Facebook, the online social networking phenom, is poised to suck in its 200 millionth user this month. The free access networking site has been around for just five years, but has far surpassed most experts’ predictions of popularity. I won’t get into the relative merits (or demerits) of Facebook here, except to note one possible benefit of the explosion in online social networking -- a return to the principle that good old-fashioned human contact is a good thing. Human beings are social creatures and the need to connect to others is profound. This simple fact is something we often forget in designing BCC interventions. Our audiences exchange information, influence one another and create support networks. Why not acknowledge the power of social interconnectivity and work with it rather than against it? The basic principles of utilizing social networks for behavior change are simple:
- Ask your audience to spread the word. You’re already asking them to change their behavior, why not get them to talk about it, too? It broadens the reach of your message and enables people to learn from the experience of others.
- Create opportunities for people to talk outside of their core network. Creating venues where people from different social environments can interact will help your messages bridge different networks.
- Enlist the support of opinion leaders. Identify trusted, well-liked members of your target audience and train them to help promote your messages.
The Centers for Disease Control and its collaborators have put together a useful website that details how to design and implement activities using popular opinion leaders (POLs), considered by some to be the classic model of nework interventions. Check out this link for information on
POL logic models, budgets, training specs, implementation plans and sample materials. For a step-by-step overview of what goes in to a successful
POL intervention, visit this link.
Guest Blogger Beth Skorochod is a consultant in the HIV department.
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