In past issues of Avatar, we’ve documented some of the productive and user-friendly features of Mozilla’s Firefox Web browser; however, Google Chrome is positioned nicely to get their share of this space. With the recent rollout of Google Chrome 12, Google has also put forth a strong marketing campaign in the form of this video: http://hcp.lv/luk7Kr. Go ahead, take a minute to watch it. read more…
Share on Facebook
The announcement of Osama bin Laden’s assassination was one that reverberated throughout the United States and even across the world. It was also one of those moments that inspired many to take to the social sphere and weigh in with their thoughts on the situation. If you happened to catch your Facebook or Twitter feed during the moments that followed the announcement, then you know exactly what we’re talking about. But it also provided an interesting social media case study in the days that followed. read more…
Share on Facebook
Physicians aren’t the only ones going mad for mobile. As cell phones, iPads, iPods, and other mobile devices continue to dominant the nation’s tech-crazed population, it only makes sense that consumers are taking to text messaging for their health alerts. read more…
It’s no surprise that physicians have taken to Apple products. If you haven’t seen any stories explaining the love affair between physicians and iPads then you haven’t had Internet access for some time. read more…
Share on Facebook
According to Ernst & Young’s Annual Global Pharmaceutical Report, the pharmaceutical industry’s investment in social media platforms and wireless devices have grown 78 percent. This is no surprise given the sheer popularity of apps in general, especially to those who enjoy their mobile devices. When talking about the health care industry, there are many ways in which an app can have a positive impact on a patient or physician; they can come in the form of medication trackers, patient diaries, disease and medical calculators, drug-drug interaction directories—the list can go on and on. The pharmaceutical industry is really starting to see the power that these types of tools can provide, and the truth is that the practicality of existing apps have really only begun to touch the surface. read more…
Share on Facebook
After many months of bug testing (and what seems like years of preparation), Mozilla has finally released the much-anticipated Firefox 4, a Web browser that is poised to change the way you experience the Web. read more…
Share on Facebook
Social media represents a veritable bevy of endless opportunities for pharmaceutical companies to connect with patients who are already using the Web to find health care information. The caveat here is that the FDA withholds the right to lay down the hammer if pharma companies aren’t careful in how they utilize this medium. And if you’ve been paying attention to all the noise in this space, you know that the FDA has reprimanded multiple drug companies over the past 12 months. The general gist of things right now is that some social media widgets and tools that can be placed on websites are off limits because they fail to call attention to necessary risk information about certain drugs/products. The FDA was supposed to have laid out some rigid rules and regulations by the end of 2010, but that obviously did not happen. In their latest official statement, the FDA has announced that the first quarter of 2011 will be the earliest that it would lay out social media guidelines for pharmaceutical companies. read more…
Share on FacebookThese three resources always come in the form of a video, podcast, and bonus resource. Here’s this month’s edition of “Watch, Listen, Learn.” read more…
Share on Facebook
As mentioned in several previous issues, Reddit is an online resource that can really help you stay on top of the latest news and information if you know how to use it. Spending a little time familiarizing yourself with this site and customizing it to your needs will help ensure that you stay in the know on the latest health news that impacts your industry. While you’re there, you may even find discussions about some of your brands. Being able to monitor some of those conversations may help you better understand the market. Considering that Reddit just recently broke the billion-page-views-per-month barrier (http://hcp.lv/dNpGne), chances are that you will find something on the site that pertains to your industry or company. With that in mind, here are some add-ons and tools that can help you streamline your Reddit experience: read more…
Share on Facebook
Trolling is a term used on the Internet to describe someone who “posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion” (see more about trolling on Wikipedia at http://hcp.lv/fDWCs2). In short, trolls are people who have nothing to better to do with their time than to rile up people in discussion groups online behind a veil of anonymity. Chances are that you have run into a troll before, and if not, it’s really just a matter of time. And if you are speaking officially online as a representative of your company, interacting with and responding to trolls must be handled very delicately to preserve you organization’s image and integrity. ClickZ, the marketing news and expert advice website, recently put together a handbook for dealing with trolls. read more…
Share on Facebook
