnails, or no picture. Picture is good, though, as it adds visual cariety. You add your commentary in the box below. 420 character limit. Click Share when ready to publish.
Can see how status update with a link shows on the Wall. Now let’s do a status update with a photo attached. Click on Photo
Click on Photo, then Upload a Photo
Choose Photo
Choose Photo
Add your commentary on the photo. Again 420 character limit. Then “share”.
Voila your photo and notes.
Non-Fan has limited ability to participate in the community. Notice Arrow at the bottom. Cannot respond to the question. Can SHARE about photo and National Caregiving Alliance, but can’t Like or Comment.
No longer has the LIKE button at the top. Can now LIKE and Comment, as well as Share Notice Fan Page now has 1 person who likes it. Average LIKES = 65 for a business
Have been looking at what you can post on your page, and how others can post on yours. But a big part of Facebook is about joining the conversation. Listening to and responding to what others are saying. Want to be sure you have your Business Hat on, so start by Changing so you are Using Facebook as Page (your business self)
Now if you will see your Business Fan Page with your logo. (and if you click Home or Profile you go to your business’ NewsFeed or Wall). One quick way to check is the upper right. If you are logged in as your Business, then it will offer you the option of going back to being your personal self (Use Facebook as Natasha)
Part of joining the conversation is seeing what your audience is saying on related sites. Can go to your competition’s to view. (I wouldn’t LIKE or Comment there). But certainly you can LIKE and Comment on the sites of Allied Businesses, where your target audience also visits. The idea is to add to the conversation in ways that generate interest in who you are and what you have to offer. So in this case. Adult Day Centers are an excellent example of a place where Family Caregivers might go. (Has 164 LIKES; this is good).
Add to the conversation. In this case, they were writing about the poetic or symbolic speech of persons with dementia. I added a link to a YouTube video about a documentary called “I Remember Better When I Paint” talking about the creative arts as viable means of expression for people who are cognitively impaired. Shows yourself as a thought leader. Is a way to share your personality.
You want people to come to see you as a resource and to LIKE you. Not that you can’t include links to your page, or say talk about your dementia program. But it’s better if they’ve gotten to know you first before your change the subject to being about you. And you want to make sure it’s relevant, a realistic response to a post, not just a drummed up reason to say “Hey, look at us!” Your Comments can be deleted and you can be UNLIKED.
We are not lawyers. Will not be exhaustive, but it was exhausting. Section that gave us the most heartburn. Kudos in particular to Susan and Liza for their excellent research in this area. Also Allison Gibson, a grad student working with Susan looking at teen use of social media for health promotion activities.
It appears that postings on an individual’s page are the individual’s property and since the individual is not a covered entity, no expectation of privacy or need for HIPAA compliance. Some thought that because Facebook and Twitter and these hosting services are not covered entities, no need for them to follow HIPAA procedures. (That said, Facebook has recently upgraded it’s privacy settings so people can more specifically delineate what level of friends can access what level of information--their wall, their address, their photos…) What if a hospital (or hospice) were to set up a social networking site of its own on its own server: For instance, an online grief support group for teens? Because it’s a covered entity that owns the hardware and has control, would need to be encrypted, password protected… What if they set up a Fan Page? The hosting service is not a covered entity, but is the fact that the page is sponsored by or “created by” a covered entity mean that HIPAA regulations are in effect? What about inappropriate comments or posts on a Wall? That’s the unknown. Facebook Group can require an agreement upon joining. But can’t necessarily enforce. If infraction, can kick the person out of the group. Also, can be set up to be secret, meaning the posts and membership do not show up on the personal profile page. But, none of this really guarantees privacy. Who knows if a member is who they say they are? Hackers can get into these spaces. Communications are not encrypted…But maybe HIPAA does not apply because it’s Facebook that actually owns the data???
You are absolutely responsible for what your staff publishes on your official site. You must take precautions PHI is anything that is unique identifiable and could be used to trace back to the identity of an individual: Name, photo, story, name of a relative, email address, voice…But even things like the name/time/place of a funeral. Have more than one person look at postings in the beginning. Need multiple perspectives.
Although these are not suit-proof, they do show an attempt to protect people from themselves.
This is a strategic decision. Will differ by the medium and the audience. Your chance to project a personality for your business (or a part of your business). What do you want it to be? Want to have a broad enough range of topics, but not so broad as to lose the interest of your participants. Think in terms of keywords or categories and rotate through them. What might people be searching for? What is of interest for your fans? If trying to reach younger employees, will be talking about working conditions and the rewards If trying to build excitement about fundraising event, say a Run to Remember, talk about races, marathons, memorials… Things that might attract people involved on that level. If trying to reach family caregivers, certainly stress, finances, specific symptoms and diseases How personal do you want to get. If you have a charismatic leader, or blogger, this is a chance to let that personality shine. There’s a hospice that has an incredible writer whose prose would bring people on the listserve to tears, he could capture the tenderness of the moment in such a compelling way. But what if he leaves, gets discredited… Some have multiple authors, both to spread the load and create a range of personalities. Not super personal, like what you had for breakfast. But a peak behind the curtains is often expected, and welcome. “A day in the life of…” Forbidden topics: Stories, photos, videos about clients unless you have permission and release Language Physician-assisted suicide Trade secrets, proprietary information Opinions/controversy/libel (Electronic Frontier Foundation: bloggers liability issues)
Should have a single coordinator in house, but can have many authoring arrangements Whoever you choose must to author: Be able to write well for he medium, produce easily and on time. (Good for the long haul) Judgment you trust within guidelines you have provided Pay for the output (per post?) Make sure it’s valued, not just heaped on an already full plate. Outsourced (PR or journalist background) Advantages: More objective, would not get defensive, used to writing for others Disadvantages: May not know company culture or see land mines on the horizon Disclaimer: Postings are not necessarily reflective of the company’s views Vetting process: Nice to have a committee the Coordinator can turn to when in doubt. Especially when responding to negative or incendiary comments, or a contribution that seems dicey in some way. Needs to be a quick process. Some options: - Note at the top any 3 rd party materials and any links - Checklist about releases for stories, photos, videos Whose baby is this? Development? HR? Volunteers? Marketing? Should legal see everything? Proofing: Try not to have poor grammar. Misspellings now and then are forgiven, but is always better to have someone proof ahead of time. Fresh eyes. Credibility issue. Time limits: Social Media can suck your time up like nothing else. Relationship oriented. Very compelling. Does require frequent monitoring/responding Set a budget of time (X min/day)
Do you really control your brand? Do you Google your business regularly, or have Google alerts set up to be notified when your company is mentioned somewhere else? What about searching blogs? Facebook? Twitter? With user-generated content, all kinds of people can be saying things about you and you don’t even know about it. Not to scare you, but you may want to start paying attention. If someone posts something on your Social Media site, it’s a great opportunity for you to respond to the issue and give it the perspective you want to have shared: Honesty and transparency. Can have an inclusion policy that will cover you ethically if you decide to delete, or not publish a post. Monitoring often will give you the shortest turn around and most notice so you can respond quickly Only on a blog can you hold a post before it’s published. Best to publish it with most of the flavor the person included, but post your response at the same time. Part of establishing a Social Media presence is setting up a response process. Perhaps all negatives go to Marketing, the CEO, a committee…Who vets the response? Grace, empathy, non-defensive. This is the human side. Authentic responses are expected, as is accountability. If there is something to apologize for, apologize. Can even ask for feedback about ways you might have handled the situation better…Great customer/community research vehicle. Can even thank people for helping to make you the truly responsive organization you wish to be.
Huge topic. Recommend Electronic Frontier Foundation: www.eff.org Rules of thumb: Obviously releases for the use of identifiers (HIPAA) but even of volunteers or others So much of the Internet and Social Media is about making connections, that linking is encouraged. If you give credit (that transparency) and link to the author or original source, you cover a lot of ground there. Can always ask persmission. Will often be flattered, welcome the link, and may in fact start a networking relationship with you! General guidelines based on “Fair Use” The less you quote directly the better (2-4 sentences rather than a whole page) Is your use in any way stealing their thunder? Could you be construed to be the author and therefore benefit from the work? More favorable if you take the work and change/add something to it (commentary, small corner of the graphic…) Becomes a creative work of your own. “Transformative use” Government materials are public domain. Our taxes paid for it. Anyone can re-publish.
Do you encourage employees to be part of the community, spark conversation, etc.? Official authors, vs. commenters. Fantastic way to harness enthusiasm, including on their personal networks. “ The disclaimer”: About personal views not necessarily the views of the company Balancing act between their freedom and a code of conduct as an employee. Remember too, young adults donot have a completely mature pre-frontal cortext until 25 years old. At same time, want to capture that enthusiasm. Guidelines help. ;-) Recommend Social Fish Employee policy Guidelines: www.socialfish.org)
Imagine when telephones first came out. The hoopla around that was full of all kinds of fear and distrust. This is an evolving media. Ithas so much potential, even to the point of possibly being a way we actually deliver care in the future. Policies should be friendly and educational. Encourage things to do as well as things to avoid. Should have accountability and a fair process for addressing consequences of an infraction. Consider talking to your liability insurance folks about your participation and finding out what coverage, if any, you need. Best to make friends with it and be part of shaping the conversation. (The conversation may be going on without you, which might be even worse!)