Blogs - eHealth Marketing
Introduction
Blogs are a very powerful and incredibly popular form of social media. A blog is a regularly updated online journal that almost anyone with an Internet connection can use. Some blogs target a small audience, while others boast a readership comparable to national newspapers. Considering the dramatic metrics of both blogs and blog readership and the personal connection the blogosphere provides, we’ve reached out to blog writers to share information, messages and communication techniques to prevent and control flu and in response to the Virginia Tech tragedy. We’ve also started a blog on health marketing, called Health Marketing Musings.
Blogs at CDC
- "Health Marketing Musings" — by Jay Bernhardt, Director, National Center for Health Marketing
- NIOSH Science Blog — from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- NCIPC "Director's View" — by Ileana Arias, Director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
- NCHHSTP Director's blog — by Dr. Kevin Fenton, Director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
- Heightened National Response Web Community Blog — discussion of strategies, best practices and outreach initiatives as they relate to the Heightened National Response to the HIV/AIDS Crisis among African Americans
Selected Projects
Webinars for Bloggers
CDC recently hosted a webinar for "mommy bloggers." CDC health communication specialists and seasonal flu subject matter experts met online with mommy bloggers to discuss basic information on seasonal flu and share research on key messages that have been proven to motivate people to get vaccinated. In participating in this exercise, CDC hoped to educate and empower mommy bloggers to spread the word, not the flu. In total, seven mommy bloggers participated in the event and six wrote about flu vaccination, including a blogger of one of the top 500 blogs on the web at that time. Likewise, twelve readers posted comments and screenshots from the event were posted to two media sharing sites.
Example Blog Screenshots with CDC Content
Health Marketing Musings
The Health Marketing Musings blog, hosted by Dr. Jay Bernhardt, director of National Center for Health Marketing, is a forum for bringing together public health professionals with an interest in health marketing, communication, education and promotion. By providing a venue for open information exchange, this blog creates an engaging dialogue on important public health issues.
Public Health Impact
CDC is using blogs to participate in health conversations and engage target audiences. Whether CDC is working with blog writers, creating blogs that unite public health professionals, or simply building the research behind this evolving communication channel, CDC will continue to explore innovative ways to incorporate this channel into its strategic communications.
Data
Blog Data Brief (
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Page last modified on October 21, 2008