Telling your health story with Instagram
When I first heard the rumblings that yet another mobile social media platform had launched into the market, I was somewhat sceptical. But I have learnt a lot more about Instagram since. I now know that it boasts around 100 million users and after some research, have found that the free, instant photo-sharing app (now…
PR hits its straps in a changed science and health news environment
The general contraction of media and journalism has led to the loss of hundreds, if not thousands of journalists and it’s a continuing trend. This haemorrhaging of writers worldwide has been particularly brutal in science and health journalism. Conversely there is now more pressure for journalists to create more ‘news’ content than ever. So as…
Healthcare providers and patients come together online
Following on from last week’s blog about good tweeting, VIVA! Communications thought we’d continue the discussion about healthcare and social media. We stumbled on an article from online publication, thesocialmediahat.com in which they cited some research undertaken by editors at a US health administration education institution into healthcare and social media. What they found was…
VIVA! Guide to Good Tweeting
Twitter has become the social media ‘tool’ of choice for the business world and this is understandable considering its worldwide appeal. In Australia alone as at June 2013 there were 2,167,849 active Australian Twitter users according to Socialmedianews.com.au. The platform has become a huge resource and knowledge-sharing hub for all types of businesses and professionals…
Clinical trial spurs search for more Progeria children
To coincide with a new Progeria clinical trial, the campaign to locate more children across the globe living with the rare and fatal rapid-ageing condition has begun. The search is timely, as approximately 40 children from around the world travel to Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States over the next few months to take part…
Tips for setting up a successful blog
Earlier this year, VIVA staff attended a bloggers conference and overheard a great comment describing blogs as the modern-day back fence – a place to share information with your local community and be inspired by another’s way of life. We thought it was a great metaphor – even though we don’t interact much with our physical…
Don’t turn a blind eye
Eyes definitely fall into the category of human body parts that are easily taken for granted. Yet vision is integral to our day-to-day existence, we rely on it and we ought to take better care of it. Only if someone close to us develops an eye disorder that severely impairs their vision, do we actually…
The Doctor will ‘skype’ you now
In the not too distant future and in this very galaxy, you could be seeing your GP from the comfort of your own couch. GPs consulting with patients via social media! No, it’s not just a new wild idea, it’s an actual prediction put forward by the Royal College of General Practitioners in the UK.…
Measuring PR success
In today’s economic climate most companies are constantly under pressure to justify PR campaigns and programs. One of the reasons is that in some circumstances, it can be hard to document a direct correlation between a PR campaign and a tangible outcome. When a campaign is supported by both marketing and PR initiatives, it can…
Join the bowel movement!
Bowel Cancer Awareness Month (formerly Bowel Cancer Awareness Week) is well underway. Now in its thirteenth year, the initiative aims to raise public awareness of a disease that claims the lives of 77 Australians every week. According to Bowel Cancer Australia, the disease is the second most common type of newly diagnosed cancer in Australia affecting both…