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USP and Social Media

What are Social Media?

The term "social media" refers to interactive web-based platforms through which people read and share news, information, and other content. Social media distribute information near-instantaneously and connect like-minded people with each other. USP has started to use these outlets to appeal to consumers, practitioners, and scientists by conveying our messages to interested audiences in "real time." Among the most currently popular social media platforms are Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. USP has recently launched initiatives on all three.

Twitter

Twitter is a free social networking service that allows its users to send updates (otherwise known as ‘tweets') to hundreds of people all at the same time via text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Twitter "followers" receive an alert on their mobile phones and/or computers each time a message is transmitted. In the aftermath of the recent Iranian election, when nearly all traditional media were silenced or expelled from the country, Twitter was one of the few consistent, unfettered sources of information about the ongoing social and political unrest.

USP's Twitter feed will be updated once daily every weekday and more frequently as needed. To start receiving messages from USP, visit our profile page and click "follow" or send a text message from your phone to Twitter with the words "follow uspharmacopeia". You'll get messages from USP each time we update our feed. Topics will include updates on workshop and ASM agendas, Convention 2010, new monographs or calls for comment, the opening of the FCC Forum, and any new announcements about USP.


YouTube

YouTube is a Google-owned Web site where users can upload and share videos. YouTube displays a wide variety of video content, including movie and TV clips, music videos, and amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos. Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals, though many established corporate entities and governmental agencies use it to connect with customers, consumers and peers. Examples include the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

USP's YouTube channel includes a dietary supplement video, two public service announcements about counterfeit and substandard medicines that were created by USP's Drug Quality and Information Program, and brief clips from USP's workshops. We'll be adding more USP videos to the channel in the months ahead.


Facebook

Facebook is a free-access social networking Web site. Users can join networks organized by cities, workplaces, schools, regions, or other unifying elements to connect and interact with other people. People also can create and update personal profiles (pages) about themselves, allow "friends" to access their pages, and send messages. Facebook currently has more than 200 million active users worldwide. USP created Facebook pages to reach consumers in places where they are communicating and sharing information. USP's goal is to share information about activities such as our Verified program for dietary supplements.


A Facebook "Cause" page is organized around an issue, enabling individuals to distribute information and mobilize their network of friends to grow social or political movements. Since the Cause application was launched in May 2007, 60 million people have started using Causes and over 250,000 causes have been created about every topic from halting global warming to supporting the arts. Any Facebook members who want to become a "fan" of USP Verified can join.

USP on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking site that allows users to connect with past and present colleagues and classmates. It also enters users into a network of industry experts willing to share information.

USP's LinkedIn page provides information about the organization, including working at USP. It also houses USP and other relevant news via the USP blog.

Social Media Release

A social media release (SMR) is a news release that contains embedded multimedia links that appeal to bloggers as well as mainstream media. The release can contain video and/or audio components in addition to the text of the release. Click on the link below to see USP's first social media press release, in support of a campaign to raise awareness about the USP Verified program for dietary supplements. An SMR was an effective way to announce the Verified campaign because it puts the information in different formats so consumers and media can see it in the format they want –either through video, audio or text.