This week ZocDoc released results of a new survey of online physician activity.

It seems that among medical practices…

• One in every 3 have a Google+ account.
• Half have a Facebook presence.
• Nearly a quarter have a twitter presence.

A couple of thoughts:

Application to earthling physicians.  While there’s no information regarding the particular planet on which this survey was conducted, here on earth 1 in 3 physician practices are not present on Google+.

The chasm between ‘presence’ and meaningful engagement is huge.  Surveys such as this fail to address the vast range of platform use among physicians and practices.  Presence may mean nothing more than a practice has registered its name.  Alternatively, it could represent significant presence with audience, authority and meaningful engagement that changes minds and shapes behaviors.  With surveys such as these, the devil’s in the details when it comes to ‘social media use.’

We must not conflate physicians with physician practices.  They’re different creatures.

Opportunity lost.  ZocDoc is an amazing product with the resources and physician numbers to definitively characterize the habits and behaviors of doctors in the social wild.  They missed the opportunity to create a defining study consistent with their brand and potential.  Perhaps in 2014.

Irrespective of what any of this means, expect to see this infographic blindly plastered on every Power Point presentation delivered on physicians and public presence.