Social Media, Tried and True
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have become part of everyday life for many of us. In the buzz around these and other social media sites that offer real-time news and discussion, we shouldn’t lose sight of a useful tool that’s been around for nearly 30 years. Electronic mailing lists—often referred to by the proprietary-to-generic name, Listserv™—enable communities of people with shared interests to discuss topics with a minimum of fuss, bother, and technical skills.
The term (and spelling) Listserv dates back to the mid-1980s. According to Wikipedia, Listerv software was freeware until 1993. In 1994, it became a commercial product owned by L-Soft. The term Listserv was trademarked in 1995.
Many organizations have maintained Listservs since those early days, and though the program looks old-fashioned and offers only basic functions, it continues to be a good way to communicate with a somewhat defined group of people. I say “somewhat” because Listservs require participants to register and in some cases to join the hosting organization, but the ones I use the most encourage open discussion and new members. The lists I use also are moderated to ensure that discussion stays civil and on track. However large the group of participants may be, each community tends to develop a core group of members who post frequently. I enjoy seeing new names pop up among those who are very familiar—whether they are entirely new to the scene or becoming active after months or years of “lurking” in the background. Similar to other social networking tools, Listservs are great “levelers,” with participants engaged in discussion across all different backgrounds and levels of experience.
I currently participate in three Listservs moderated by organizations involved in patient safety:
- The National Patient Safety Foundation’s (NPSF) Listserv has been active since 1998 and currently has more than 3,000 subscribers. Recent topics of discussion include barcoding of respiratory medications, the definition of “falls,” and hospital policies regarding the use of electronic cigarettes. One of the most active discussions in the past month has focused on participation of patients and families in harm assessment and investigation.
- The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine started its Listserv earlier this year. This group more than makes up for its brief history with passion and expertise. Recent discussions include the notion of “crowd wisdom” in diagnosis, the role of technology, and a comic strip treatment of medical error originally published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which I highlighted in the last PSQH eNews Alert.
- The Society for Participatory Medicine (S4PM) hosts a lively discussion on its Listserv, which is moderated and limited to active members of the society. Members use the Listserv to ask for advice, share links to events, comment on S4PM activities, and discuss topics that recently have ranged from Blue Button Plus to genomic medicine, AHRQ’s Prototype Consumer Reporting System for Patient Safety Events, and the barriers patients encounter when trying to access their hospital-based medical records.