There’s a national organization that I’ve done some work with.  And for the past few years I have run social media sessions at their annual meeting.  Social Media 101 and other programs with non-threatening names intended to draw in frightened doctors.

This year I suggested that the days of the new thing have passed.

At some point we must go beyond the introduction and  into application.  The leadership of physician organizations need to begin to pay attention to the adopters and what they can do to move the needle.  Repeatedly pitching the terminally skeptical doesn’t work.  Tired arguments about the dangers of communication will never be won.  While newbie public physicians need to be educated, there are great resources available for doctors new to the public realm.

We’ve reached a point where social media is now part of the professional workflow.  While it’s a minority that understand and leverage these tools, the ones who are onboard are helping reshape the image of our organizations and our profession.  Those of us creating, curating and conversing in the great wide open will continue to benefit from our public presence.

And what about those looking to join us? The genuinely curious and motivated will figure it out just like we did.