mama 
Inspired by comments to my post about #hcsm, #hcsmeu etc, I have now updated the list with new regional twitter hashtags from Australia & New Zealand, Latin America, Asia and some country specific from Europe. In addition, there is also a #hcsmglobal. You can see the complete and updated list in the previous post.
Also it is possible through iTunes to download apps for some of the #hcsm. Eg. find the app for hcsmglobal here and the hcsmanz here.
Since the list is now quite long I thought I’d just share again what benefits there can be in following and contributing these hashtags.
Why use #hcsm, #hcsmeu or #hcsmca when you are on Twitter?
Apart from the scheduled discussions which many of these Twitter discussions groups have, it is also possible to use the hashtags outside the discussions when you are writing about something relevant to the topic health care communication & social media. So why should you do that? Well #hcsmca have listed some of the reasons, which I take the liberty of sharing with the rest of you in a slightly moderated version
- Share and inform: Tell others about the great stuff you’ve read or are doing.
- Broadcast good stuff: Don’t be shy. If you’ve got something you want to get out there, leverage the #hcsm/#hcsmca/#hcsmeu communities and the get the word out about your new initiative, your latest blog post or an upcoming conference or event.
- Ask questions: Adding #hcsm/#hcsmca/#hcsmeu to your question lets you tap into the collective intelligence of a community that is further reaching than any single set of followers.
- Request participation: If you’re looking for people to contribute comments, opinions or ideas, the Twitter discussion groups gives easy access to a broad range of people
- Expand your network: Participate in #hcsm/#hcsmca/#hcsmeu conversations any time and find people you want to follow and be found by others. This could be a way to connect with people you would normally not have access to
- Twitter filter: Use it as a Twitter filter to make sure that tweets are relevant to your area of interest
- Stay current: Get to know of new articles, initiative, projects, news quickly
I am trying to find the balance of which to follow and it is in the beginning a little time-consuming, but interesting indeed and a world one should be aware of. There are lots of people and insights to be found.
