Kathie Melocco - The Power Of Storytelling

Choice: Health Washing - Dodgy Claims Made By Breakfast Drinks

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 22:07:00 +0000

If you are rushing out the door to work without breakfast and grab a liquid breakfast instead at the local convenience store thinking that you are at least starting the day with a healthy drink. Think again:

The number of on-the-go breakfast drinks might be growing as they tap into consumers' increasing demands for meals on the go, but is convenience trumping nutrition?

Alarmingly they are also a growing category in the supermarket aisles.

A Choice investigation found that 10 of the 23 products investigated have more than 23g of sugar per serve - roughly the same as a chocolate bar.

Choice also found several popular liquid breakfast products including Sanitarium's Up & Go and Kellogg's breakfast drinks make dodgy nutritional claims.

According to Choice's website "Fibre Spruiking claims such as “High in fibre”, “fibre for digestive health”, the “goodness of three grains” – you’d be forgiven for thinking the products are actually high in fibre.

But the industry’s own voluntary Nutrient Claims Code of Practice allows products with as little as 1.5g of fibre per serve to claim they are a “source of fibre”.

Liquid breakfasts have on average 1.5% fibre, which is well below the 10 per cent benchmark for high fibre".

Coaching Tips: How To Use Evergreen Content Strategically In Blog Posts for SEO

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Sun, 23 Jun 2013 23:03:00 +0000

Photo Credit: Independent Fashion Bloggers

When I coach clients in the health space a good deal of our time is spent developing a content or as I call it story journey for their business. Everything you see online is content - the written word, the images, podcasts, video and so on. Content can amuse and educate but it is also a powerful tool for capturing the search engines and the people who are looking for whatever you do. One of the best ways to improve your SEO is through blogging. Google loves blogs because they are updated regularly with new information relevant to its search customers.

It is important to cover the different types of content to reach new customers and raise brand awareness when planning your social media strategy and much of this starts with your blog.

You will need to master four types of content: evergreen, identity, people and what I call bread and butter content. In this four part series we will look at all types of content. Today we examine evergreen content.

Evergreen Content

Evergreen content is always relevant and useful. This type of content is rarely out of date because it addresses core issues. For example, a health blogger might post about a green smoothie a day detox - a 28 day programme. This post would be relevant for years. Or another example, tips on how and when to exercise when you are time poor.

Your blog will need a tool box of evergreen content. This content will get ranked by the search engines and bring new visitors to your blog. Well-written evergreen content has a greater chance of achieving and retaining a first page search ranking because of its relevance and comprehensive review of the subject.

Tip: Plan to focus your efforts on say 24 evergreen content posts for your blog when you set it up. Publish these posts evenly throughout the year. As a general guide examine your customers most frequently asked questions to determine what type of evergreen posts will be most useful to your audience.

McKinsey Global Institute Ranks Most Disruptive Technologies to 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:30:00 +0000

Wireless Medicine

I'm a member of The World Futures Society which is always a source of excellent information and when this great insight into what disruptive technologies to watch for leading up to 2025 crossed my desk I thought it was worth re sharing. It warns business leaders not to wait until the time that these new technologies are exerting their influence as by that stage it will be too late to respond.

Healthcare as we know is traditionally a laggard sector in terms of uptake of technology so there are some critical warnings to those who want to wait and adopt the we will see approach. The Internet of Things offers some vital clues: and the role of the patient as a partner in their care will change the sector forever. Healthcare consumers want to be more involved, want more education and access to this information will be the key.

Here's the McKinsey Report in a snapshot:

What technologies will most radically transform human life in the next twelve years? The McKinsey Global Institute looked at more than a hundred possible candidates across a variety of technology fields and narrowed the most potentially disruptive down to a dozen. They are, in order of size of potential impact:

Mobile Internet defined as "increasingly inexpensive and capable mobile computing devices and Internet connectively."
Automation of knowledge work or "intelligent software systems that perform knowledge work tasks involving unstructrured commands and subtle judgments." An example might be IBM’s Watson system.
Internet of Things or "networks of low-cost sensors and actuators for data collection, monitoring, decision making and process optimization."
Cloud Technology or "use of computer hardware and software resources delivered over a network or the Internet, often as a service."
Advanced Robotics or "increasingly capable robots with enhanced senses, dexterity, and intelligence used to automate tasks or augment humans." This category is perhaps most famously personified by the Baxter robot (profiled in the May-June issue of THE FUTURIST magazine).
Autonomous and Near-Autonomous Vehicles.
Next Generation Genomics or "fast, low-cost gene sequencing, advanced big-data analytics, and synthetic biology."
Energy Storage.
3D Printing
Advanced Materials defined as "materials designed to have superior characteristics." Much of what we today call nanotechnology would fall within this category.
Advanced Oil and Natural Gas Recovery
Renewable Energy

Of the above, the Mobile Internet, which could change the lives of more than 5 billion people around the globe, the automation of knowledge work, and the Internet of Things would have by far the largest economic impacts, according to McKinsey. All together, the above technologies could generate $14 to $33 trillion. But the authors caution that much of that growth will be at the expense of older technologies and even entire industries falling into obsolescence.

"When necessary, leaders must be prepared to disrupt their own businesses and make the investments to effect change," the report’s authors write. "By the time the technologies that we describe are exerting their influence on the economy in 2025, it will be too late for businesses, policy makers, and citizens to plan their responses. Nobody, especially businesses leaders, can afford to be the last person using video cassettes in a DVD world."

Source: Mckinsey Global Institute

Content Is King In Healthcare

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:42:00 +0000

Good storytelling in healthcare puts the heal back in health and builds the emotional connection with the patient and provider.

In recent years marketing has largely re-invented itself becoming a whole of organisation issue rather than a compartmentalised department. In essence with consumers becoming more connected and savvy there has been a need to move away from 'push' selling and return to the basics of human connection - through what we all do best, storytelling.

One organisation who is doing it well and understands the power of valuable content creation is the Cleveland Clinic, a 90-year-old nonprofit that runs nine community hospitals and 15 family health centres in the United States of America. Listed among the best hospital groups in the US, the clinic has posted over 30,000 pages of content and 1,500 videos on its websites. It maintains not only its main Web presences and social media sites, but more than 100 search engine marketing campaigns with distinct landing pages. There readers find information on diseases or conditions written by Cleveland Clinic physicians. Some include video and a downloadable guide; all allow consumers to make an appointment. The website also includes a “find a doctor” tool that enables patients to take virtual tours and access medical records. All corporate communications and most production are done in house, but the clinic does use outside partners to create applications or specific micro sites. The clinic’s health care content draws 2.2 million visitors a month, making it one of the most trafficked hospital websites in the country. It is mentioned thousands of times a year in the media, and the hospital system has created a Cleveland Clinic News Service channel run by four former broadcast journalists, who create stories on everything from seasonal allergies to complex heart surgery.

“17 years for new medical practices to be adopted”: source

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:37:00 +0000

A tweet from South By Southwest by @DVanSickle led @epatientdave to finally blog about delays in medical adoption of new technologies - see full post here. It’s part of his presentation at the Kanter Family Foundation’s confab last May for their Learning Health System initiative. (Video of that speech is here.)

The issue is a statistic often quoted by advocates for improving medicine: “On average it takes 17 years for new practices to be adopted.”

That’s pretty shocking – the idea that some doctors may not know something important to your university age kid, even if the info came out when that kid was in nappies!

The source turns out to be a paper published by the Institute of Medicine in their Yearbook of Medical Informatics 2000.

Note: I've managed to trace this trend all the way back to 1816 - when the stethoscope was invented. It took no less than two decades for it to be widely used. This is a health activist update

Grant Baker - An Empowered Health Care Consumer’s Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:59:00 +0000

Cancer is a frightening word for anyone: Over the past few weeks I have been minding a colleague of mine's clients while he underwent surgery for an aggressive form of cancer. Despite a frightening diagnosis of signet cell adenocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, Grant's story and his approach to taking charge of his journey is truly inspiring and with Grant's permission I share it with you today.

Grant Baker is the Managing Director of CTC Digital in Australia, a company that provides healthcare content through its agreements with Health24.com (part of the NASPERS Group), and is the founder and director of Tree Organic Technology.

Grant has an extensive strategic marketing background including holding the roles of Strategic Director of McCann Erickson, and Managing Director of Red Nail Leo Burnett.

His own health journey has been inspired by e-Patient Dave's philosophy of being an empowered patient and he is set to become Australia's leading advocate for such. A passionate speaker and facilitator, Grant is on a mission to empower Australian Healthcare Consumers.

His message is clear: be equipped, empowered and engaged in your health care journey. It is about participation and partnership with your medical team.

Grant’s life was saved by his wife when she was diagnosed with Colorectal cancer and insisted that he be fully tested to ensure that he was healthy to take care of their two teenage daughters. These tests included an endoscopy that showed a small ulcer in the gastro esophageal junction. The biopsy surprisingly came back positive for , a rare and aggressive form of cancer that has a survival rate below 10% because it is mostly diagnosed too late. This was the beginning of what has been both a fascinating and inspiring journey.

He read Dave’s book – Let Patient’s Help! during a very dark window in his life and it changed his perspective. I started to think about my engagement with the health system in a completely different way. As he says: “I knew could be in the drivers seat and I had still choices. That was empowering”

“At this point I believed that I could play an active role in my recovery or I could passively go through a process that might, or might not save my life” says Grant.

And a active role it was which included research, meeting with multiple specialists, consulting with patients who had themselves survived the journey to gain an understanding of what to expect (which was invaluable for post operative care), and inspecting surgical wards and ICU facilities to ensure that the correct hospital with the best level of care and facilities were in place and there would be minimal disorientation post surgery.”

The two other key factors in being empowered was ownership of records which allowed for the seeking of a second opinion, and understanding that it is the patients right to seek a second opinion. Few patients understand that they own all medical records on them -not all medical practices are comfortable with this and there are such varying systems of how patient records are held, that this in itself is a challenge.

Secondly, many people talk of a second opinion, but few pursue them out of fear, guilt or ignorance. In Grants case, after not feeling entirely comfortable with his initial surgeon, and with the help of a few medical specialists, they created a shortlist of other potential surgeons. He set about interviewing them and it came down to two, and understanding that the success of his particular surgery was based on the least postoperative complications. Grant chose Dr Charbel Sandroussi.

Now working with his new surgeon he began training for his surgery (both physically and mentally), adjusting diet to ensure that all other organs including the heart and liver were optimized to deliver the best outcome.

On the 10^{TH 2013} of May Grant Baker underwent one of the most invasive surgery techniques known, the Ivor Lewis two-stage oesophago-gastrectomy, which included removing 10cm of the oesophagus and much of the stomach. It is one of the top three invasive surgeries performed today along with Heart Transplants and Live Transplants.

For this father of two, his journey not only focuses on his health but also the demanding financial requirements of providing for his family as the primary household earner during a very difficult time.

And so the story begins;

Grants 10 tips to being an empowered healthcare consumer

1. The human mind is the most powerful organ in the body. Your attitude is the single biggest impact that you can have on your recovery. Attitude is everything, even when you don’t feel that great.

2. Research, research, research. Empower yourself with information, understand what is happening with your body, and what it is you will go through. Research what your options are. When you find something that you think is special or relevant to a better diagnosis, share it with your medical team, they will listen and ask lots of questions.

3. Research is not just about finding definitions on the internet (which in itself can be scary and varied), speak to past patients, speak to patient organizations, speak to other doctors, care givers and join patient forums.

4. For convenience ask your health care team if you can make appointments with them via new online tools such appointment booking services.

5. Do not just focus on the disease or the surgery, get to understand pain management tools, techniques to assist you prior to surgery, and gain a strong understanding of what you will require post operative recovery. This is often where the biggest surprises are.

6. Ask about the medication you will be required to take, possible side affects and if relevant other options available to you. Remember knowledge is power.

7. Own your records. They are yours, and if you ever need a second opinion or move, they are invaluable and will save a fortune in not having to redo the same tests for different doctors. Check that you have all data and where relevant that it is accurate.

8. Don’t be scared or apologise to ask questions of anyone. Be this your doctor, a technician, a nursing sister. You are the patient and it is your right.

9. Work with your doctor to support your recovery. Discuss with him what you can do to prepare for a procedure and what you can do post. This can take many forms including exercise, diet and planning.

10. Get to know your medical team. All of them. They are human too. By knowing them better in a professional manner, you will feel more comfortable to communicate, and they will build an understanding of what your preferences are.

Be comfortable with your surgeon. If you are not get a second opinion. This is not to question the initial surgeons ability, but you must have a positive relationship if you are going to trust him to manage your care.

Never never never give up. Its your life to live.

The Rise Of Patient Health Communities On Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 23:58:00 +0000

Web 2.0 and health 2.0 are converging to become one of the most powerful shifts in health and human behavior in the last generation. At its heart is the fact that patients are people, and that people are social. They want to know their healthcare professional, and want to both seek the opinions of others and share their own opinions. In this context patients are rightfully taking ownership of their healthcare decisions via actively seeking information and options on the web.

If you doubt the power of social media to influence health communities then this visualisation may just very well change your mind and cause you to say we need to be more proactive in 2013. It certainly was what inspired me to champion the participatory medicine movement here in Australia and next year we will host the first Blogging Conference known as Healthivate specifically for these growing online communities and bloggers. There are a limited number of industry tickets available if you would like to network with these powerful groups. (Conference Hashtag is #hivate)

But for now let's discuss how health conversations are occurring on Twitter. For over 2 years, Symplur has collected health conversations on Twitter. From a humble start, their infrastructure has grown and matured to scale with the tremendous growth of healthcare social media. They are now approaching 150 million health tweets in our database which they analyze and categorize by thousands of variables. And similarly with other repositories of big data, their greatest challenge is to figure out how to present insights from such a vast dataset in a meaningful way. The answer is often found in visualizations.

What you see in the video below is a 22-month timeline of about 2,000 different health communities and topics each visualized as a bubble. In total, about 100 million healthcare tweets are represented in this visual. The green dots symbolize patient-centric topics, while pink encompasses more professional/provider topics. Larger bubbles signify larger volume of conversations within that community. The data is visualized dynamically over the this 22-month time period starting September 2010.

Gotye parody encouraging organ donation discussion wins FilmLife Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 23:24:00 +0000

I am very proud to be a part of The Groundswell Project - an arts and health social enterprise that fosters community discussion about death and dying in a positive and life enriching way.

One of their great projects is the annual FilmLife Project - an annual short film festival that encourages young people to “discover, decide and discuss” organ and tissue donation.

Last Saturday I was privileged to attend the 2nd Film Festival where the winner was announced and what a night it was.

The winning short film voted Best Film in a field of 18 films was a parody of Gotye’s 2011 hit Somebody I Used To Know produced by Brooke Huuskes. Comprising high production values and a remarkable resemblance to the original, the short film has even received the blessing of Wally De Backer (AKA Gotye) himself whose management tweeted details of the parody this week.

Since posting the winning film has been viewed by over 17,000 people on YouTube.

The Australian musician’s colossal international record has spawned thousands of internet copycat videos, but for young filmmaker Brooke her parody of the song’s video clip addressed an issue that has the potential to transform Australian lives.

The 28-year-old Monash University PhD student remade the music video to encourage others to discuss their organ and tissue donation wishes with their loved ones.

Brooke herself is an organ recipient, having received a kidney from her father– a living donor – in 2010. This experience inspired her to enter FilmLife, - an annual film making competition that encourages young filmmakers to use their creativity to change lives by making compelling short films on the tricky topic.

Brooke’s first-hand knowledge of the importance of organ donation and the overwhelming gratitude she feels towards her father inspired her to make the film.

Brooke’s film was particularly timely; coming at the climax of a week where the Organ and Tissue Authority announced that official organ donor rates are at record levels in the first quarter of 2013.

Dr Jonathan Gillis, the National Medical Director for DonateLife and judge on the FilmLife panel said, “In the first quarter of 2013, there have been 119 donors, which is a 55% increase on donors for the same period for 2012.”

“The fact is that only around 1% of hospital deaths occur in the specific circumstances where organ donation is possible, which is why we encourage all Australians to know the donation wishes of each other. The FilmLife Project is a unique way of triggering young Australians to have these important conversations with family and friends.”

Now in its second year, FilmLife is an annual initiative hosted by The Groundswell Project. The FilmLife Project is funded by the Commonwealth Government through the Organ and Tissue Authority’s Community Awareness Grants program to support innovative projects that promote family discussion about organ and tissue donation.

Kerrie Noonan, Director of the GroundSwell Project said before her departure to the UK this week “"It's vital we find creative ways to talk about organ and tissue donation. We encourage all Australians to find and share a film they love to help start the conversation with their friends and family. To get involved in our online conversations use the Twitter #havethechat hashtag”.

The 2013 FilmLife competition called for young people aged between 16 and 28 to create a short film that brings the subject of organ and tissue donation to new audiences and from different perspectives.

Will HealthSpot Change Doctors Visits Forever?

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 19:31:00 +0000

Much hype is occurring in the Australian market place about the arrival of online healthcare appointment booking services as players try to convince the medical professional to adopt this new productivity technology for practice management.

Given the hesitancy of healthcare professionals to embrace these services thus far as the 'norm' rather than an 'option' online appointment booking services have switched in some cases to trying to have take-up driven by the consumers with a range of crowd voting campaigns now beginning to hit the streets.

Problem is with the campaigns I have seen thus far, all fail to tell the consumer that their doctor MUST pay for this service and in some cases there is even a tiered payment structure in place.

In other words, some healthcare segments, for example dentists are asked to pay more than others such as GP's or Allied Health thereby effectively subsidising their colleagues' medical practices?

Consumers supporting 'voting' campaigns would be well advised to check how their doc is being asked 'to join' the service and, what payment methods are being encouraged. They should be transparently displayed on the appointment booking service's site for everyone to see.

But have we moved passed such services before they have had time to be adopted anyway?

Will the current online health appointment booking services be enough in this market to sustain a stand alone business model?

Will the current online health appointment booking services available in Australia soon be outdated with new disruptive technologies in healthcare enabling access to doctors in a completely revolutionary way?

A new service trialled in the U.S known as Healthspot aims to do just this.

The HealthSpot Care4 Station is a fully enclosed kiosk that delivers primary and specialty care in private settings such as pharmacies, supermarkets and workplaces. The Care4 Station increases convenient care options like extended hours and physician availability while also bringing healthcare access to remote and underserved populations. The private medical kiosk connects patients to doctors over real-time, high-definition videoconferences with wireless technology. Digital medical devices integrated into the unit allow doctors to collect vital health information. Patient information, video, prescriptions, appointment scheduling and visit records can be transmitted securely over the Sprint 4G network.

Bloggers Beware of Brands Using You To Health Wash #KFCKidsMeals

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 01:27:00 +0000

My friend, influential mum blogger Jessica Gottlieb alerted twittverse to this breaking cyber backlash yesterday. You may recall Jessica shared an excellent case study with us all at Healthivate about the #motrinmoms fiasco by J& J.

Brands who try to play in the health space must be careful not to misrepresent their facts. It doesn't matter if you are KFC, a tube of toothpaste or a startup, the issues are all the same. Using bloggers children to push your message is just wrong!

If you missed Jessica's story, here's a recap:

KFC Uses Blogger’s Kids to Promote Healthy Kids Meals #KFCKidsMeals

Bloggers have a number of intangible assets but arguably the most valuable of all is their integrity. Much like virginity you get to lose your integrity just once. Today some bloggers are flirting with a loss of integrity after promoting the #KFCKidsMeals hashtag and trying to convince their audiences that KFC has healthy meals for kids.

Of course twitter is too smart for the faux low calorie message.

And a robust discussion ensued. You can view the full story from Jessica here.

Marketers want the mum bloggers at their events to be their advocates because the mum bloggers are smart, savvy and influential. Marketers are going to have to wake up and remember that they’re dealing with a smart, savvy and influential community.

And for bloggers don't be persuaded into thinking just because a brand has approached you for a sponsored post or to help them their motives are anything other than on the end game - MONEY! Do your own homework, you are not a marketer, but check out whatever you are asked to represent, go for a wander on their website, does the promise match the product or is it health washing. Look behind the story, who stands to gain?

Bloggers use your voice wisely and say NO to your children being used as a brand's mouthpiece or photographed representing a product you haven't thoroughly checked out.

About Jessica Gottlieb
One of the World’s Most Influential ‘Mummy Bloggers’ with one million page views per month. She has traveled with Oprah Winfrey, met with President Clinton and appeared on CNN, CBS, Fox News, Dr. Phil, Wendy Williams and more while talking about the intersection of parenting, health and technology.

e-Patient Dave Launches New Book - Let Patients Help!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 01:01:00 +0000

e-Patient Dave is coming to Australia in late June for a speaking tour. I was thrilled to receive a copy from Dave of his new book. I plan on writing a couple of posts relevant to Dave's book over the coming days. Here's a peak however as to what is included:

Let Patients Help!

A patient engagement handbook -
how doctors, nurses, patients and caregivers
can partner for better care.

It’s concise – less than 100 pages – because as Dave says: He wants people to READ IT!

You can buy it here, on CreateSpace, Amazon’s self-publishing site:

Let Patients Help on CreateSpace

(CreateSpace requires creating a free account. It’ll be on Amazon in a while.)

It’s a book of lists:

Part 1: Ten Fundamental Truths
Part 2: Ten Ways to Let Patients Help
Part 3: Tip Sheets

As the subtitle suggests, this book is about partnership between patients and professionals. It tells why it’s valid and important for medicine to listen to patients, with specific how-to’s on making it a reality. A patient engagement handbook.

In keeping with that spirit, has some great medicos contributing:

“With Dr. Danny Sands”

Dave's famous primary physician, Dr. Danny Sands, is not only on the cover, he’s in the pages: he wrote some of them. In part 3 (the tip sheets) he wrote:

Ten Things Clinicians Say That Encourage Patient Engagement
Ten Things Clinicians Say (or do) That Discourage Patient Engagement
For Patients: Collaborating Effectively with Your Clinicians
Dr. Danny Sands’ Rules for Smart Web Use

Regular readers will know that Dr. Sands has been a pioneer of patient engagement since the 1990s. Way back then he…

co-created the first medical record system and patient portal at our hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess
co-authored the first published guidelines on how to do doctor-patient email successfully
became a friend and colleague of “Doc Tom” Ferguson, founder of the e-patient movement.

Introduction by Eric J. Topol, M.D.

AND the amazing Eric Topol wrote the introduction. Read full text of the introduction here. If you don’t know Dr. Topol’s name, here are a few glimpses:

His TED talk The Wireless Future of Health. He nailed it – and that was in 2009!
His excellent January appearance on NBC Rock Center with Brian Williams: The key to better health care may already be in your pocket… and it’s not your wallet
His important book Creative Destruction of Medicine

NOTE: Dave will be speaking at events in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra during his visit. If you would like Dave to speak to your organisation please contact me for further details and sponsorship opportunities.

Should HealthCare Be More Like The Airline Industry?

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:10:00 +0000

This great article discusses how there will be pain associated with transforming healthcare as we move towards a more participatory style of medicine and it is going to require dramatic and gut wrenching changes.

It compares the dramatic cost cutting of the airline industry to healthcare. At first I thought not, but the proposition is an interesting comparison.

"It's the fact that U.S. commercial airlines carried 52% more people in 2010 than they did in 1995, and yet they employed 2% fewer people. It's that airlines did away with unprofitable luxuries such as meals in coach and filled excess flight capacity. It's that airlines shed lots of jobs at front counters and reservation call centers and replaced them with kiosks and online bookings."

Think other sectors such as banks' use of ATMs to let customers do self service, and to retailers such as Amazon.com and Wal-Mart using analytics to acquire a better understanding of their customers and their own operations.

Think what has happened to retailers who avoided online strategies....

The big number is this: Healthcare must be cheaper. That's not going to happen without pain and radical change. And that is the core message. Technology is an enabler, it helps increase efficiencies in costs and productivity.

In Australia, where healthcare professionals are still largely resistant and slow to adopt such simple technologies as online health appointment booking services despite clear evidence that consumers want greater convenience in accessing health appointments.

It's going to take changes in how health care practitioners do business.

In health, consumers should be a participating partner.

In fact much of e-Patient Dave's message when he visits Australia in late June this year will be exactly about these very developments and the need for health care practitioners and consumers to work in partnership together. He advocates loudly 'Let Patients Help! and Give Me My Damn Data!

A number of startups in this area are working hard to enrol and engage with health professionals in what is evident to all will eventually be the way of the future.

So let's take it to the next step. Imagine if there was a health kiosk available in consumer friendly locations where you could check in during flu season or more.

Well it now exists - welcome to the brave new world converging on medicine - data, technology and human genomics.

Welcome to HealthSpot!

Bloggers - An Army Of Brand Advocates Or Not?

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 22:02:00 +0000

I guess I am known for being an over the horizon thinker. It's just what I do, quickly identify how to get a brand known, discussed and build a story that cascades throughout communities, changing the conversation. And it can happen quickly after a considered period of what I call environmental analysis. There is always a methodology to good story telling.

Some brands 'get it quickly' others fall into the trap of dead brand walking, thinking old world marketing styles will work in the digital era, where conversations are happening online and offline.

Eventually these laggard marketers wake up and realise that the digital influencer and blogger can harness an army of brand advocates if they learn how to listen, engage and build the conversation. Traditional media and indeed traditional PR cannot build a conversation as fast as empowering digital conversations.

At present, I am watching with interest one brand's leadership who was initially disruptive to their own marketing efforts prudent focus on an integrative digital path, suddenly see the light - oh how that makes me quietly smile!

However there are lessons to be had for all who are beginning to engage with bloggers and digital influencers. Understand that the blogger's real role: is to share opinion, not provide balanced reporting.

We need to set aside that mindset and realize that writing a blog is not about interviewing sources, getting the facts, summarizing findings, and then writing a fair and balanced article. It's about a blogger sharing his or her opinion with the world.

Fact checking should apply but there are countless examples of where it does not apply. Although the blog may not be objective, it may be widely read and accepted as fact. Companies must be aware that a disgruntled blogger can quickly do damage to their reputations. My advice to brands who have a disgruntled blogger aiming at them is to find a way to resolve matters. You may have to eat humble pie but in the long run the benefits that come from diffusing a situation that is simmering under the surface will only build your esteem as a brand champion.

As blogging becomes more common, it has an increasing impact on traditional journalism. News is shared more quickly and more widely than ever before. It will be interesting to see how the relationship between blogging and journalism continues to evolve. I will have more to say on a new development in this area on Monday.

Telemedicine - It's A No Brainer!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:02:00 +0000

I've written before about the need for health care practitioners to rapidly embrace the internet in marketing their practice. Telemedicine offers huge benefits to the consumer, from the convenience of online appointment bookings to patient communities and even as an evaluation tool of our health care system with sites such as patient opinion.

In Australia, we have a range of new services all adding huge value to the consumer and indeed providing additional productivity tools for the practitioner.

Over the coming days I will be posting about how 'cascading the story' with great content can enhance these services and create stickiness. But for now here's a great explainer video that crossed my desk thanks to e-Patient Dave. I thought you might enjoy it, the messaging is simple and as consumers we get the point quickly.

Regina Holliday and Health Activism - The Walking Gallery

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 22:31:00 +0000

Regina Holliday is a Washington, D.C., art teacher, artist, muralist, patient rights arts advocate, founder of the Walking Gallery and the Medical Advocacy Mural Project. On March 27, 2009, her husband, Fred Holliday II, was diagnosed with metastatic kidney cancer, after months of escalating pain medication prescribed for symptom relief, without a diagnosis of the cause of the pain. Fred died on June 17, 2009. Holliday's response to the shock and anguish of losing her 39-year-old husband (and to her husband's urging on his deathbed) was to become an arts advocate for all patients' rights to their own medical data.

During his final hospitalization, Holliday asked to see her husband's medical records, so that she could do online research of his condition and care, and so that they could make informed decisions together. At the first of five hospitals he was admitted to during this medical ordeal, on April 18, 2009, she was told that copies of his records would cost $.73 per page and would be available after a 21-day wait. That would have been May 9, 2009.

Fred Holliday II died at home on June 17, 2009. In Holliday's words, her husband's final message inspired her advocacy: "He's got a paper in his hand. It says: 'Go After Them Regina, Love Fred.'

On her blog on Sunday August 9, 2009, she wrote: "I am painting because it is the best way I know that can make a difference. I will paint our sorrow on a wall for all to see. It is hard to look away. It makes you think. It makes you question. The scariest thing to the status-quo is an electorate that is thinking and asking questions. I am as grassroots as it comes. There is just me on a 20 foot ladder donated by my church. I am using paint brushes I have had for 17 years. I am applying acrylic paint (paid for by donations of friends and strangers) on a wall donated by a gas station."
The Walking Gallery from Eidolon Films on Vimeo.

Health Activist Blogger Mentor Program

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 19:43:00 +0000

I am busy reviewing a number of health activist profiles who are shortlisted to join my mentor programme. Only four will be selected initially and I will work with them over the coming months to tell their story and to match with appropriate organisations and brands as brand ambassadors in the health and wellbeing sector. They will attend conferences on blogger passes, speak at events (stay tuned for an exciting announcement) and become involved in leading public health promotions campaigns.

Health Activists share a number of commonalities:
They want to be listened to.
They want actions taken based on what they say.
They want respect.
They want emotional and financial support. (I discuss this more fully below and the need for disclosures and appropriate brand distance).
They want recognition for what they are already doing in their communities and want help.

In so reviewing, I've become concerned by the number of bloggers who have really powerful stories to personally tell yet have simply given themselves away to brands. Sadly, some even appear to act just as a mouthpiece or be on the payroll for the organisation who supports them.

My views are not necessarily directed at bloggers but rather at brands. Simply put, they should know better than to build brand associations with bloggers without the appropriate respect and guidelines necessary to protect the authenticity of the bloggers voice. Posts written just as flowery endorsements of a brand achieve nothing except to turn readers off.

So how do brands in the health space work with bloggers to create behavioural change? Brands must recognise that bloggers and their unique stories can only help them when they are being true to their own voice and sometimes this will require simply stating that they are supported by the brand. Lavishing logos on each post about the brand is counter productive to what each is trying to achieve.

It starts with education about your organisation, agreed disclosures and transparency in the way you work with a blogger.

Why? Each Health Activist has a unique story, most start his or her journey with self-education, empowerment, and understanding about a specific health condition. Being seen to have an appropriate distance between brand and blogger is an important part of the authenticity of health activism.

Health Activists talk about health and health related issues every day and find genuine pleasure in offering support and advice to others online. They answer questions, offer resources, and help bring the sense of empowerment they have found in their own lives outward to others. Health Activists work in different spaces, both online and offline.

Through personal experience and by eagerly pursuing knowledge of certain conditions, health activists stand out from the pack of online health users. By collecting that information and sharing that knowledge, they truly become leaders and that has a powerful value proposition.

Some Health Activists are content creators, bloggers, or lead forums, while others hold Twitter chats, or record video tutorials. Some Health Activists have started non-profits, support groups, or awareness campaigns.

All Health Activists are: a voice for their condition, devoted to their health communities, and quality leaders. All Health Activists are also doing life, sharing the things that we all enjoy!

Footnote: If you would like to join my story coaching programme the link is here.

e-Patient Dave Explains What An e-Patient Is!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 21:31:00 +0000

What does it mean to be an e-Patient in this information age--empowered, engaged, equipped and enabled?

Did you know?

Emerging e-patient activities:

47% of adults have used the internet to get information about doctors or other health professionals

41% have read someone else’s commentary or experience about health or medical issues on an online news group or blog

38% have gotten information about hospitals

33% have gotten information about how to lose or control their weight

27% have gotten information about health insurance

24% have consulted rankings or reviews online of hospitals

12% have gotten information about how to stay healthy on an overseas trip

24% have consulted rankings or reviews of doctors

19% have signed up to receive updates about health or medical issues

13% have listened to a podcast about health or medical issues

5% have reviewed a doctor

4% have reviewed a hospital

* Data extracted from the Pew Internet and Life Project Report

As advances in technology and the internet bring us closer to information and each other, a new world of Participatory Medicine is evolving in which networked patients are shifting from mere passengers to responsible drivers of their health.

e-Patient Dave is perhaps the world's foremost advocate for e-Patients is coming to Australia in late June for a lecture tour. “e-patient Dave” deBronkart discusses how technology is creating this new dynamic in how information is delivered, accessed and used by patients.

Technology--from personal health records, patient portals and home monitoring devices to email and social networking sites can help you make better decisions about your health and health care.

And there are lessons here for providers too - everything from health insurance providers to online appointment booking services. Patients want access to information to help them make informed decisions involving their own health. One such organisation who is doing a great job here in Australia in connecting patients and health care providers via expert Q & A's, providing the very access Dave deBronkart talks about is Healthshare, another is Patient Opinion. In the case of Patient Opinion they believe that feedback, both good and bad from consumers using the health care system is essential to improving health services.

When Dave deBronkart learned he had a rare and terminal cancer, he turned to a group of fellow patients online -- and found the medical treatment that saved his life. After beating this unbeatable disease Dave became a blogger, keynote speaker and health policy advisor.

Now he calls on all patients to talk with one another, know their own health data, and make health care better one e-Patient at a time.

“What are my odds of having ever run in to anybody else who had kidney cancer? Very, very slight, and yet I got connected with this expert community on ACOR.org, and I got superb advice not just on treatment options, but on how to deal with the side effects,” recalls deBronkart.

“Today my oncologist says there’s no question the interleukin saved me and killed my tumors, but he said, ‘You were really sick and I’m not sure you could have tolerated enough to do the job if you hadn’t been so informed about the side effects so you were prepared to see it through."

“I don’t say that anybody should be like me. I do say that when somebody wants to get actively involved, we should give them all the information and tools and resources and advocates that we can. My appeal is not the medical establishment is corrupt or this is all a bunch of bologna. My appeal is let patients help.”

We’re at a really important turning point, because traditionally the medical field has lagged way beyond many other industries in terms of adoption of technology, and that is changing through a set of incentives for doctors and hospitals to adopt technology and to use it in ways that really improve care.

“For the first time electronically many patients can get direct access to their own health record that previously would only live in an old-fashioned manila folder in a file cabinet in your doctor’s office.

And increasingly now, you can get that information online and ideally, too, you can take it and you can plug it in to other kinds of apps and tools, even things on your smart phone, to use it in ways that are creative and that help you meet your own health goals.

It really is augmenting and building on the kinds of relationships that we already have with our health providers, and making that partnership a lot stronger.

Note: if you would like e-Patient Dave to talk to your organisation please contact me directly to ascertain availability.

Bupa launches first Australian Health Influencer Blog Awards At Healthivate

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:56:00 +0000

At Healthivate last weekend leading healthcare group Bupa launched a search for the country’s most inspiring health blogs with the inaugural Bupa Health Influencer Blog Awards. Bupa was one of our sponsors and did a great job of putting together a fun video to share with bloggers to convey the essence of the awards. Here's a peak:

The awards, encourage bloggers and their readers to nominate uplifting blogs in one of six categories: healthy lifestyle, health eating, family time, positive life change, personal development/self care, and social good.

As was shown by the influence level of those bloggers attending Healthivate bloggers are becoming increasingly influential in consumer health and wellbeing.

The awards will run for three months, until 30 May, and are both self and peer nominated.

Disclosure: Bupa has invited me to join the judging panel as a result of Healthivate. Other Judges include: body+soul editor Gemma Sutherland; Bupa chief medical officer Dr Paul Bates; and Bupa health ambassador and Olympic swimmer Matt Welsh.

Winners of each category will receive an Apple iPad and the opportunity for their blogs to be highlighted in Bupa’s Shine magazine, which is distributed to millions of Bupa members. This exposure is sure to be a winner for bloggers entering the awards who will be keen to grow their blog audiences as well. One overall winner will also receive $5000 to spend on improving their health, happiness and wellbeing.

Bupa has already established blogosphere credentials: in 2012 it hosted a blogger event in partnership with Lifeline to raise awareness about stress management for Stress Down Day, and has engaged with family bloggers to make small changes for the better as part of the Bupa Family Challenge.

For more information visit www.bupa.com.au/BlogAwards

@BupaAustralia
#BupaBlogAwards

Note: (We are grateful for the sponsorship support of Macro - only available at Woolworths who enabled the event to take place. I'll be writing a couple of posts about the event specifically over the next few days).

Blogger Opinions And The Sponsored Post

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 22:00:00 +0000

It's been quite a weekend. Healthivate seemed to go off well and the speakers were awesome! We laughed together, we cried together, we learnt together, we nanna napped together. It was full on.

So yesterday I felt totally brain dead as you can imagine and just wanted to chill. However given that I was still playing host to US #1 Mum Blogger Jessica Gottlieb before she departed for a little rest and recreation in Byron Bay I took some time to show her a little of Sydney.

As we strolled around to the Opera House forecourt, doing the usual touristy stuff we chatted about sponsored posts. And here's the insight:

In Australia, we have a tendency for brands to want to pre-approve the sponsored post. Agencies act as a go between blogger and brand negotiating what must be said and not.

And here's the difference, Jessica says brands do ask her if they can pre-approve the sponsored post. Usually they never do. Quite rightly she said they're interested in the links - that's what I always check. The rest should always be my opinion, my voice.

How true. The power of the bloggers authentic voice.

Chris Brogan's Personal Message to Mia Stead at Healthivate

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 23:07:00 +0000

We received this amazing video message from Chris Brogan for Mia Stead to be shared at Healthivate. Unfortunately it arrived too late for the programming but it was such a powerful testimony to Mia Stead's personal story that I thought it worth sharing with you today. But first a little about Mia.

About Mia Stead

She was the preachers daughter, the tall dark beauty, worked under the name @mistressmia, came to the attention of Social Media heavy weight Chris Brogan as a must watch social media rock star and all while suffering from PTSD. The rest is a story of inspiration. Mia returned to her faith, cleaned up her life, began a detox and was reunited with her young daughter.

Mia Stead blogs about hope, without judgement, not emotional hope but spiritual hope that doesn’t lead to shame but to overcome and to restore.

Mia now works with her Father @Pastor_Paul on the project “A message from your Local Church” an outreach focused on communicating hope to those who need it through traditional broadcasting, publishing and building relationships through social media tools.

She says, "Sometimes the worst thing that happens in your life can become the best thing. The best thing about having a story is that you are alive to tell it.

“My story hasn’t been anything unusual other than the fact I could have been dead more times than I’ve had birthdays and found more dead ends than most. In fact, I became my own worst enemy until I found hope. After ten years of trying to manage the fallout of broken marriage, domestic violence, child custody, PTSD and substance abuse, now with real hope in my heart, I am on a journey to not merely survive but I’m on my way to becoming whole. Spirit, soul and body.

I do what I do now because there isn’t anyone alive that doesn’t need hope. There is always hope."

In 2009 Chris Brogan wrote the following accolade for Mia. At the time that this was written Mia was still to turn her life around and find her peace. Chris says her skills in social media give others a chance to learn. Here is what he said then:

"You're Doing It Right

You know who does it right, but who rarely gets the attention? The outliers, the fringe players, the people who don't represent the mainstream. I've got three people who I think are doing wonderful things, but who some of you might not see eye-to-eye with. That's the point, friends. There are many ways to the goal in this game. Here's my list. (Depending on your work policies, these links might not be considered safe for work.)  Mistress Mia - She's from Australia, and is showing people what's right by keeping naughty marketers in line. There's so much depth to Mia, and following her perspective is a chance to learn a great deal. "

 And here in 2013 is the wonderful personal message Chris Brogan sent to Mia yesterday.

Thank you for sharing your story at Healthivate 2013. It was inspiring!

Making aged care more app-cessible

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:40:00 +0000

An iPhone application developed by Bupa Care Services Australia has been hailed as a wonderful development for aged care consumers.

The Choosing a Care Home app is free to download and provides a practical and easy way to search for, assess and com are any aged care home against quality criteria. It is based on a new rating system called the Seven Signposts of person-centred care, developed by Bupa in consultation with Alzheimer's Australia Consumer Dementia Research Network.

Richard Branson Blogs About Healthivate

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:57:00 +0000

We were thrilled to read Sir Richard Branson's blog post about Healthivate, the forthcoming bloggers conference. A successful entrepreneur, adventurer, passionate advocate for the planet, Richard took time out from his very busy schedule just to blog for our little event coming up in Sydney on March 2, 2013. There are still some tickets to Healthivate available so if you are thinking about starting a blog, have an existing blog or want to fine tune your story to share on your blog then this conference will get your creative juices flowing. There will be lots of fun activities on the day and a focus on health and well-being as opposed to disease. It's all about putting us, the consumer, in the driving seat of managing our own health. See you there.

Blogger Lori Dwyer To Share Her Story At Healthivate

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 01:07:00 +0000

Today there is much commentary in the media about mental health in the workplace thanks to a new survey report released by SANE. The survey of more than 500 workers found 95 per cent felt their employers were uneducated about mental illness and needed training to manage its effects.

One of speakers at the forthcoming bloggers conference Healthivate is Lori Dwyer. We spoke today about her own experience with a loved one struggling with depression...

Here's a quick recount of that discussion:

Just over three years ago, Lori Dwyer decided she needed a hobby before she sold her kids to the highest bidder on eBay. She discovered blogging, and started her own- RRSAHM. What was a very normal life exploded in January 2011, when everything changed- Lori’s much loved husband passed away, leaving her, at 29 years old, a suicide widow and single mum to two tiny children.

She spoke to me candidly about in the aftermath of her husband's tragic death she discovered how he had been soldiering on whilst enduring work place bullying and a convergent of stresses in life. Lori said her husband had been suffering from depression. She missed the signals, men can be so good at holding back and not sharing when things aren't going so well.

Lori says her blog became a place for support andy the blogging community rallied around her. Two years later and Lori continues to share her experiences and insights on everything from grief and sex to love and parenting. You can find Lori on Twitter.

Dr. Sam Prince To Speak At Healthivate

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:24:00 +0000

I am really excited to share with you that Dr. Sam Prince will speak at Healthivate. Sam is an astonishingly gifted and passionate social entrepreneur and we are thrilled he will be ending our day at Healthivate with an inspirational message about One Disease At A Time. If you haven't got your tickets to Healthivate, the bloggers conference, there is still time so grab a ticket now.

Biography - Dr. Sam Prince

Born in Dundee, Scotland to Sri Lankan immigrants, Dr Sam Prince moved with this family to Australia in 1986. Gifted academically, he began tertiary education at the age of 16 at the Australian National University after which he graduated with a degree in Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Monash University in Melbourne. At 21, while studying medicine in Melbourne, Sam established his first business, Zambrero Fresh Mex Grill, in his hometown - Canberra. Zambrero is built upon the key principles of happiness, healthy food, and humanitarianism. In the following years, Sam continued to practice as a doctor and grew Zambrero to over 28 stores and counting, 500 staff and over $25 million in revenue. The business was recognized as the fastest growing franchise in Australia in 2010 by BRW. Recently, the Plate4Plate initiative was launched in partnership with Action Against Hunger, whereby every time you buy a plate of food in a Zambrero store, someone also receives a plate of food in the developing world. The program is already active in Liberia, and has served over 1.2million plates of food. At present, there are 28 Zambrero stores across Australia and this is planned to reach 60 by the end 2013 with the plan of international growth by the end of this year.

Sam established the not-for-profit One Disease at a Time, which aims to systematically focus, one by one, upon significant diseases affecting Australians today, with the aim of improving the basic standard of health of all Australians. The first targeted disease is scabies, a parasitic mite that burrows under the skin to lay eggs, and which is transmissible by skin-to-skin contact. Scabies underlies 50–70% of streptococcal pyoderma (or skin sores caused by streptococcal infection, primarily Group A streptoccocus or GAS). Further, post-streptoccocal disease, including rheumatic heart disease and kidney disease, occurs at much higher rates in Indigenous Australia than most places in the world, and these diseases cause chronic bad health and, ultimately, premature death. While most non-Indigenous Australians have never suffered from, or know someone who has suffered from scabies, some remote Indigenous communities see around 7 out of 10 infants suffering from scabies at least once before their first birthday. Sam, now joined by a team including Nobel laureates, the Australian Governor General and legendary medical scientists have redefined the model of how to partner and practice within the Aboriginal communities in Australia.

In 2012, he was named the Young Australian of the Year, Australian Capital Territory and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year. In addition, he has also been listed in the top 30 entrepreneurs under the age of 30 by 2009 Anthill Magazine Australia and the Most Outstanding Young Person of the World by Junior Chamber International in 2008.

Have a peek at Sam's TED talk.

Working With Bloggers Is Essential Part of Marketing Mix In 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Melocco) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 03:08:00 +0000

The Social Economy is the economy of the future and will change the way we do business forever. Working with bloggers and other influencers in the social ecosphere is now an essential part of both the marketing mix and stakeholder/customer engagement. It is no longer an optional add on. And in 2013 finding innovative ways to build original and inviting content to connect with these influencers is becoming increasingly important if you are be relevant today. No longer do we rely upon old media to build a brand's value. Today we can be publishers in our own right, with YouTube Channels, Podcast Shows and more. The opportunity is only limited by your imagination, innovation and creativity. Think Mayo Centre for Social Media for example.

The 'not so new communication tool' - word of mouth, has been amplified millions and millions of times over and connected us via the Internet in ways that few would have envisioned five, ten, twenty years ago. Word of mouth rules and it's social. Think of it like a massive marketplace - people refer and share products and services, what is good and bad and the health marketplace (if you can call it that) is no different.

In fact the word health is often mistakingly taken by leadership and marketers to mean healthcare providers or disease management when it towards wellness that the disruptive healthcare economy is moving us at a rapid rate. The rapid rise of the Australian online health network Healthshare, which provides consumers with answers to their health questions, from health experts across a range of health related issues shows that consumers are moving faster than those marketing healthcare can keep up. Consumers are seeking out information, savvy enough to go to an accurate source and are empowered as a result.

A recent report by Nuffnang Australia analysed shows that health and wellbeing is relevant to every segment of the consumer blogosphere. The challenge is how best to engage with these bloggers, as more and more become aware of their own personal power. In fact many could be described as epitomising the LOHAS market. Empowered they are. Bloggers are interested in a range of issues, relevant to their families, the planet and others in a totally holistic manner. In the future, don't be surprised if these empowered bloggers reject ways some brands are endeavouring to engage with them at present as they become savvier in this space and get to the core of their own stories and the true power of their authentic voice within their respective communities.

We are already seeing a growing segment of parent blogging online, powerful tribes sometimes referred to in Australia as 'mummy bloggers' and, an increase in real world gatherings of bloggers such as the forthcoming Bloggers Conference Healthivate, dedicated to LOHAS principles and focusing on eating well, living life to its fullest, giving to others and movement building (Disclosure, I am curating this event)

Here's some top line points from Nuffnang's survey, the biggest survey of the blogosphere undertaken in Australia to date. Nuffang's network deliver some 12 million page views per month via bloggers in their network.

SNAPSHOT OF THE BLOGOSPHERE IN AUSTRALIA

Gender

· 92% - Female

· 8% - Male

Age

· 18-24 years – 25%

· 25-29 years – 21%

· 30-34 years – 18%

· 35-39 years – 15%

· 40-44 years – 8%

· 18-44 years - 87% of population

AUSTRALIAN BLOGGERS ARE HOUSEHOLD DECISION MAKERS

There is a common misconception that bloggers are relatively young; 79% of all respondents are between the ages of 18 and 39. An important note, however, is that the Australian blogger community is not made up of teens – only 6% of all bloggers surveyed are under 18.

45% of bloggers are married and 44% have 1- 3 children under age 16 in the household.

In addition to favouring family, Australian bloggers also have a high level of education. 42% of all respondents have completed a bachelors degree and a further 20% have completed a post graduate degree.

Compared to last years survey study, a significant new group of bloggers identified are females who are married without children - 21% of this segment have a income of more than $150,000.

BLOGGERS ASPIRE TO EXPERT STATUS

The motivations driving our bloggers are varied, but easily mapped across the life of a blog.

When bloggers first start blogging, 36% of respondents say it is something they’re doing for themselves. Blogging, at least initially, starts because the individual blogger has something to say, wants to establish a voice and interact with like- minded individuals. The longer they continue blogging, self-satisfaction and building recognition for themselves also become motivators.

The difference between young bloggers and seasoned bloggers becomes more apparent in their future aspirations for their blog. Newer bloggers often start of writing for self-fulfillment, but quickly build aspirations to be a celebrity blogger. This is particularly seen in the fashion, food and parenting verticals as they aspire to work with brands. Seasoned bloggers typically have established their name / brand and are more satisfied with existing status.

36% of bloggers surveyed say they hope to become well known or considered an expert for their blogs.

CREATING CONTENT [BLOG WRITERS]

Understanding the psyche of Australian bloggers is every bit as important as understanding their demographic backgrounds. An interesting finding of this study is the way in which bloggers interact with each other through blog comments.

45% of bloggers comment on other blogs as a strategy for sharing their own blog posts.

LEADING BLOG CATEGORIES IN AUSTRALIA

Top Blog categories

· 45% - Personal

· 38% - Lifestyle

· 24% - Fashion & Beauty

· 24% - Food

· 20% - Parenting

· 12% - Travel

47% of bloggers post to their blogs 2-6 times per week.

BLOGGING IS GROWING IN POPULARITY IN AUSTRALIA

Blogging is still relatively new in Australia but is showing fast growth. Despite being around since 1999, blogging in Australia is still relatively young. 44% of Australian bloggers have only been blogging for 1-3 years. 20% have been blogging for 3-5 years.

CONSUMING CONTENT [BLOG READERS]

Follow: Bloggers are dedicated subscribers of blogs – 50% follow 20+ blogs

Read: Bloggers are active readers of blogs – 45% read more than once a day

Post: Blog posts are very frequent – 53% of bloggers post 2-6 times per week

Australian bloggers follow a plethora of other blogs and are also frequent heavy readers of blogs.

HOW BRANDS SHOULD ENGAGE WITH BLOGGERS

When engaging with bloggers it’s more efficient to target a specific group with complementary readerships. Very often we see “blogger outreach” using a widespread selection of bloggers with overlapping readership that reduces reach and turns readers away.

· 73% of bloggers professed personal or hobby blogs as their FAVORITE variety to follow.

· At the opposite end of the spectrum,

· 50% said Brand blogs were their LEAST FAVOURITE to read, followed by News & Media publications at 30%.

INFLUENCE [WORD OF MOUTH]

TRUST AND OPINIONS OF BLOGGERS BEATS OLD MEDIA FOR INFLUENCE

Australian bloggers are growing quickly in popularity. As a result of increased popularity, the bloggers generate a great deal of traffic and influence. While most blogs have under 5,000 unique visitors a month, the most popular Australian blogs receive over 100,000 unique visitors a month..

In addition to generating traffic, blogs are becoming one of the most trusted forms of media.

46% of respondents ranked other bloggers opinions as the most influential type of media. Next is - 20% online sites (non-social media). Newspapers, radio and TV ranked as the least influential.

The Nielson Global Trust report released in April 2012 supports the notion that blogs are an influential form of media.

The top 2 most trusted forms of advertising is:

· Consumer opinions posted online (92%)

· Recommendations from people I know (70%)

(Blogs are a combination of both these forms)

[sourced: Nielsen’ Global Trust in Advertising and brand messages, Q3 2011]

A typical media publisher site can be visually cluttered with a number of varied advertising placements and sponsored imagery. Banner ads on publisher sites can easily be overshadowed or lost among all the other content.

In comparison, blogs are limited in ads and clutter that helps the Brand message cut through with impact.

HOW BRANDS CAN WORK WITH BLOGGERS

82% of all respondents say they notice banner ads on blogs.

Sponsored posts are a mutually beneficial way for bloggers and Brands to work together in getting information out about a product or service. Blog readers agree.

70% find it useful so long as they stay impartial and transparent. 23% - say they’re great as they help bloggers continue to provide quality content.

Blogs are among the highest trusted forms of media and readers go to them looking for new information. The authenticity and disclosure of sponsored posts place bloggers in a unique position of authority enabling them to deliver trustworthy and influential messages to their audiences on behalf of brands.

BLOGGERS INFLUENCE PURCHASING DECISIONS

Bloggers are in a unique position of influence and their purchasing advice is sought by blog readers. Looking only at the survey respondents who do not own a blog, ie. blog readers only.

· 63% are the main grocery buyer of the household

· 80% would like to get involved in making purchasing decisions

· 46% of this same group reads blogs one or more times a day

· 67% think that blogs are a better source of information than mainstream media

· 85% go shopping at least once a week

Breakdown of a Blogger Household

· 74% of bloggers are the main grocery buyer

· 88% are involved in purchasing decisions

· 88% go shopping at least once a week

· 98% like to try new experiences, products & services

As we’ve already seen blogger’s influence is not limited just to blog readers. Bloggers also have a great impact on other bloggers. That means that a blog’s potential reach for a brand via other bloggers is potent and profitable.

Purchasing funnel

· Awareness

o 89% have learnt of a new brand / product / service through blog advertising.

· Consideration

o 95% have considered a brand / service as a result of reading a blog.

· Purchase

o 84% have made a purchase as a result of reading a blog – up 6% from 2011.

WORKING WITH BLOGGERS IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF MARKETING MIX FOR BRANDS IN 2013

Not only are blogs one of the most trusted forms of media, they are essential in driving word of mouth [WOM] about a brand’s products and services.

· 89% of respondents share stories or information to family and friends as a result of reading a blog post.

· 68% believe products reviewed by bloggers provide first hand information. Bloggers are very social, it is natural that they use word of mouth to spread the information about brands, products and services.

BLOG ENGAGEMENT [BEST PRACTICES]

BRANDS MUST ADOPT NEW CREATIVE WAYS OF ENGAGEMENT WHEN WORKING WITH BLOGGERS

For Brands, the important thing to keep in mind is that the Australian blogosphere wants to hear about Brand products and services, but it needs to be presented in a natural and fun way.

· 98% of bloggers regularly use photos with their blog posts

· 97% create their OWN media [video, photo, audio]

· 62% say blogs are the most appealing medium for a business to promote a brand - 16% the second highest preference was via online contests [i.e. microsites]

BLOGGERS ARE PROLIFIC NETWORKERS WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND HAVE KLOUT

Social Media – bloggers are highly social and their dedication to social media reflects this:

· Twitter

o 81% are active on Twitter

o 63% click on blog posts linked through Twitter, 4% more than in 2011

o Twitter is used as a quick sharing & communication tool within the community

· Facebook

o 95% are active on Facebook

o 55% reported spending 1-5 hours a day on Facebook

SEO IMPACT OF BLOGS FOR BRANDS IS SIGNIFICANT

Blogs have a huge impact on search through keywords and backlinks sending readers off for more information.

94% have used a search engine to find more information about a Brand after reading about it on a blog post.

KEY LESSONS FOR SUCCESSFUL BRAND/ BLOGGER OUTREACH

· It’s better to build a deeper engagement with a small group of targeted bloggers.

· Blogging is still young in Australia and requires different approaches for bloggers of varied levels of experience.

· Competitions help drive reader engagement and participation

· Blog readers are generally household decision makers and willing to try new things

· A blogger outreach campaign helps drive SEO and WOM

WILL YOUR BRAND MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR POWERFUL WORD OF MOUTH BY YOUR CUSTOMERS

Blogging is quickly evolving in Australia to become much more than a personal online account of just one’s day-to-day activities. The Australian blogosphere is a dedicated community of passionate, curious writers and consumers who are leveraging networks to broadcast their opinions and experiences. Forward-thinking Brands are learning to be a player in this rapid growing community network.

SOURCE NUFFNANG AUSTRALIAN BLOGOSPHERE REPORT NOVEMBER 2012