Still Hooked on Social Media...

 Four years after the 2009 Annual Skills Building Institute for HIV Testing and Awareness Day Events and Campaigns, I am still... "hooked on social media ". The Institute's "Using New Media in Response to HIV/AIDS" workshops were conducted by Miguel Gomez (Director, AIDS.gov and Senior Communications Advisor, Office of HIV/AIDS Policy, HHS), Michelle Samplin-Salgado (New Media Strategist, AIDS.gov), and Ian Anderson (President & COO Smart + Strong). Needless to say, the existence of AIDS.gov is essential to the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). The AIDS.gov team's presence at an April "community discussion" in Baltimore, MD was a timely reminder. April is the anniversary month of my first meeting with various AIDS.gov team members and my official "hooked on social media" moment in 2009.

Although I had been using various online media platforms since 1997 starting with SixDegrees, the very first online social networking service, I officially got "hooked on social media" at the 2009 Annual Skills Building Institute for HIV Testing and Awareness Day Events and Campaigns sponsored by NAPWA, AIDS.gov, and Smart+Strong (POZ Magazine). The Institute was a component of NAPWA’s “Mobilized to Succeed” initiative. It provided an opportunity to explore the basics and uses of new media (and social media) in response to HIV/AIDS. If you are a bit confused about "new media" and "social media", Britt Michaelian (Founder and Editor, Work Smart Mompreneurs and Work Smart Lifestyle) does a great job explaining the difference between "new media" and "social media". Professionally, the Institute mobilized me to use new media and social media tools for capacity and community building in response to HIV/AIDS. The "engagement and connecting" aspects of the social media "conversation" hooked me!

After my very first and second "tweets" at the Skills Building Institute, my comfort level increased with each Twitter conversations! In fact, my participation at the 2009 Annual Skills Building Institute for HIV Testing and Awareness Day Events and Campaigns was a major turning point in how I inform, network, connect, share, and collaborate as a member of the health service provider community. The Institute provided a powerful toolkit of new media tools which enhanced my "thinking out of the box" approach for public and community health. My passion to provide capacity building, technical assistance, and training through social media and 3D virtual worlds lead to the launching of Community HIV/AIDS Resource Exchange (CHARE) Project and Community Health Technology Resource Exchange (CHeTARE) Project in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

 In 2009, the Skills Building Institute introduced several channels for HIV/AIDS awareness and health education "conversations". In 2013, I am still engaging, connecting, and communicating with the use of new media especially social media. The learning experience in 2009 fuels my passion and guides my mission. New media (and social media) is too valuable to leave on the shelf and out of our local, national, and international response to HIV/AIDS. 

 You are encouraged to embrace relevant new and social media in your response to HIV/AIDS. Please note that an updated New Media Toolkit is now available on AIDS.gov.

Naming your Facebook Business Page

Does your organization (or business) have a Facebook Business page? Not a "Friends" page but a dedicated "Business Page". Although numerous organizations have well-maintained, informative "Business Pages", some organizations may ask "Why bother?"  

 According to the monthly, running tally of Digital Marketing Ramblings' Craig Smith, Facebook has 1.06 billion monthly active users, 680 million mobile users, and more than 42 million pages at the beginning of March 2013. So, it's No bother... It's just "good" outreach (or business) to have a presence on Facebook. Evidently a lot of people agree that Facebook Pages are effective communication channels for...  sharing information about your organization (or business); networking with colleagues and supporters;  promoting an event; announcing updates; and navigating traffic to your website. 

 If you have a Facebook Business Page or plan to create one, careful attention should be given to the first indicator of your organization's presence on Facebook... the Pages' URL address with "yourbusiness" name.  So, you should indeed... Name your Facebook Business Page Carefully and Wisely.

You should customize your Facebook Business Page with “your business” name as soon as possible. The Pages are randomly assigned a URL and number such as facebook.com/pages/yourbusiness/123456789. Although choosing a “yourbusiness” name is optional, it is highly recommended. You should brand your Page with a customized name which provides a shorter, easy-to-remember URL address to share and to promote on brochures,  business cards, websites and even your business email signature. 

Remember that you may Not be the only one thinking of a particular business name. So, don’t wait too long… you want to get "your business" name before someone else gets it. 

http://Facebook.com/CHAREproject

The requirements to customize your Facebook Business Page include: 

1. You must use only alphanumeric characters (A-Z, 0-9) or a period (.); 

2. You must have received at least 25 “Likes” before you can even assign a customized name; 

3. You can only change “yourbusiness” name once and it is Not transferable...  So, choose the name carefully and wisely.

4. The “yourbusiness” name should be as close as possible to the name of the organization, business, or person that the Facebook Page represents (i.e. CHeTAREproject, CHAREproject).
 

Read more about Usernames and Page Addresses.

CHeTARE Tech Tip: Name your Facebook Business Page Carefully and Wisely.... 
It represents your organization (or business) in the Facebook community.

Welcome to 'CHeTARE Tech Tips'

Website: CHeTARE Project

Welcome to 'CHeTARE Tech Tips', a blog designed to complement the ­­“conversations” within Community Health Technology Awareness Resource Exchange (CHeTARE) Project and Community HIV/AIDS Resource Exchange (CHARE) Project. It is hoped that this blog will help to increase the understanding of social media platforms and relevant applications within public and community health.

Website: CHARE Project

Since 2009, our interest has been centered on the integration of social media and virtual world platforms within HIV/AIDS service organizations. In 2010, CHARE Project was established to provide capacity building through social media and virtual worlds to enhance access and linkage to HIV/AIDS information and resources. In the process, it was revealed that additional technical assistance and usability training would be needed to ensure the effective use of social media and virtual world platforms.

In 2012, CHeTARE Project was created as a companion program providing technical assistance and training. While capacity building is the overall goal for both programs, the objectives of CHARE Project and CHeTARE Project are different. The primary objective of CHARE Project is to enhance access and delivery of information and resources pertaining to HIV prevention, AIDS awareness, HIV/AIDS stigma, HIV testing and related health disparities. The preferred channels to reach this objective are social media and virtual world platforms. The objective of CHeTARE Project is to increase the basic understanding of social media platforms and relevant applications within public and community health. The preferred channels to reach this objective are technical assistance and training pertaining to social media and virtual worlds. CHeTARE Project was officially launched on February 22, 2013. So excited to back at my "CHeTARE Tech Tips" desk after focusing most of my attention on real life  STI laboratory training and 3D immersive virtual world building projects.

Facebook Page: CHARE Project

You are invited to bookmark this blog, "CHETARE Tech Tips" and share your experiences with social media and virtual worlds in public and community health.  If you have a health and/or technology related blog, please feel free to share the link here.

**  Recommended Resources  **          

 Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits by Mansfie (Google Affiliate Ad) 

The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change (Google Affiliate Ad)

Social Media Directory: The Ultimate Guide to Facebook, Twitter, and L (Google Affiliate Ad)