I often re-state the Tip O’Neill line in this way: “All people are local.” 99% of care is provided, experienced, discussed, and paid for locally; which makes it, as Lee says, highly personal (throw in word-of-mouth too). The knowledge base that informs the provision of care, of course, is everywhere. So too is the knowledge base that informs the expectations of care (much to the chagrin of many providers). John’s panorama illustrates to me how a local institution, through its (in this case) Twitter presence, can inform, amplify, respond to and otherwise play a positive role in the formation of those expectations.

Much to consider here. Thanks John.

Social media allows a person to participate in a variety of communities, each bringing value to that individual.

Being able to tap into some of the highest quality medical expertise available, with the Mayo Clinic’s @mayoclinic, is simply amazing. Having local experts address local issues can be equally important. They complement each other.

Thank you for your thoughtful post, a prefect example of the value of the larger community.

@John_Norris

Twitter’s local value is often overlooked. In fact, as a general observation about the greater web, local is an import locus of organizational strategy.

In some regards – depending on the specific organization – Twitter’s “ROI” may actually be very measurable within a local reach. For community facilities the pliancy of Twitter’s uses has enormous potential to provide priceless value to the local stakeholders.

It’s nice to see movement in Healthcare’s efforts to extend a helping hand.

I shall tweet this out.

@PhilBaumann