Blog: Patient Insights & Thought Leadership

Back to Basics: What is Community?

January 18, 2016

As busy community managers, it can be easy to get caught up in the daily work of assessments, moderating, and even theories behind community work — and get distracted from the original vision for one’s company. So it’s important to revisit how one is going about reaching those goals. At Health Union, we find that revisiting “the basics” can be a critical exercise in constantly reexamining our approach to community management. In a recent team brainstorming session, our VP of Community Development, Amrita Bhowmick, created an exercise that allowed our group to easily share our ideas about what “community” means to us, and what qualities can make or break a community.

Considerations for Building Financially Stable Online Communities

December 2, 2015

Over the past several years, there has been a significant growth in the popularity of online communities, and as one may expect, there are a multitude of challenges associated with developing these seemingly robust communities into self-sustaining businesses. In 2013, the CEO of Reddit, for instance, reported that despite having 70 million monthly readers, his company wasn’t making money. More recently, Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter, announced (via a tweet), that there would be company layoffs to “move with greater focus and reinvest in our growth.” A viable business model is absolutely critical to maintain thriving and sustainable communities.

Holiday Struggles & Strategies for Those with Chronic Conditions

November 25, 2015

Discover insights from 600+ surveyed people living with chronic conditions to understand challenges and enjoyments that they experience during the holidays.

Understanding the Silent Majority in Our Online Communities

November 9, 2015

“Why do lurkers lurk and what do they do?” The 90–9–1 rule of thumb has been applied to many digital and online communities. 90% tend to be less vocal but still engaged, 9% tend to be more vocal by commenting and/or sharing, and the remaining 1% tend to be the most vocal by creating new content. The lurkers are the 90%. While the exact ratio is highly debated and perhaps outdated, the idea that lurkers or what we refer to as the “silent majority” make up a large portion of online communities still holds true.

A woman engages in online community discussion.

Social Media Engagement: Proof that quality leads to quantity

January 24, 2019

Engagement is a key component of Health Union’s approach to community development. Hear first-hand from the people who are immersed in our communities and why Health Union’s approach works through this Q&A with Rebecca Braglio, Senior Director of Community Development.

Moderation: An online health community tool for understanding, not just responding

January 22, 2019

Moderation is a key component of Health Union’s approach to community development. Hear first-hand from the people who are immersed in our communities and why Health Union’s approach works through this Q&A with Kristine Zerkowski, Vice President of Community Development.

Committed to the Public Health Sector: A New Year’s Resolution We Can Keep

December 20, 2018

While our office is wrapping up the end of the year, celebrating our accomplishments and the relationships we’ve built with one another, we’re spending a lot of time crunching numbers to quantify the kind of impact we’ve made this year as a business.

Five Simple Ways to Improve Clinical Trial Recruitment

December 13, 2018

Health Union often partners with study sponsors and contract research organizations (CROs) to supplement clinical trial recruitment efforts. Based on this experience, here are five simple suggestions for CROs to help guide patients from the point at which they express interest in a study through to completion.

Healthcare Industry Thought Leadership