Public health is in the middle of a paradigm shift.

SARS, Asian Bird Flu, H1N1 and other global pandemics are spreading more rapidly than at any time in human history because of globalization and travel.   The effects of these diseases have been severe and the public is growing increasingly concerned about their health and safety.

From these and other disease outbreak experiences, governments have learned that they need to change the way they respond to these new health threats.

Their clinical responses need to be more coordinated, flexible and scalable.  However, just as important, governments need to communicate in new and innovative ways to inform their publics and enable people to make informed choices about protecting their health.

Social media provides agencies with powerful new ways of leveraging social networks to spread health information to members of the public and other stakeholders.  Tools like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Blogger can help forward-looking governments to proactively take critical health advice to “where people are” on social media rather than leaving people to find information on their own – often from inaccurate or unreliable sources.

That’s why the Public Health Agency of Canada decided to work with Ascentum to design and build a strategic social media presence.

The results have been nothing short of powerful.  In a matter of weeks, 1000s of Canadians become “fans” of the Agency on Facebook, receiving real-time updates on H1N1 when they most needed it.  Others have used the Agency’s innovative H1N1 Information Centre to share personalized information on the virus.  And, the Agency has recently launched the first branded YouTube channel of any government organization in Canada.

We’re proud of the Public Health Agency of Canada for their passion for using social media and are proud of what our partnership with them has been able to achieve.  By having personalized health advice shared through their social networks, Canadians are able to make more informed decisions to protect their health.

Keep reading to learn more about Ascentum’s social media services for the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Social Media Strategy

Ascentum worked with the Public Health Agency of Canada to create its first social media strategy.  In fact, this was one of the first social media strategies developed by any Government of Canada organization.

It’s easy to start using social media; it’s harder, but more important, to design an appropriate strategy for how your organization wants to use social media.  Ascentum helped the Public Health Agency of Canada think strategically about how to get the most out of its social media approach.

Together, we spent time thinking carefully about who the Agency wanted to engage through social media, for what purposes, on what issues and involving which tools.  The strategy also allows them to gather data and measure success.

Facebook Information Centre

Ascentum and the Public Health Agency of Canada understood that, with over 12 million Canadians as active users, Facebook presented a powerful vehicle to disseminate timely health advice to members of the public.

Using its in-depth expertise on Facebook, Ascentum designed and built a customize H1N1 Information Centre for the Agency.  This made health information available in personalized “bit size” pieces that people could share with their friend on Facebook.  There was a mini-factbook for pregnant women and another for parents of children in daycares or schools.  There were even quizbooks where people could test their knowledge of H1N1.

In addition, visitors could get regular news updates on Facebook as “fans” of the Agency’s presence or via viral messaging shared through social networks.  This has helped the Public Health Agency of Canada build relationships and grow its community.

To learn more about our social media work with the Public Health Agency of Canada, please contact us.

Some people think that Facebook is just a place for people to play and share silly status updates – not to achieve anything serious or productive….

We disagree and formed a partnership with some of Canada’s leading public affairs and media organizations to see if Facebook could be used to foster dialogue on important policy questions.

What we found through Speak Up for Change has revolutionized public participation.

Speak Up for Change was an Ascentum-created Facebook application.

It invited people to learn about Canada’s energy challenge and to decide how, if they were a decision maker, they would solve our energy problems in the future.  Beyond top-of-mind, kneejerk responses, the online Choicebook gave participants the opportunity to make the tough choices necessary to find solutions.

Hundreds of Canadians have already taken part and spoken up for change.  On the application’s Facebook page, people have stayed involved and formed part of a growing online community.  Some joined as friends or fans of the Speak Up for Change app.  Others have returned to post further thoughts, ideas, links and experiences on the application’s wall.

So, what did Speak Up for Change tell us about Facebook and online participation?

Speak Up for Change underlined Ascentum’s experience that people want to participate in dialogue on decisions that affect them.  But, they want to take part in engaging ways and involve their friends.

That’s why Ascentum used its content and creative expertise to build an application that was attention–grabbing, interactive and fun to complete.  The Choicebook experience provided people with the key facts, perspectives and arguments they needed to make an informed choice about their future.

Who says public participation cant be fun?

Speak Up for Change is an ongoing social and technology experiment.

It’s already shown the future of online public participation and demonstrated that Facebook can be used successfully as a platform to foster dialogue between people on questions that matter.

To hear more about Speak Up for Change and about what we are learning about social media and public participation, please contact us.