Google Sidewiki, Pharma Social Media and Website Annotation Tools – Part 2

In a past post I spent a fair amount of time talking about Google’s Sidewiki, it’s potential impact on pharma websites, and what marketers can do about it.

Consider this post “Part 2” on the topic of website annotation (tools that allow anyone to post unauthorized content right next to your website – in many cases without you even knowing it).

Web annotation tools are used for the following reasons:

• Rate a web resource (such as its usefulness, user-friendliness, suitability for viewing by minors, etc.)
• Collaboration (i.e. discuss the contents of the website)
• Social criticism (public protest or posting of critical viewpoint)

The most popular of these tools is Google’s Sidewiki. It’s exclusive to users who have downloaded the sidebar. Therefore only users that have downloaded the tool can see the comments.

And, pharmaceutical companies have begun to take notice. Companies such as AstraZeneca and Roche have even created master entries (see my past blog post to learn more about master entries) for their corporate web sites.

(note: you’ll need to install the Sidewiki toolbar to see the examples below in your browser)

As the industry waits for the FDA to release its social media guidelines, you don’t have to sit on the sidelines.  If your site get’s hijacked by Sidewiki, consider posting a master entry that includes the following information:

• Posts on Sidewiki are not the views and opinions of the company
• Sidewiki is not authorized and not actively monitored, therefore viewers should not expect a response from the company
• Contact information for viewers in case they wish to reach the company and discuss a medication or treatment, through:
  • Email
  • Phone Number

On a final note, it is important to remember that Google’s Sidewiki isn’t the only game in town.  A few more common annotation tools cropping up include:

www.diigo.com

www.reframeit.com

www.kutano.com

www.layerpad.com

www.stickis.com

FDA Social Media Guidelines – Top 7 WOMMA Social Media Disclosure Recommendations

Paul Rand, board president of WOMMA and president and CEO of the Zócalo Group, took a stab at fleshing out some best practice suggestions for social media disclosures in blogs and space-limited channels (i.e. Twitter).

Rand is cited in a recent MM&M article as stating, "I have consistently found that disclosure creates a better connection with readers and individuals, because there's clarity about motivation and connection to a brand. There's not as much second guessing about whether certain information is trustworthy or not," said Rand.

WOMMA went even so far as to suggest Twitter users use one of the following three hashtags when disclosure is needed:
■ #spon, for sponsored
■ #paid, for paid
■ #samp, for sample

While an interesting concept, and I love that WOMMA is taking steps to satisfy both FTC guidelines and the anticipated FDA Social Media guidelines, there are several things to consider:

1. Do most consumers (not the ones using TweetDeck, HootSuite or other APIs) understand what a hashtag is and what it means?
2. Are the hashtags themselves truly descriptive of the ‘disclosure’?
3. Is med/legal within pharma willing to accept the risk that the hashtag itself provides adequate disclosure to satisfy the FDA, and if Brand X product is mentioned, and the #spon hash is used (read this as = branded promotion), where is the link to the PI, ISI, etc.?

Don’t get me wrong…WOMMA should be commended for moving a step forward. However, we can’t lose sight of the realities of this highly-regulated environment.

7 additional pharmaceutical social media disclosure recommendations are also included in the WOMMA PDF.

I’d love to hear industry opinions about these recommendations.

1 to 5…What’s Your Pharma Product’s Consumer Score? – Askapatient

Pharma marketers close your eyes and imagine a website that allows patients to rate your product on a scale of 1 to 5…a site that permits patients to share their side effects and stories. It’s a site where consumers are taking more control and are making decisions about their healthcare in the absence of their doctor. Mystified? Intrigued? Horrified?

Now open your eyes.

Hover over the date in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The year is 2010 and shame on most of us if we didn’t know something like this already exists. The site is Askapatient.com.

Now, before you pop a Valium or reach for the Ativan to ease your sudden onset anxiety, look at the consumer ratings for these products (Ativan 3.6, Xanax 3.9, and the ole’ Valium at 4.2).

As far back as 2001, patients have been sharing their ratings, their side effects and their stories – influencing people of the successes and failures of virtually every Rx producton the market. That’s right, SINCE 2001! Your next response may be “Well, since I haven’t heard of it, it isn’t relevant.”

Not the case.

According to Compete.com, between November 2008 and November 2009, Askapatient.com saw approximately 1.5 million unique visitors. More people are beginning to catch wind of this resource – 40,000 more patients used the site in November 2009 than in November 2008.

Doing a Google search on the following:

“[drug name] side effects”

(ex. “Valium side effects”) should result in your product being displayed on Askapatient.com in the top 10 search results. Thank you Google for pushing 73% of unique visitors your way (smile).

What surprised me the most about Askapatient.com wasn’t the potential increase for AEs (reportable or not), but the actual positive ratings people gave these products. In fact, it took 15 searches to find a rating under 2.5 (we’ll leave that product anonymous). Believe it or not, people are saying good things about your products and they are using social media to do so.

Check the date again…it is still 2010.

Conclusion
Social conversations and ratings about your product are happening now. While you may not be able to directly inject into the conversation, you can formulate strategies that will ensure your product rating scores remain as high as possible. Train your reps well. Ensure HCPs have easy access to educational materials that inform patients about their drug regimens. Proactively drive patients and caregivers to sites and resources that ethically promote the benefits and risks of your product. In the end, your efforts will serve as a catalyst by which patients and advocates will paint your product in a positive light and increase the overall satisfaction score on networking sites like Askapatient.

Posted by Tim McLaughlin (@TPMcLaughlin), Senior Interactive Account Executive at Roska Digital Advertising.