Social Media in Practice:
The MTW Experience
Emma Aldrich
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
emma.aldrich@nhs.net
01622 224647
What we use:
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Blog:
mtwlibrary.blogspot.co.uk
Twitter:
#mtwnhslibrary
Netvibes:
www.netvibes.com/mtwlibrary
Wiki:
Pilot project for Leadership
Faculty
Blog
• Started in 2005
• Slow start – only made 70 entries in the first
three years
• Use it for:
– Advertising new resources
– Information about trials
– Book Club, Film Club
– Changes to scheduled opening hours/ events
Blog
• Change the style every few years
Blog
• Lots of links to and from our website plus links
to other key resources
Blog
• 10260 page views so far……
Blog
• Google analytics help us to see its value and
help us to understand what our users want
Twitter
• We cheat…….
– Use twitterfeed to reproduce all blog posts and
send them to our twitter account automatically.
• Currently have 16 followers
• Improving now our Trust has a Twitter and
Facebook presence, but blocked on the Trust
Network!
Netvibes
• Started the site in 2010.
• Slow growing
– Get uptake from specific departments with named
leads
– Tailor each tab to the needs of the department
– Promote at top levels as much as possible, via
Local Faculty Groups
– Strip it back – don’t get carried away!
– Can use tools like Yahoo Pipes to blend feeds
Netvibes
Netvibes
Netvibes
Wiki
• Recognition of skills in using social media
• Start a wiki for the Leadership Faculty Group
– Pilot phase
– Review next week
– Uncertain of interest/ uptake
– Will offer to other departments/ faculties if a
success
Reflection…..
• Sometimes feel we are more interested in the
technology/ potential than in what it can
actually deliver with it
• Know when to give up (GP VTS Google Group)
• Still believe that even if only a handful use the
pages and sites we have set up, we may reach
otherwise unavailable groups