A call for social capital

I am a self-admitted skeptic when it comes to social media presence. My first in-depth exposure to social media occurred shortly after my only child was born back in 2007. The class was entitled “Protecting your children from sexual predators” and was conducted by a team of detectives from a local police department. We were shown transcripts of tens of thousands of phone calls made to underaged children by convicted sex offenders in the county. All the phone numbers were found in the profiles of children created on social media platforms. The intention was to teach us how to keep our children as safe as possible if they were going to be on social media. Needless to say, my child still has limited access to social media 14 years later.

As is the case with many new discoveries, there are pros and cons that come with them. I am sure many of us have seen or heard stories where a complete stranger helps someone they learned about on Facebook find a match for a new kidney or recover a stolen car after posting security camera footage on a neighborhood Twitter page. You might follow a store to get discounts on future purchases or follow your favorite craft brewery to find out when the new release is (Okay, guilty as charged). Be honest, how many of you have done a TikTok dance? The power of social media is just that, POWERFUL.

Brand awareness is not a new concept, but the tools to develop brand awareness are more easily accessed than ever. The challenge is separating yourself from every other Tom, Dick, and Harry trying to compete for the attention of those attempting to build their brand. The human attention span is now the “customer” we are vying for as we attempt to increase the value of whatever brand we choose to create. For those of us attempting to create brand awareness with dignity and respect, there are just as many using whatever means necessary to get you to engage with them. Damn click bait.

As I evaluate the impact of the Population Health Pharmacist blog since going live 4 months ago, it is difficult for me to measure what success is. I am not selling a product, but I am asking you to invest a few minutes of your valuable time each week. The goals I set before introducing the blog were to consistently add new followers each week and leverage the on-line relationships each follower has to grow viewership. Interactive feedback and requests for future topics are also something I strive to achieve. To date, limited feedback has been received.

Companies and organizations, private, public and non-profit, will often implement a “Call for Capital” when they are looking to grow and expand. While I am not asking for anyone’s money, I am submitting a “Call for Social Capital” by asking each of you to follow me, the Population Health Pharmacist, and share the blog with at leas 5 of your friends or peers you think would benefit from the information being shared. Finally, I am asking you to provide feedback in the comments section at the end of each blog. This can be in the form of comments, questions or future topics you would like to have covered. Please help me share high quality and useful information that enables people to grow both personally and professionally. I appreciate all your support.