Healthcare communications and marketing news and information

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ning . . . there are so many online communities available, but it’s becoming very hard to figure out which ones to join – or keep up with.  I use or visit many social groups, but have started to winnow down the list of sites I frequent.  Basically, a community will stay on my list if it helps me do my job better.  It needs to provide me with new insights and information that I can store or use, as needed.

To demonstrate what I mean, I’ve organized the five or so social communities I use regularly by order of importance/usefulness:

1.    Twitter
2.    Twitter
3.    Facebook
4.    Ning (I follow a few social networks focusing on health marketing, but am not yet joined them)
5.    LinkedIn

No, that’s not a typo.  Twitter has become my first and second most important social community.  Why, because I use Twitter as a news feed.  Unlike some, I don’t believe Twitter is only used by those seeking to boost their egos and share innocuous details about their day.  I’ve found it to be a rich and varied source of information.  It’s the first thing I check when I get to my office in the morning and the last thing I check at night (and often during the day).  It has become so useful, that some days I don’t even read online newspapers or blogs unless they provide updates via Twitter.

Honestly, I must say that I use Facebook much less often – primarily to keep up with my friends and colleagues and respond to messages.  (This may change now that Facebook has launched a new site design.)  As for LinkedIn . . . well, I’m a member and have used it to participate in a few discussions, but that’s about it.  (Hmm . . . should I drop it from my list of preferred social networks?)

I know that I’m an N of 1, but I’m beginning to think the key to capturing the attention of a highly fragmented online audience of professionals is relevant content.  Right now, Twitter is hitting the spot.

What’s your take?