A blog exploring pharmaceutical relationship marketing, emarketing and innovation with a focus on rare disorders.

Visit SirenInteractive.com to learn more.

Please email Frieda Hernandez for inquiries for more information.

Adventures in eMarketing

Sign up for the monthly enewsletter to receive:

  • The latest pharma and interactive trends
  • Insight into building relationships with rare disease communities
  • The latest news in health care, marketing and the internet
  • Thought-leadership you can’t afford to miss
View a sample newsletter Sign Up for
Adventures in eMarketing

#SocPharm on Twitter

socpharm twitter badge

#SocPharm is a weekly chat on Twitter about pharma marketing and social media. Read a transcript below or learn how to join in.

See past #SocPharm transcripts Learn how to join weekly
#SocPharm chats

Blog Roll

Tag Cloud

#SocPharm Tweetchat Transcript 4/28/2010

Posted by Eileen O'Brien | 4:37 pm on Wednesday April 28, 2010 | No Comments

Share this article:

:
Welcome to the marketing & social media pharma chat (#socpharm). Plse start w/intros & why u are interested in this. 4/28/2010 19:00

:
We’ll assume that all tweets within #socpharm are your own and not your employers (unless you specifically declare them).

:
Hi @ Tx for guest moderating. I’m Eileen & work at Siren Interactive. #socpharm

:
#socpharm T1 : Ning is now a pay only model. The age old question. Will this be an opportunity for Big Pharma to step in and sponsor sites?

:
I’m with Integrated Media Solutions – we’re a media agency with a strong digital team, and several pharma/health clients #socpharm

:
#socpharm I’m wondering if the community spaces have matured enough that Big Pharma dollars are seen as help and not a taint anymore.

:
@ It will depend on Ning paid benefits. What would adv. be to pharma over using other community software solutions? #socpharm

:
@ Think it depends on space. For #raredisease they are happy to see pharma dollars & support. #socpharm

:
@jilliantate I’m going to do a quick check and see if the paid benefits are any better, or just a paid version of the same Ning. #socpharm

:
Mark Applying principles of MD learning & medical education across the evolving spectrum of medical communication and promotion. #socpharm

:
Frieda Hernandez here from Siren Interactive interested in #epatients #raredisease #hcsm #fdasm #socpharm #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma HCPs want pharma to engage them directly, they want fast, reliable answers to their clinical questions not ads #socpharm

:
A quick review of the benefits shows that Ning is yet to detail what their all pay model will provide, or what the tiers will be. #socpharm 4/28/2010 19:09

:
@friedah03 Do you get paid by the hashtag? #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma #socpharm #epatientgr assume too that participation is as individuals not professionals in which case it should be declared

:
@jbselz I would add that they want solutions to problems they are having. Not brand centric but problem centric engagement #socpharm

:
Great post from @ about pros/cons of using another free service like Ning for community: http://bit.ly/bjNYqD #socpharm

:
Agree #raredisease patient happy to see pharma help & support RT @: @ #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien : Seems like #raredisease is pretty well covered by Patients Like Me, or WEGO Health already… #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien : Seems like most of the communities on Ning are loose affiliations, not necessarily #raredisease. Or am I wrong? #socpharm

:
@ I think there are gaps but fewer patients.. perhaps more need? #socpharm

:
@ : Completely agree that HCPs want to be engaged diretly. But is a sponsorship of a disease state discussion group an ad? #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma Good pt, I haven’t checked into specifics on Ning communities. I was responding to willingness to engage w/pharma. #socpharm

:
@MarksPhone I agree, physicians are focused on solving clinical problems, we see it every day with our docs on @ #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma I think Ning would be a poss. fit for starting a community, once adv. to pharma established (compliance, screening) #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien I think @ started two conv. threads – mine was more tech, yours is more true social ;) #socpharm

:
RT @: @ I agree, physicians are focused on solving clinical problems, we see it w/ our docs on @ #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma #socpharm #epatientgr it’s indirect marketing

:
@bradatpharma sponsorship is perfectly acceptable and welcome, but HCPs ultimately need more…they want real interaction #socpharm

:
@blausengroup : Hadn’t thought of that. Do #raredisease have a lot of subcategories that need specific communities for convos? #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma #raredisease patients more on Facebook, start Ning & Yahoo groups, not so much large pharma sponsored platforms #socpharm

:
No offense to Ning, I participate in a number of free communities, but pharma needs a far more robust platform & service model #socpharm

:
@ Absolutely, there are 6K #rarediseases many grouped together. #socpharm

:
@ That’s a great point – regardless of where pharma goes, pts must be there 1st. How will pts take a paid Ning? #socpharm

:
@ : I see your point now, the #raredisease groups are potentially more open to Pharma funding independent of platform? #socpharm

:
e@jbselz #socpharm HCP=healthcare providers? or else?

:
Yes! RT @: @ : #raredisease groups are potentially more open to Pharma funding independent of platform? #socpharm

:
@ yes, HCP refers to healthcare provider or healthcare professional #socpharm

:
@ : Agree that a robust platform is helpful. If communities are already there, does it make sense to try and lure them away? #socpharm

:
@ http://www.slideshare.net/DVetter/customer-problem-centric-communications #socpharm

:
@ : I know, it’s the old argument. Do you “build it and they will come” or “fish where the fish are” #socpharm

:
@ Agree, especially for HCPs where privacy and validation are important. #socpharm

:
@ #raredisease above all others understands the need for life saving medicines & treatments in my opinion #socpharm

:
@ #raredisease #socpharm what do you mean by “pharma sponsored platforms’ , aren’t you referring to socmed like FB, twitter etc?

:
@ Yes HCPs = healthcare professionals. Amazing how many acronyms we use! #socpharm

:
@ it really depends on how active the community truly is vs. the need for privacy, validation, customization, etc. #socpharm

:
Agree RT @: @ #raredisease above all others understands the need for life saving meds & trtments in my opinion #socpharm

:
I think pharma should add value, so if there is an existing community why reinvent the wheel? Why not support/expand? #socpharm

:
@friedah03 : kinda answers my Q. Are patients using free platforms to avoid Big Pharma? Will they accept sponsors to a small group?#socpharm

:
RT @: @ That’s a great point – regardless of where pharma goes, pts must be there 1st. How will pts take a paid Ning? #socpharm

:
I dont think patients are avoiding pharma, they are expanding their knowledge and understanding #socpharm

:
@epatientGR : Well. If Big Pharma found a robust Ning group that was serving patient need that’d go under b/c of the pay model… #socpharm

:
What if pharma offered security to community leaders – offered to back up & pay for community? Issue with FB = no data migration #socpharm

:
Patient groups have personalities like everyone else. My guess is you would expand any existing relationships and see? #socpharm

:
@epatientGR : Do you think that group would be open to accepting help to keep up and running. Or would they just let it die? #socpharm

:
@epatientGR That remains to be seen, I guess. Sponsorship must be unobtrusive #socpharm

:
RT @: Agree RT @: @ #raredisease above all others understands the need for life saving meds & trtments in my opinion #socpharm 4/28/2010 19:25

:
What if, in exchg for participation, pharma offered pts a self-owned solution – ability 2 manage community, migrate, archive, etc #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien I’m not sure they mean “empowered” in the same sense we do, tho they’re parallel tracks #socpharm

:
@MarksPhone thanks for the great ppt on providing customer centric solutions 4 physicians, we should talk :) http://bit.ly/cAuTDX #socpharm

:
@jilliantate Pharma cant afford to be deep into SM networks until they are protected. #socpharm

:
@jilliantate Interesting idea! Add value & help patients achieve their goals by supporting them. #socpharm

:
@MarksPhone : Curious. You think patients turn to brand.com sites for accurate information? Or each other, non Big Pharma first? #socpharm

:
@ePatientDave Probably not, but I’m hoping they offer a healthcare example. #socpharm

:
Rapidly coming to end of first topic here… where does the time go. #socpharm

:
@jbselz I will DM you later… Donna and I moving forward with this concept #socpharm

:
CRAZY!!! // RT @: Interesting idea! Add value & help patients achieve their goals by supporting them. #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien Yes, and give them security/privacy because community would have to be HIPAA compliant #socpharm

:
@askmanny Can you weigh in on the Ning challenge/opportunity? #socpharm

:
@ePatientDave What do you think of Ning going to pay model & impact on hc communities there? open to pharma help? #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma @ research shows both patients and HCPs turn to their peers first and/or each other before brand.com sites #socpharm

:
I think these groups ie Ning are patient centric communities of practice that are about improving peoples HC footprint & outcomes #socpharm

:
Thank you for all your feedback on T1. There are so many spinoff discussion I want to follow up on that one… #socpharm

:
Okee dokee. T2. Strikes closer to home for me as an employee. Social Media Listening & Engagement. Should Big Pharma outsource it? #socpharm

:
Not to change subject but awesome new network coming online next week for medical education @ www.mditv.com #meded #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma per @ data I remember seeing pts turn to both brand.com sites & social networks. #socpharm

:
I ask this because I see a lot of the outsourcing occuring with basic metrics. Show me hits. Show me volume of discussion #socpharm

:
@jbselz Hank Slotnick has done a work on How Physicians Learn and more. His work is based on Malcolm Knowles adult learning #socpharm

:
@jbselz on my web site is a white paper on physician learning www.bioc.net #socpharm

:
If you outsource social media in healthcare, very close communication required with client to be effective #socpharm

:
I think there’s too much in a finese of understanding sentiment & engaging for Listening & Engagement to be completely outsourced. #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma Listening, yes. LIke web analytics, listening requires study & practice to be truly insightful #socpharm

:
How do you think you’d manage up to execs who see it as a basic skill anybody can do? Or do you see it as a skill anyone can do? #socpharm

:
T2. Social Media Listening & Engagement. Should Big Pharma outsource it? #socpharm

:
And the crowd… goes… silent… #socpharm

:
Agree RT @: @ Listening, yes. LIke web analytics, listening requires study & practice to b truly insightful #socpharm

:
T2: For #raredisease it takes specialized understanding of disease & human intelligence (not just bots) can be inhouse or out #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma I agree engagement requires finesse & true brand voice. Authenticity very hard to fake by outsourced co. #socpharm

:
Lol RT @: And the crowd… goes… silent… #socpharm

:
Outsourcing is about capturing knowledge and can be done. What cant be done easily is the subtle analysis of knowledge #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma To be good, you have to be totally immersed in your industry and with your stakeholders #socpharm #socpharm

:
T2: My personal bias as outside agency is we do good job because we also do for a variety of brands, gain expertise #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien : I admit that I’m worried there’s also so much turnover from brand to brand that consistency of engagement is lost #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien That’s my bias too; as agency, we work at understanding how to listen & present most relevant stats/convos to client #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma It’s not a basic skill, but with training & desire/passion for it & understanding of regs, yes anyone could do it. #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien : Even in my experience. I’m being refocused, have to let go of my network in one disease; make new one in another #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien No clue, sorry. Not much of a Ning user! However, in socmed in general, pay=fail! #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma You mean brand manager turnover? Or within agencies? #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma I agree engagement requires finesse & true brand voice. You must be open, transparent and disclose all affiliations #socpharm

:
@MarksPhone : I’ll be lifting that language if you don’t mind. I like that phrase “subtle analysis of knowledge” #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma I think the key for SM and big pharma is to place SM squarely in the middle of a good strategy. SM is tactical #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma Why would you want to do in-house? Wouldn’t it be expensive? Also would not leverage learnings across brands/co #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma LOL my wife thinks I am a clown sometimes. She is a creative director. #socpharm

:
RT @: awesome new network coming online next week for medical education @ www.mditv.com #meded #socpharm

:
@ : Given the corporate mindset that any customer interaction is the same, have you seen examples of good or bad outsourcing #socpharm

:
@jbselz : Conversely, have you seen good or bad implementations of Social Media engagement or listening that have stayed in-house #socpharm

:
@RobRenjilian : A recent article in PM360 reports on learning from #hcsmeu where the model of internal Social Media *can* work. #socpharm

:
@RobRenjilian And while it may be expensive, done right and well, it can leverage learnings across brands potentially better. #socpharm

:
@RobRenjilian : Of course, I may just be full of myself and my employer’s abilities to have good people… #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma yes, we have seen both good and bad examples of outsourcing, happy to share but prob best to chat offline :) #socpharm

:
we need to think of SM community of practice for patients. They learn from each other and Pharma can learn from those experiences #socpharm

:
RT @: Not to change subject but awesome new network coming online next week for medical education @ www.mditv.com #meded #socpharm

:
@jilliantate Agencies (hopefully) are good at also developing the insights from the listening, not just reporting data! #socpharm

:
@eileenobrien : I’m thinking a lot of Brand Manager turnover may be downside to trying to keep Listening or Engagement in-house #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma it depends how you define “in house”, would this include agency support vs. outsourcing the program to a vendor #socpharm?

:
Agree RT @: I’m thinking a lot of Brand Manager turnover may b downside to trying to keep Listening/Engagement inhouse #socpharm

:
I think you outsource the tech data gathering and you set analysis and message strategies bring the rest in house #socpharm

:
@jbselz : It would include agency support… yeah… but would mostly be run by corporate comms and brand managers IMO #socpharm

:
RT @: @ key for SM & big pharma is to place SM squarely in the middle of a good strategy. SM is tactical #socpharm

:
@ don’t disagree. Just think an intergrated agency partner could offer broader insight & value w/ a depth of knowledge #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien Well, yes, I was trying to imply finding the stories & insights & recommendations from data #socpharm

:
@MarksPhone : My concern is that by bringing outsourcing into the mix, the corporate powers will relegate SM to a low value tactic #socpharm

:
(scribbles notes furiously from @ @ @ @ @ … wait… this is all archived) #socpharm

:
RT @: @ don’t disagree. Just think an intergrated agency partner could offer broader insight & value w/ a depth of knowledge #socpharm

:
When I was on client side sometimes sr leadership would ignore idea, when consultant broached same idea seen as brilliant! #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma I c that every day. What you learn needs to be integrated into brand strategy with outcomes it can deliver: I hope #socpharm

:
Active #socpharm group tonight! I’ll be posting transcript to Socialpharmer — a NING site BTW.

:
@jilliantate : Data is my shiny friend. I love the reports. But I’m seeing people not grokking SM b/c “the agency can just do it” #socpharm

:
Don’t underestimate instant access to CEOs & decision makers Great ppt by Altimeter http://bit.ly/Gf9aP #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien : Hmmmm…. maybe you could blog about the pay structure and tiers when it flips on you #socpharm

:
@epatientGR Nice #meded site www.mditv.com. Tell us more #socpharm

:
RT @: @ I c that every day. What you learn needs to be integrated into brand strategy with outcomes it can deliver: I hope #socpharm

:
RT @: Active #socpharm group tonight! Ill be posting transcript to Socialpharmer — a NING site BTW. #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien : OMZ, the “at least we didn’t think of it here” phenomenon. It’s painful how many times we see that in SM. #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma agencies are become less insightful over time. Not sure why. Fear? But small brands can show success w/new ideas #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma in that case, yes, i can pt you to engagement examples run in house, one has been going strong for 10 yrs #socpharm

:
small brands can have life breathed into them with these ideas and great strategies #socpharm 4/28/2010 19:56

:
@bradatpharma Are those people who fail to grok SM also failing to be hands-on in other areas – lack of general curiosity? #socpharm

:
Okay. WInding down. Awesome conversations as always. I learn so much from you guys it’s not even funny. #socpharm

:
RT @ @ Nice #meded site www.mditv.com. Tell us more #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien #socpharm #epatientGR if I understand correctly this convo is about only/mainly Ning patient communities?

:
@ while the site I’m referring to may not be as flashy as more recent ones, “social media” isn’t a brand new concept #socpharm

:
@ Personal bias as someone who works for interactive agency, I think many smaller agencies are still insightful. #socpharm

:
@ : I might be using part to whole logic to answer that – but I’ve seen a general lack of curiosity in multiple places. #socpharm

:
RT @: RT @: 33 Charts: @ and the Rise of Online Health Programming http://bit.ly/dgiCAl #socpharm

:
@epatientGR No #socpharm tweetchat is about different pharma marketing/sm topics. The 1st topic we were talking about was Ning.

:
@jbselz : We should definitely connect on that example. Give me a sense of what the heck “good” even looks like. #socpharm

:
And the bartender shouts “Last Call”. Huge thanks to @ for letting me have the keyboard tonight. #socpharm 4/28/2010 20:00

:
@bradatpharma I always tip my bartenders well! Thanks SO much for guest moderating #socpharm tonight.

:
@bradatpharma Lack of curiosity is a much bigger problem to start with – outsourcing isn’t a substitute for involvement! #socpharm

:
@mkmackey Thanks for the MDiTV info #socpharm

:
To paraphrase a genius, I’m just happy there are people out here who are willing to spend time tweeting with me on these topics. #socpharm

:
@bradatpharma sure, we can definitely chat, just shoot me a dm…and thanks for hosting a great discussion tonight! #socpharm

:
Again, I forget the #socpharm hashtag when thanking @ and @

:
Hope many of you can join #socpharm again next Wed night at 8 pm EST. Thanks everyone for a lively conversation.

:
Tru dat // RT @: Lack of curiosity is a much bigger problem – outsourcing isn’t a substitute for involvement! #socpharm

:
Definitely let us (MDiTV) know any ideas for how to implement these ideas…we could do a news seg on it. #socpharm #socpharm

:
@MarksPhone #socpharm #epatientGR #hcsmeu how all these engagement strategies apply in Europe? I feel you are mai… http://twishort.com/aat7p

:
@ Thanks! Rocking host!!! #socpharm

:
great #socpharm conversation tonight, thanks for the terrific insights on community and engagement. see everyone next week! 4/28/2010 20:06

:
@epatientGR : Most of my topics *are* US focused. The hazard of bringing in #hcmseu to US SM is EU privacy as a rate limiting step #socpharm

:
@ #socpharm #epatientGR #hcsmeu it has nothing to do, socmed is for digitally literate who hv free time

:
@epatientGR : Obviously, diseases don’t know national boundaries. Regulatory agencies try their darndest to enforce them, tho. #socpharm

:
@epatientGR We’re talking about pharma employees who aren’t curious about SM, not patients. Agree, sm for digitally literate. #socpharm

:
RT @: @ Lack of curiosity is a much bigger problem to start with – outsourcing isn’t a substitute for involvement! #socpharm

:
@marinic I believe it! Pfizer just took down the block on Facebook so they could launch their own Facebook page. #socpharm

:
@EileenOBrien #socpharm #epatientGR believe it or not, hv also met phrma employees saying their companies dont allow socmed in the office

:
2 cents on the end of free Ning from @ – the #epatient who literally wrote the book on it! http://bit.ly/bXJp9u #socpharm #hcsm 4/28/2010 20:58

About Eileen O'Brien

Eileen has more than 16 years of digital healthcare marketing experience. She is an opinion leader on social media, and has been invited to speak at industry conferences and quoted in publications. As @eileenobrien she moderates the #SocPharm tweetchat the first Wednesday of every month at 8 pm ET which discusses pharma marketing and social media. She can also be found on Google+.

View other posts from Eileen

Share this article:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Post a comment:

Twitter Users
Enter your personal information in the form or sign in with your Twitter account by clicking the button below.

Recent Posts