Some Tips for Making Your #HIMSS15 Tweets Memorable & Retweetable

Here are some ideas and tips about making the information you share on Twitter more easily identified, consumed and shared with others.

Share Well – It’s Going to Be Around Forever

1. Twitter is Forever

It’s ok to call out the value of what you share, add an opinion and/or point out possible contradictions – don’t be shy! Just remember that what you post on Twitter does not go away - even if you delete it.

Tag 'Em Danno!

2. Integrate hash tags into your tweet – if it makes sense

By integrating hash tag(s) into your tweet sentence on a contextualized basis, it may read better and you will also save space; therefore you can include more info.

Ex. “Vendor ABC is offering free ICD-10 upgrades to current EHR licensees” #EHR #ICD10

Could be...

     “Vendor ABC is offering free #ICD10 upgrades to current #EHR licensees”

3. Use hash tag(s) to help categorize your tweet and make it easy to find

Hash tags are also used by certain web services to summarize and index tweets – making your content more likely to be read. But don’t use too many hash tags!

Example: "#Top10 #Digitalhealth #Apps for #healthcare #providers at #HIMSS15”

4. Don’t use punctuation or a special characters in a hash tag

Unless it’s at the end where it’ll be ignored. Using “#ICD-10” results in a hash tag of “#ICD”

And the following are all equivalent to #EHR: #EHR’s #EHR? #EHR!

5. Use Official and/or Unofficial Hashtags

The HIMSS organization has published an Official Hash Tag Guide for the 2015 HIMSS Conference in Chicago. And I have also published an albeit Totally Unofficial List of HIMSS Hashtags. Consider using some of the tags in these guides.

Tidy Up Your Tweet Before You Share It

6. Cover your tracks!

You may want to remove tracking tags and keys from the URL’s you share – especially if any personal information like your email address is embedded in the URL.

7. Leave room for others to RT and share your information

Keep your tweets to about 115-120 characters so it can be RT’d by others without their having to edit your tweet. Be concise. Remove unnecessary words like “the” “a” “is” “are” – and use a “link shortener” if the tool you are using doesn’t automatically dos this for you.

8. Validate links before posting them

At a bare minimum, click on links you intend to share and make sure they lead to something – even if it’s not the content you think it is! There’s nothing worse than a “404 – Page Not Found” error! :)

Point People in the Right Direction

9.  Inform others of the need to login to access content you are sharing

If a link leads to a site that controls access to the content, add “[Login Reqd]” to the Tweet.

10. Identify special digital media formats at the end of the tweet

– Is it video? A huge document? A Podcast?

11.  Point out a specific locations in a large media you are sharing

When sharing a large document, video, or podcast containing a specific piece that you want to call out, add a pointer like (See pg 18-22) or (Starts at 1:35)

Happy Tweeting!

By incorporating some or all of the above tips and approaches into your Twitter shares, you’ll make it easy on your readers and improve the value of the information shared. And make my life curating your tweet much easier! :)

For more info, Follow me on Twitter.

EHR’s Kill 1000 People a Day! Injure 10,000. No One Cares!

"Recent senate subcommittee hearing, was revealed that >> 1,000 people r killed and 10,000 injured every day from EHR related issues.”

This tweet by @MtnMD jumped out at me yesterday. I read it three times before I clicked on the link which led me to this web page. The word Sepsis immediately made me think of hospital acquired infections (HAI) which, by the way, my friend’s father recently suffered from after having a new pacemaker installed. HAI’s made me think of the huge number of preventable medical errors and mistakes that kill nearly 400,000 a year. 

Surely the doctor was confused. Or did she make a mistake? I inquired to the doctor and got a vague reply. In inquired again and then got this. “Yes, I posted links. This was from a senate subcommitted hearing. 1000’s of links, Google.” Apparently @MtnMD stood by her claim.

The Facts

Unfortunately @MtnMD is mixed up. She made a preventable mistake. The fact is that medical errors and mistakes are a leading cause of death and injury in the United States. I’ve done my research and shared information about this many times on another Twitter account I operate. But it’s very clear that if you read the information that's available, EHR’s are not blamed as a primary cause of these deaths and injuries.

EHR's Role?

I’m sure some of these deaths and injuries could be attributed to poor EHR software and bad workflow. But who makes the final decision as to the care provided? Does the EHR software actually order the medications and procedures? And 1000 people a day killed by software EVERY DAY and the entire population is not up in arms about it? C’mon!

Excuse for Poor Judgement?

Indeed, the United States trails behind other developed nations in implementing electronic medical records for its citizens. If anything, more widespread use of EHR’s would decrease these deaths and injuries; not increase them as some physicians would seem to prefer so as to give them a Red Herring to throw others off the trail of their own likely incompetence.

What’s the Physicians Role?

I seem to recall something along the lines of “First, do no harm.” Secondly it would seem that physicians like @MtnMD should actually read what they're basing their decisions on and referring as fact to others before blindly marching ahead, endorsing and sharing it. Maybe that’s the cause of all these deaths and injuries after all: filtering information via prejudiced glasses and blinding acting on it without any critical thought?

First do no harm. Indeed.

Twitter Statistics for Speakers at 2015 HIMSS Conference

Here are some statistics regarding the 2015 HIMSS Conference speakers who have Twitter accounts. These statistics were obtained using the Twitter List of 2015 HIMSS Speakers obtained from Perficient_HC and the SocialBro social media analytics tool. Data is as of Sunday, March 29, 2015 @ 6:10am PST

Note: I had all the cool graphics from SocialBro and tried to include them but apparently I need to learn how to do that. It's early on a Sunday and the morning talk shows beckon. So I posted them into this "holder post" - maybe next time I'll figure it out.

Gender (Per SocialBro)
Female – 30.3%
Male – 42.6
Unknown – 27.1 (Not specified)

Note: I was interested to see just how many females vs. male speakers there were. Nowadays we hear so much about the dearth of women in technology. So I reviewed the names and avatars of each of the 251 accounts on Perficient’s Twitter list and with one exception was able to determine the gender of the HIMSS speaker. The following are the actual stats on speaker gender: 

Actual Gender (Per Chromosomes)
Female – 39%
Male – 58%
Entity – 3%
Unknown – <1% (1)

Number of Followers

Followers	Qty	%
>100K	0	0%
50K - 100K	1	0%
10K - 50K	8	3%
5K - 10K	8	3%
1K - 5K	38	15%
500 - 1K	19	8%
100 - 500	94	37%
50 - 100	36	14%
0 - 50	47	19%
Total	251	100%

Number of People the Speakers Follow 

Friends Qty % >100K 0 0% 50K - 100K 0 0% 10K - 50K 0 0% 5K - 10K 1 0% 1K - 5K 29 12% 500 - 1K 32 13% 100 - 500 93 37% 50 - 100 37 15% 0 - 50 59 24% Total 251 100%

Time Since Last Tweet

Time Since Last Tweet	Qty	%
> 1 year	17	7%
Last year	13	5%
Last 6 months	10	4%
Last 3 months	30	12%
Last month	18	7%
Last 2 weeks	23	9%
Last week	86	34%
Last 24 hours	54	22%
Total	251	100%

56% have tweeted at least once in the last week
28% haven’t tweeted in over a month

Main Geographical Locations

Locations	Qty
washington, dc	10
chicago	9
boston, ma	5
washington dc	3
new york, ny	3
los angeles, ca	3
boston	3
stanford, ca	2
st. louis, mo	2
seattle, wa	2
san francisco	2
rockville, md	2
portland, or	2
pittsburgh, pa	2
philadelphia	2
green bay, wi	2
chicago, il	2
42.387648,-71.259747	1

The East Coast dominates with Washington, DC having the most speakers. Chicago and Portland, OR – two of my “home towns” make the top 10. Woo hoo! BTW: That one Lat-Lon is Raritan Township, NJ.

Main Bio Words

Main Bio Words	Qty
healthcare	73
health	62
technology	21
informatics	21
director	21
medical	19
information	19
officer	17
chief	17
care	16
tweets	15
president	15
founder	15
physician	13
himss	13
clinical	13
management	11
husband	11
strategist	10
security	10

Clearly the HIMSS Speakers are healthcare technology executives at the director level and above.

I think it’s cool that 11 people listed “Husband” in their bio. I suspect females may not list "wife" in their bio since wife seems to have a negative connotation in the business world; as if that role is subservient while a "husband" is gallant? Too bad.

Are a Person (Not an entity):

88.8%

Note: Clearly, based on my manual analysis, the above stat from Social Bro is incorrect. Only 1.2% are “entities.”

Include a URL in their Bio: 

61.4%

Summary
So what can this data tell us about the Twitter accounts of the HIMSS Speakers and their Twitter activity?  I read the data as HIMSS speakers are not very active on Twitter. They appear to be fairly well balanced gender-wise. And they're located on the East coast.

To me, it’s disappointing that people who apparently have so much to offer do not share it more widely – at least on Twitter.

Preparing Your Elevator Pitch & Networking Questions for the HIMSS Conference

Credit: Mark Anderson - www.andertoons.com

So you’re going to the 2015 HIMSS Conference in Chicago! What are your goals for networking at the conference? What do you want to learn from other people? What do you want to be able to get from or give to other attendees? There must be something. Why else would you be going?

Theoretically you could meet somewhere around 40,000 people interested in healthcare information technology. Realistically you’ll probably be quite successful if you have 300-400 relatively brief conversations. You should also use the little time left before the event figuring out what you want to say to people. Here are some suggestions and tips:

Have your Personal Elevator Pitch Ready

Come up with a sentence or two that quickly and accurately explains what you do. It should include what the primary benefit is that you provide and your role at your company. Avoid unnecessary jargon so those new to the industry or not is your particular area of expertise are not confused.

Struggling to come up with your Personal Elevator Pitch? Check out “The "High 5" Elevator Pitch Worksheet.” 

Note: Even if you're not going to the HIMSS Conference this year, having a Personal Elevator Pitch and having some questions ready to improve  your networking skills can help you both professionally and personally.

A Good Listener is a Great Networker

After the introduction, a most uneasy moment can be not knowing what to say next while you and the person you just met stare at each other or the coffee cup in your hand. To avoid this scenario, consider having a list of general questions to use with people you meet. Having this list also helps others interacting with you to better understand how you might be able to help them. It can also make you look less silly, which is a nice bonus.

You should ask meaningful questions and list to understand what the other person is saying. A good listener is a good networker. Focus on that person's answers to your questions and not on how you intend to respond. Don't try to fill in what the other person is saying. Let the person do the talking because by limiting your own talking and encouraging the other person to talk, you’ll make yourself more memorable to the other person. Seems counter-intuitive but it’s true.

Sample Post Introduction Questions

1. Where are you from?

2. How long have you worked at ABC company?

3. Where did you work before joining ABC company?

4. How did you become interested in your area of expertise?

5. What are you hoping to get out of the conference?
6. What sessions are you most looking forward to?
7. What do you think the best sessions have been so far?
8. Are you going to any other conferences this year?
9. I’m trying to improve at XYZ - what did you read to do so?

Make Your Own Luck

Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. The HIMSS Conference will provide all the networking opportunity than you'll ever have in one place in a short period of time. Remember that networking is a wonderful opportunity to get to know people, so make the most of it by coming prepared.

For more information on the 2015 HIMSS Conference, consider following @HITConfGuy on Twitter. 

Suggestions and Ideas for Meeting and Socializing at the HIMSS Conference

Attending the 2015 HIMSS Conference in Chicago is like being a visitor in a tightly-packed city of about 40,000 inhabitants. And whether you’re first timer at the conference or a battle-scarred veteran conference-goer, you may feel awkward and uncomfortable at times. Add in the fact that there’s a lot of truth to the stereotypical introvert IT person and it’s almost a given that you can benefit from some suggestions and tips on how to socialize in such and environment and get the most enjoyment out of the conference.

It’s quite common for first time conference attendees to feel left out because they may not know too many people. The only reason you may feel that way is because you may not know too many people; yet. Give yourself some time. Remember that everyone else is probably feeling like they don't know anyone too.

Here are Some of Suggestions and Tips

1.  Keep in mind that schmoozing is important and okay. Check out other people's nametags so you know who they're. Be sure to wear your nametag in a prominent spot so others can identify you.

Don't get too turned off by nametag gazing. It is what people do at conferences. Sure, people will check yours out, discover that you’re a nobody and then move on. Some of the folks doing this are real ass-kissing idiots who are just looking for famous people to kiss up to. Don't sweat it. Don't let the posers get you down.

2.  Always remember the first law of socializing: act like a host. This means taking the initiative and introducing yourself to others. Be sure to remember the people you do know and that you’ve met before – including those in your online social circles.

3.  Consider making a list of all those you want to keep an eye out for. It’s easy to forget while being overwhelmed with all that’s going on.

Tips for Introducing Yourself and Others

4.  When you meet someone new, even if your interests are a far apart, you can always say "Have you met so and so? You should. I'll introduce you when I see you together." And then, when you do, they'll possibly be grateful for the intro, and they’ll definitely remember your service.

5.  Be as “socially generous” as possible. It almost never "costs" anything to invite someone along, bring them into a conversation, introduce them to a colleague, connect them to someone of common interests, etc.. People always remember these kinds of things and what goes around comes around.

Presentations, Gatherings and Meetups, Oh No!

6.  Make a point of asking everyone (in elevators, crossing the street between hotels, waiting in lobbies, airport shuttles, etc.), “Are you here for the HIMSS conference?"

Most likely they will be and it's fascinating to learn why they're attending. Perhaps you have something in common and it'll be a face to smile at if you meet later on in the conference. Even if they're not affiliated with the conference, you'll probably have a chance to explain why you're in town and it will make it that much easier when you do talk to someone at the conference.

7.  Prepare a question ahead for someone important that you know will be at the conference. Most people encourage questions related to their presentations--even a couple of days later in the hall.

8.  Remember that it's OK to engage people in serious conversations about what they do, what they think about, etc.

9.  While listening to presenters, try to look wise--frown, nod, take notes. :)

10. Consider reaching out to those you know you want to meet in advance. Ask them about a recent publication or their interest in your area of expertise. Sometimes they'll ask to meet you at the conference.

Serendipity Reigns

11. Never pass up an opportunity to go out with a group to eat or have a drink.

12. Recognize and celebrate the fact that the most important and enjoyable part of the annual meeting is the stuff that occurs OUTSIDE of the sessions.

What Else?

What other ideas do you have for Meeting Others and Socializing at conferences? Consider following the @HITConfGuy on Twitter for more tips, ideas, and information on this years HIMSS Conference in Chicago.

List of First 100 Followers of @HITConfGuy Account

If your name is on this list, I'd like to thank you for being one of the first 100 followers of the @HITConfGuy account. And you can take advantage of a special Conference Monitoring Service I am providing for the 2015 HIMSS Conference in Chicago. 

If you're interested, please review this post and respond accordingly.

Note: There are actually 110 names on this list due to a little confusion on my part as to exact order in which some accounts followed. Plus some unfollowed me and some were duplicates. So I gave the benefit of the doubt. And I'm guessing some (many?) of you may not take advantage of this service.

Some Interesting Factoids on Y'All

Average Number of People Who Follow Y'all = 4567
Average Number of People You Follow = 2380
Average Number of Lists Y'all are On = 152
Average Number of Tweets Y'all Make Per Day = 7.1
Average Age of Your Twitter Account as of 3/20/15 = 1395 days or 3.9 years

So all in all, y'all represent a pretty impressive group of Twitter Luminaries in the Healthcare and Healthcare IT space! I hope I don't disappoint any of you. 

List of First 100 Followers of @HITConfGuy Account

Twitter Account	Followers	Friends	On Lists	Last Tweet as of 3/20/15	Tweets Per Day	Age of Acct in Days as of 3/20/15
2healthguru	13319	3967	833	03/20/15	25.66	2377
3MHISNews	4119	2661	134	03/18/15	8.76	1296
Alexruoff	421	457	27	03/19/15	0.57	1858
andyvassallo	39	150	0	03/18/15	0.02	2116
AvailityAPI	120	233	14	03/19/15	0.94	150
BluePrintHIT	277	343	15	03/09/15	0.28	1443
Brad_Justus	7571	8317	290	03/20/15	21.54	1898
Brian_Eastwood	4716	4248	335	03/19/15	10.66	2110
caitietnolan	183	379	10	03/19/15	0.13	2083
carimclean	1491	454	98	03/19/15	0.72	2329
caseyhealthlaw	89	310	1	03/20/15	1.57	26
CDW_Healthcare	9646	6360	287	03/20/15	2.91	2019
ChelleRovner	217	241	10	03/20/15	1.1	1598
ChilmarkHIT	833	1024	46	03/17/15	0.57	1399
ClinicSpectrum	1038	744	39	03/18/15	0.81	1053
CSlocumb	293	213	23	03/19/15	0.47	2649
CureMD	3366	2669	81	03/20/15	6.21	1744
dadimo13	200	416	11	03/16/15	0.18	2059
DavisJamie77	307	440	26	03/18/15	0.8	819
DC_Assoc	317	872	20	03/18/15	1.33	1151
DehaanStephanie	844	1920	49	03/20/15	5.79	157
dougchase	307	600	14	03/20/15	0.07	2974
DrLindaMD	19944	20625	340	03/19/15	25.93	616
ehealthcareorg	227	1640	2	03/17/15	0.08	1263
ehrandhit	32626	17346	996	03/19/15	8.46	2147
ehrpmrcm	131	771	35	03/20/15	19.04	89
EMRAnswers	10524	5330	505	03/20/15	14.95	2044
erictalbothit	10	120	0	03/19/15	0.29	25
esseeconsulting	501	1260	65	03/19/15	7.02	535
foybj	133	567	15	03/19/15	0.35	2430
GalenHealthcare	3662	2722	63	03/19/15	0.64	2193
GetReal_Health	3947	2161	116	03/19/15	5.81	1119
GLHC_HIE	464	1073	43	03/19/15	4.88	286
greenway	6471	1108	220	03/20/15	2.84	2199
GreythornNA	435	531	53	03/20/15	1.18	1734
H4Omaha	107	575	3	03/18/15	0.29	517
HCITExpert	4624	4944	142	03/18/15	13.49	955
HCSInteractant	1725	1530	63	03/19/15	0.57	2219
HealthBIJeff	96	304	6	03/14/15	0.13	737
HealthcareScene	1436	1927	40	03/18/15	2.77	949
HealthITMKTG	248	259	22	03/17/15	0.24	1207
HealthNautica	8	43	0	03/12/15	0.07	364
HIMSS	59369	974	1757	03/19/15	4.58	2481
HITMarketingPR	829	957	39	03/19/15	0.82	463
HITpol	83628	1982	745	03/20/15	16.04	2012
hootnolan	98	290	13	03/19/15	0.82	152
HX360_	2392	2616	84	03/19/15	4.83	180
icetechnologies	262	943	16	03/20/15	0.36	1783
iMethodsJames	21	88	1	03/20/15	8.6	4
ImpactAdvisors	399	745	21	03/20/15	0.33	1769
infomanager	195	372	33	03/16/15	1.29	2268
Insight_HC	65	60	6	03/18/15	0.27	716
irvinbalagosa	620	996	17	03/15/15	2.9	1957
Itentive	83	92	14	03/19/15	0.16	1959
IVDConnectivity	5	89	0	03/16/15	0.01	367
jackbergstrom	56845	23876	1291	03/19/15	1.86	2091
jamcbride	654	635	26	03/20/15	0.32	2280
janicemccallum	9547	3616	610	03/20/15	7.47	2165
jimmyweeks	2485	867	159	03/20/15	2.6	2298
jmrubin	225	458	20	01/02/15	0.1	2487
Joe_Lavelle	80	534	3	03/17/15	0.49	456
jonmertz	8440	6938	339	03/20/15	9.88	1680
JRJusticeSAI	23	342	3	03/19/15	0.16	190
JustmeJayneRN	1	29	0	02/15/15	0.01	560
KarlaKoertner	33	74	3	03/19/15	3.41	10
KentuckyREC	539	981	20	03/18/15	1.05	820
KonicaMinoltaUS	3100	1141	89	03/19/15	1.53	2073
L_Macnaughtan	69	181	22	03/20/15	5.8	39
LAlupusLady	8229	7993	343	03/20/15	28.15	2095
LeadGenMike	630	1907	70	03/20/15	23.49	142
Legacydnagroup	278	778	24	03/19/15	1.81	406
LHCQF1	2013	2005	55	03/20/15	6.31	784
LizGoodale	648	684	48	03/14/15	1.48	1309
lsaldanamd	6530	5555	420	03/19/15	38.84	2422
MandiBPro	9374	5081	658	03/18/15	31.24	963
marcinzawisza	113	543	32	03/11/15	0.19	792
MedeAnalytics	708	465	57	03/19/15	1.03	2118
MEDITECH	3158	1134	112	03/20/15	1.24	2138
MMaxwellStroud	916	1027	62	03/18/15	1.7	660
moodlemethods	18585	18534	126	03/18/15	4.23	1429
mrudnick	1452	1321	62	03/19/15	1.07	2517
msharmas	1117	2001	46	03/20/15	1.52	2103
mssoftware	182	255	18	03/19/15	0.07	2131
mtreardon	136	478	9	03/13/15	0.08	1281
MyCareNav	15	169	0	03/19/15	0.13	59
NextGen	15607	2961	497	03/19/15	4.41	2221
Nextwaveconnect	616	498	44	03/20/15	3.03	681
nicfletch	2448	2322	169	03/19/15	2.08	2343
nxtstop1	9019	8585	753	03/19/15	214.69	581
OpenQAP	15	112	0	03/18/15	0.01	376
Perficient_HC	8427	4050	377	03/20/15	13.84	1978
PetrosPapapa	170	266	9	03/19/15	0.57	741
ReasObBob	1628	1948	54	03/14/15	2.4	1088
Resultant	2976	3240	127	03/20/15	5.4	2135
RightPatient	1388	1679	78	03/18/15	6.36	1186
roseannarhit	426	1134	55	03/20/15	43.36	40
sarahbennight	443	419	38	03/18/15	1.69	1049
StaceyHolifield	512	854	32	03/19/15	0.62	2139
stacygoebel	513	595	41	03/18/15	1.94	2360
Steph_Sagacious	36	239	5	03/17/15	0.67	19
Steven_Paul	1633	366	97	03/19/15	3.36	2400
SusanCHull	1638	2001	136	03/20/15	4.43	1601
techguy	8401	6826	445	03/19/15	6.39	2872
TheNerdyNurse	16289	14713	579	03/20/15	12.96	2264
ThePatientsSide	1768	2001	108	03/18/15	5.47	1139
tom_finnerty1	51	147	2	03/14/15	0.03	1327
Turbodean	1050	1956	32	03/19/15	0.89	2235
VOXTelehealth	222	768	20	03/18/15	0.7	847
wallace_tim	442	1744	6	03/20/15	0.11	2013
wareFLO	5500	690	435	03/20/15	26.2	2256
	4567	2380	152	03/17/15	7.1	1395
						3.9