Having a Heart Attack

Here's another film -- this one animated -- attempting to capture the experience of a heart attack.

It starts out seemingly innocently enough but don't be fooled, it's every bit as graphic as the last one (minus the vomit!). I wasn't able to embed this one but you can still view it at StolenDreams.com.

Blah, Blah, Twitter, Blah

Yes, in fact, I do actually know that I sound like a broken record. But you know what they say about key messages -- it takes constant repetition for your audience to get it. So I'll just keep twittering on and on about Twitter (and Social Media) until I have your full attention.

You're coming along, whether you like it or not!

The latest installment of Twitter-mania comes in the form of a special section in the latest edition of Business Week. Look closely at the screen shot below and you'll see that it's this week's Top Story (blue box).


The special report includes the following stories:

• How Companies Use Twitter to Bolster Their Brands
  
• Getting Intimate (with Customers) on Twitter
• Brands That Tweet
• AMC's Mad Men: Running Amok on Twitter

Read them in order -- the last two stories aren't as meaty. Brands thatTweet is just that: a list of brands you'll find on Twitter; Mad Men is a good case study of good marketing gone bad.

Happy reading.

KAPOW!

How's this for an anti-smoking sign? I don't know the backstory of this gorilla marketing campaign but I found it on ScaryIdeas.com, which I found via Twitter.

What could we do in this sort of vein to draw attention to our cause -- and causes? Leave some comments with your ideas.

September 8, 2008: NYT Magazine on Social Media

If you're one of those old-fashioned types who enjoy pouring over a hard-copy of the Sunday New York Times while sipping a steaming cup of joe, then you may have noticed the feaure on Social Media in this week's NYT Magazine. (If you're more like me, you just read it online while chugging your morning diet coke.) Course, you may actually have a life and, therefore, spend your Sunday mornings out doing things instead of sitting on the sofa reading about other people who do.

Regardless of your Sunday morning exploits, you'll want to read Brave New World of Digital Intimacy. It's a pretty in-depth look at how the digital divide between individulas is shrinking. The story uses Facebook as a prime example of how social media is building the bridge between people.

I know you have a lot on your Social Media to-do list, what with the homework assignment for the upcoming HIT Team Meeting, and all. However, I believe it is critical that we, of any team within the SCA, must position ourselves as the leaders and content experts on this sort of stuff. Communications is changing and you need to be prepared to change with it.

Speaking of the team meeting, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone.

Two Minutes to Save a Life

Twitter strikes again! Some of our colleagues at National Center were buzzing about this intense video produced by The British Heart Foundation for its Two Minutes campaign.

Read through the following ad copy and then play the video. Warning, it is rather intense and Tod was kinda grossed out by one scene.

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245 first loves die from a heart attack every day

Sadly, one in three heart attack victims die before they reach hospital. Many people don't recognise the signs and fail to take the steps that may have saved their life or the life of a loved one.

Watch Your Own Heart Attack is an unforgettable, two minute film which enables you to experience what it's like to have a heart attack first hand. Take the time to watch it then you'll be prepared if and when it happens for real.

This is two minutes which could save your life. Or the life of someone you love.

Go Red For Women Photo Shoot

As you all know, National Center recently requested interested Hispanic women with a history of heart disease for possible inclusion in a GRFW ad campaign. Lots of people responded to the request and I'm excited to report that Yvette's contact, Lupe Becerra, a stroke survivor from Dallas, was selected.

I'm equally excited to share that my good friend and nominee, Lauren Mireles, was also chosen as a Go Red model. Fortunately, Lauren hasn't personally suffered any cardiac events but she has plenty of experience dealing with family members who have.

In her freetime, Lauren writes a blog, On the Go with L. She just posted a new entry all about her day as a GRFW model, complete with behind the scenes photos. Please visit Lauren's blog to read all about it -- and please leave a comment. Remember, blogs are part of a conversation!

Lauren, who used to work with me at that foundation run by Sandy Levy's boyfriend, is now the tradeshow manager for National Instruments, one of the best places to work in Austin (other than the AHA, obvously. OBVIOUSLY!) When she's not dog sitting Uli for me as I jet around the Affiliate, Lauren dotes on her super cute puppy, Major (full name: Major Applewhite) and her husband, Richard, who also works at NI. Scroll through her blog for some super cute pics of Major and the Mireles family. (That's Major over there during his first visit to PetsMart.)

Thanks to Yvette, for suggesting Lauren write a guest blog for us. She'll probably still do that but I was to impatient to wait for it!

Monday Blues?

So I was answering Tod's question to my previous post re: sudden death of Frank Cornish and it got me thinking about, what else? Social Media and how we can use it to help people like Frank.

As you know, I've been experimenting with Twitter, LinkedIn and other tools to figure out how they work and how to pitch media and engage people. One of the things I've learned is that you have to be real -- meaning, if you only write about work-related things people will tune you out; however, if you write about normal stuff with some messaging thrown in they're open to hearing and acting on it.

To that end, I've been creating my Topics To Tweet list, such as:

• When are you most likely to have a heart attack? Mondays. Take the Heart Attack Risk Assessment to start your week off right.
• It's 10 am, do you know your heart risks? Most cardiac events occur in the morning. Know your risks by taking the heart attack risk assessment.
• It's 3pm--when was the last time you left your chair? Step away from the computer and take a few steps for your health. Start Walking.
• Need more time? Start exercising, as it’s been shown that you could gain two hours of life for each hour of regular exercise.
• Friday is National Wear Red Day. Show your true colors and support women fighting heart disease. Shop AHA's sponsor Macy's.
• What's for dinner? Need ideas? Check out AHA's free heart-healthy recipes.

I'm also working on some specific to Advocacy, Mission: Lifeline; research; Scientific Sessions, etc. I'll share them here or, of course, follow me on Twitter and then retweet them. As I mentioned last week, you need to spend some time building your network so that you have listeners when you Tweet. I'm up to 157 followers on Twitter and 185 on LinkedIn (which, according to LinkedIn's calculations connects me to more than 1.2M professionals).

While I was thinking about Topics to Tweet, I stumbled across a recent article in Time Magazine that answers the question: When Are You Most Likely to Have A Heart Attack? I learned how to capture screenshots yesterday, so here's a handy one of the article. Follow the above link to read through the piece.


Stay tuned for a future blog posting about another social media tool I'm excited about: Blip.fm. I've just started playing around with it -- choosing songs with heart (as in, included in the title, artist, album, etc). Not sure if we can link to it from the office but if you try it, I'm DJ StephElsea.