Social Media & Emerging Technologies: Venue for Networking, Strategizing, & Campaign Problem-Solving

Audience: This workshop is meant for Tobacco Control (TC) professionals who have an interest in utilizing Social Media (SM) tactics to accomplish organizational objectives or for those who have already begun implementing SM into their strategy.

Key Points: This workshop will first delve into up-and-coming web-based trends (like Facebook, Twitter, and Mobile Marketing) and show how these emerging technologies can be utilized in an efficient, timely, and cost-effective way for campaign development, strategy, and support. The session will then present a few case studies of effective TC SM campaigns from experts in the field who are at the forefront of online advocacy. Finally, the workshop will open to the group for discussion on other national SM movements.

Educational Experience: The session will be an open-minded venue for TC professionals to discuss their current SM and emerging technology work, network with others conducting similar campaigns, present challenges around this new communication tool and collectively brainstorm solutions.

Benefits: SM is ingrained into the way our youth, media, and society communicate as a whole. It is no longer a question of “if” TC will harness SM, but “when” and “how” will it be utilized to create a cohesive online movement for social change. SM is a powerful, innovative form of communication, which has fundamentally shifted the way our society functions and listens to one another. This new technology truly is a venue of endless possibilities to reach out, educate, connect globally, and propel the TC movement into the next generation of communication.