Effective Use Of Social Media In Injury Prevention

Background With enough Facebook users to form the third largest country on the planet the question is not should we be using social media but rather how can we best use it. Social media is not a universal remedy for preventing injury, but it provides the opportunity for very real and untapped benefits to education, communication, and collaboration on a large-scale basis. The world of social connectedness allows for injury prevention organisations to share information, engage, ask questions, post links, videos, and much more. Methods Explore the points where injury prevention and social media intersect. Sometimes the point is with the individual and sometimes it’s with the organisations. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, provide the mechanism for organisations to share messages and engage their communities, but it is in knowing how to use these tools effectively and efficiently that make the difference between success and failure. Results Participants will learn the three golden rules to social media: (1) how to listen; (2) how to engage; and (3) how to measure. In addition learning about: defining your social media strategy; thinking about conversations instead of campaigns; crafting messages that resonate; overcoming organisational challenges; and when and who to ask for help. Conclusions Social media is today’s most transparent, engaging and interactive form of public relations. It combines real time content with authentic peer-to-peer communication. Social media is not about what each one of us does or says, but about what we do and say together, worldwide.