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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of social marketing principles in Web 2.0 commercial and social marketing campaigns. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review and online search were conducted to document the types of products and behavior change initiatives being marketed on Web 2.0 platforms. Case studies from commercial and social marketing were critically reviewed to determine whether they exhibited one or more of the principles of social marketing. Findings – Results demonstrated that social marketers can employ the following social marketing principles to successfully design and implement a Web 2.0 campaign: consumer orientation, behavior change, market segmentation and targeting, mixed methods, exchange and competition. Originality/value – The findings present originality and value to social marketers who want to effectively integrate, expand and apply Web 2.0 channels to meet their behavior change goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leading medical experts have cautioned about the risk of inappropriate behavioural responses as a result of fear of avian influenza (bird flu) even before pandemic emerges, and have emphasised the need for appropriate risk communication strategies. There is a paucity of in-depth qualitative research into the general public's understanding of, and reactions to, such potential health crises. Four focus groups were conducted in April 2006 and a further eight focus groups, in July 2006, to examine people's knowledge, beliefs and behaviours in rotation to avian influenza, with the primary aim being to inform the development of future communication strategies. It was clear front the focus groups that avian influenza is not a disease the participants perceive they are likely to acquire; it was not simply that Australia was far from mind when thinking of avian influenza, but that avian they also saw Australia as a haven protected from avian influenza. We found that, in general, participants see avian influenza as yet another example of media sensationalism -- not as a disease that poses any real risk to Australia - unit are clearly unprepared for a potential outbreak. Governments and health Authorities should conduct further research to understand consumer perceptions of avian (or other pandemic) influenza, and attitudes towards the recommended protective behaviours, in order to pro-activity develop communication strategies to rapidly inform (be public and encourage appropriate behavioural responses in the event that the potential risk is realised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Training for Australian general practice, or family medicine, can be isolating, with registrars (residents or trainees) moving between rural and urban environments, and between hospital and community clinic posts. Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs), groups of people sharing knowledge about their domain of practice online and face-to-face, may have a role in overcoming the isolation associated with general practice training. Objective: This study explored whether Australian general practice registrars and their supervisors (trainers) would be able to use, and would be interested in using, a VCoP in the form of a private online network for work and training purposes. It also sought to understand the facilitators and barriers to intention to use such a community, and considers whether any of these factors may be modifiable. Methods: A survey was developed assessing computer, Internet, and social media access and usage, confidence, perceived usefulness, and barriers, facilitators, and intentions to use a private online network for training purposes. The survey was sent by email link to all 139 registrars and 224 supervisors in one of Australia's 17 general practice training regions. Complete and usable responses were received from 131 participants (response rate=0.4). Results: Most respondents had access to broadband at home (125/131, 95.4%) and at work (130/131, 99.2%). Registrars were more likely to spend more than 2 hours on the Internet (P=.03), and to use social media sites for nonwork purposes (P=.01). On a 5-point Likert scale, confidence was high (mean 3.93, SD 0.63) and was negatively associated with higher age (P=.04), but not associated with training stage. Social media confidence was lower, with registrars more confident than supervisors for almost all social media activities. On a 5-point Likert scale, overall usefulness was scored positively (n=123, mean 3.63, SD 0.74), and was not significantly associated with age or training level. The main concerns of respondents were worries about privacy (registrar: 61/81, 75.3%; supervisor: 30/50, 60.0%) and insufficient time (registrar: 41/81, 50.6%; supervisor: 36/50, 72.0%). Using a multivariate generalized linear regression model, training stage and perceived usefulness were positively predictive, and concerns about privacy and time were negatively predictive of intention to use a private online network. Conclusions: General practice registrars and supervisors are interested in using a private online network, or VCoP, for work and training purposes. Important considerations are the extent to which concerns such as privacy and usefulness may be overcome by training and support to offset some other concerns, such as time barriers. Participants at an early stage in their training are more receptive to using an online network. More senior registrars and supervisors may benefit from more training and promotion of the online network to improve their receptiveness. (J Med Internet Res 2013;15(5):e92) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literature review and online search were conducted to document the rate of Web 2.0 adoption and to profile user characteristics. Substantial increases over time in reach and growth of the Internet and Web 2.0 by geography, technology, and age were found. Usage of the Internet, blogging, wikis, video sharing, and social networking demonstrates initially high rates among teens and young adults; recent shifts suggest older age categories are now also using Web 2.0. Internet users engage in Web 2.0 for various reasons, such as to seek or create news, entertainment, and even health information. Findings illustrate the potential for marketing and public health researchers as well as practitioners to use Web 2.0 as a platform for behavior change interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]