Inspire in the News

• Inspire CEO Brian Loew gave presentations at the Doctors 2.0 and Drug Information Association (DIA) conferences in May and June, respectively. At DIA, Loew participated in a panel discussion, "Social Media 2.0: The Power of Online Rare Disease Communities to Connect and Engage ePatients," alongside the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), an Inspire partner.
• The latest Inspire column in its ongoing series with the Stanford University School of Medicine appeared June 14 in the Stanford blog Scope. It featured Andrew Jablonski, founder of the Short Bowel Syndrome Foundation, an Inspire partner.
• The WomenHeart Support Community on Inspire was profiled in a Chicago Sun-Times article, Naperville women persuade Mayo Clinic doctor to take their case. The Philadelphia Inquirer also wrote about the online community in its article, Patients band together via Web. The support community also was featured in May in a piece on National Public Radio.

Reserve now to attend the July 11 Inspire/BIO briefing: Using Social Media to Advance Advocacy

Learn about the methods, strategies and examples of organizations using social media to advance their advocacy efforts at "Using Social Media to Advance Advocacy," a half-day seminar on July 11, sponsored by Inspire and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).

The seminar will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST at BIO's headquarters, 1201 Maryland Ave, SW, Suite 900, in Washington, DC. An RSVP is required. To RSVP, contact BIO here.

Attendees will learn about the various methods, strategies and real life examples of organizations using social media to advance their advocacy efforts.

Featured speakers include Amanda Davis, Marketing and Communications Manager, Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, an Inspire partner, Katie Smith, Senior Associate of Science & Government Affairs, Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, an Inspire partner, Christopher Badgley, Senior Director of Public Policy & State Government and Public Affairs, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., and Principal of Badgley Strategies, LLC, and Amy O'Connor, Director of Digital Government Affairs, Eli Lilly and Company.

Newest Inspire Communities

We are proud to welcome our newest partners: Red Hot Mamas, the National Vitiligo Foundation, the Cloves Syndrome Foundation, the Center for Autism, and the American Urological Association Foundation.

If you are interested in starting a community with Inspire, please click here to fill out a brief application form.

Partner Spotlight: American Brain Tumor Association

We spoke recently with Garett Auriemma, director of marketing and communications at the American Brain Tumor Association, about the ABTA and its social media strategy. (Click here to see the ABTA/Inspire community.)

Inspire: Tell us briefly about your organization and its mission.

Auriemma: The mission of the ABTA is to advance the understanding and treatment of brain tumors with the goals of improving, extending and, ultimately, saving the lives of those impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis. We do this through interactions and engagements with brain tumor patients and their families, collaborations with allied groups and organizations, and the funding of brain tumor research. The ABTA was the first national nonprofit organization dedicated solely to brain tumors. We were founded in 1973, and are based in Chicago. We have provided critical funding to researchers working toward breakthroughs in brain tumor diagnosis, treatment and care, and the ABTA is the only national organization providing comprehensive resources and serving the complex care needs of brain tumor patients and caregivers from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.

Inspire: What are the underpinnings of what you think makes your social media offerings strong?

Auriemma: Our social media program includes our agency Facebook page and a Twitter feed. We also have Facebook pages for our two signature events programs. Our social media program is so strong because we are able to include many topics that brain tumor patients and their families are interested in--including research, patient services, events and more. Also, our ABTA Brain Tumor Group on Facebook allows both patients and caregivers to connect with others going through similar circumstances. The ABTA social media forums are a place for people to learn, connect and discuss.

Inspire: How does your organization measure its social media efforts?

Auriemma: We measure our social media efforts through statistics such as interactions, posts, and number of followers on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis. Posts that receive high levels of response are also taken into consideration to ensure that we are continually meeting our fans' and followers' needs. Our goal is to use social media to help people better access our programs and resources, to educate them and inform them about what's going on with the ABTA, and to offer them new engagement opportunities. We measure correlations between our social media posts and visitors to the ABTA website, as well as participation in our programs and special events.

Inspire: How do you make social media actionable?

Auriemma: Our social media programs are very interactive. We often run contests for our event participants on our events pages, we ask questions and opinions of our constituents on our agency page, and we interact regularly with our Twitter followers. Trivia questions and "Did you know?" facts keep followers engaged and interested. Additionally, our group allows people to interact with others in the brain tumor community going through the same thing. They find help, support and understanding in each other.

Inspire: What has your organization learned about using social media effectively for all of your stakeholders?

Auriemma: One size does not fit all. Some people are interested in research, some people are looking for support, others still are health care professionals or professional organizations interested in how we can work with them. The most important part is having the most current information and being able to provide that to people who are looking for it. It's not enough to just make a post and forget about it-it's all about engagement. People speak to us through our social media channels, and it's important that we speak back.

Editor's note: If you'd like to suggest an association for the Partner Spotlight feature, contact Inspire's Communications Director, John Novack.

About Inspire

Founded in 2005, Inspire is the leading provider of online patient community solutions. Inspire provides safe, secure, and engaging online communities for patients and caregivers through collaborative technologies. Inspire builds the online health and wellness communities in partnership with national patient advocacy organizations, and helps life science organizations connect with these highly engaged populations.

To learn more about Inspire, please contact Amir Lewkowicz, Vice President of Partnerships. Please visit us online at www.inspire.com.