So, it’s official. I am now the Social Media Manager for Community Health Center. I’ve held off saying much about it until now while I talked with folks at CHC about what they are looking for, tried to figure out how well it fits with what I want to be doing, started, got oriented, and started developing a sense for how we will go forward with social media.

After my first day, I see lots of great projects to work on and I’m trying to figure out the best way to pull it all together into a quick description. Here’s what I’m thinking right now.

I will be helping CHC use social media to improve community health. It is wide open what that can mean. How do we use social media to reach kids to help them live healthier lives? How do we reach people who qualify for various health care programs in Connecticut? How do we connect with nurse practitioners about a new residency program? How do we reach health care professionals and further engage them in symposia with thought and innovation leaders in health care from around the country? How does this relate to HealthCamp, including the one being scheduled for next year in New Haven?

How do we establish online spaces where we can engage in discussions and listen to everyone involved with health care from patients to practitioners?

On a personal level, there is the question of how all of this relates to my own online presence; my blog, my twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts. I plan on doing much of my social media work from my existing accounts. I think it is is important to have a personal voice, but at the same time, I don’t want to overwhelm my friends and followers with CHC stuff.

There is the time management of how it relates to my writing here and other places, my participation in blogging and other online communities, as well as my personal and family time. I started this blog post last night and am finishing it up in the morning before heading off to work.

How does it relate to my varied interests, such as politics and group psychotherapy? I think there should be some good overlap. Social media and health are both topics that relate to all aspects of our lives.

It looks like it is going to be a lot of fun thinking out all of these things, and I hope it will be fun and interesting for you as well.

As a final note, I want to thank everyone who has sent me warm wishes about my new job on social media already. And yes, I’m open to talking about the details as much as time and confidentiality permit.

Most importantly, any good social media campaign is about conversation and listening, so I’m eager to hear thoughts and ideas from all my friends in social media. How do you think we can all work together to improve communities’ health?