Attention Health Educators and Health Communicators! This is for you (us)!

Who’s happy that the weather is warming up? I know I am! Something about sunshine and getting fresh air does wonders for the mind and body.

Before you run outside to enjoy that fresh air, I wanted to talk about a passion of mine and I believe it will revolutionize the way we deal with health. That passion is something many of us engage with on a daily basis – the Internet; more specifically, the emerging social aspects of the Internet. For those of you not familiar with the term social media – let me give a brief description. Social media or new media, has to do with the relatively recent advances in the ways we are able to communicate with each other online. It consists of elements such as blogs, social networks (Myspace, Facebook) and user-generated videos (YouTube, Viddler).

Speaking of video, check this YouTube video that shows actress Jennifer Connelly helping to spread the word about the need of clean water in Africa. Now, if the video gets sent around my friends and family, how far do you think this message will go?

Those new online social tools have completely changed how we interact with each other. Now, with social online communities that are geared toward individuals battling cancer, mental illness or diabetes (www.diabetesmine.com) – the online world has effectively become a well respected and genuine place to connect with like-minded individuals and share information. It is now possible to collaborate with other public health professionals who share your same interests, even if you all are in different parts of the world! Think about the ideas that can be generated, the networking opportunities and the friends that can be made!

Let me ask you a question – the public health/health education industry is about who? Answer: the people. Messages that help reduce the risk of diabetes, prevent the transmission of HIV and even educate the next generation of superstar health professionals, can all be created and disseminated in the online spaces. I believe if more people in the health world took a serious look at harnessing the resources (and increasingly user focused) aspects of the Web and social media, we would see prolific benefits and long lasting results. So go ahead and start exploring – the opportunities are out there!