TY - JOUR PY - 2013// TI - Evaluating social media's capacity to develop engaged audiences in health promotion settings: use of Twitter metrics as a case study JO - Health promotion practice A1 - Neiger, Brad L. A1 - Thackeray, Rosemary A1 - Burton, Scott H. A1 - Giraud-Carrier, Christophe G. A1 - Fagen, Michael C. SP - 157 EP - 162 VL - 14 IS - 2 N2 - Use of social media in health promotion and public health continues to grow in popularity, though most of what is reported in literature represents one-way messaging devoid of attributes associated with engagement, a core attribute, if not the central purpose, of social media. This article defines engagement, describes its value in maximizing the potential of social media in health promotion, proposes an evaluation hierarchy for social media engagement, and uses Twitter as a case study to illustrate how the hierarchy might function in practice. Partnership and participation are proposed as culminating outcomes for social media use in health promotion. As use of social media in health promotion moves toward this end, evaluation metrics that verify progress and inform subsequent strategies will become increasingly important.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1524-8399 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1524839912469378 ID - ref1 ER -