Google Tries To Save You From Swine Flu
November 11, 2009
The media frenzy over swine flu may have died down a little since earlier this year; it's no longer a top headline on every other news site, at least. But people remain extremely concerned about it (anyone care to guess how many tons of hand sanitizer have been sold?), and Google's trying to help out by pointing them towards flu shots.
A post on the Official Google Blog announced this afternoon, "We've been working with [the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services], the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local health agencies to gather information on flu vaccine locations across the country, particularly for the H1N1 flu vaccine . . . . At the moment we have data for locations of flu vaccine directly from 20 states and counting."
The post then added, "We are also continuing to add information from chain pharmacies and other providers in all 50 states; today, you'll find results from chains such as Walgreens, CVS and PDX participants, such as Kmart, Duane Reade, WinnDixie and Giant Eagle."
The new feature seems to work quite well. If you intend to follow through on its suggestions and receive a shot, just call ahead to play it safe. Unless you need to buy some more hand sanitizer, anyway, that is, or perhaps want to pick up a few surgical masks from the corner market.
Have You Read This?
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How Fans Engage with the NFL Online
September 10, 2009
The day has arrived at last. The 2009 NFL season kicks off tonight with the opening game between the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers (a game our own Rafael Robinson is attending, by the way).
Media Frenzy Communications conducted a survey looking at how fans use the Internet to stay on top of news on their favorite NFL teams and engage with the league. They found that while 65% of respondents say they have been lifetime fans of their favorite teams, nearly 70% said they had rarely or never attended a home game. Media Frenzy says this supports the need for NFL Teams to reach out to loyal fans through as many channels as possible (like social media).
Some results from the survey:
- 60% did not know whether their favorite team had an official Facebook page
- 60% did not know if their favorite team had official representatives on Twitter
- Yet Facebook showed 166 results for NFL pages and hundreds more for individual team pages
- 71% look to their team's official website for news and info
- 61% look to their local newspaper (print and online)
- 51.5% said NFL.com was a trusted source of info about their favorite teams
- 35% said they visit their team's official sites just 1-3 times a week
- 54% said they read local newspapers (print and online) as well as blogs (31%) about their favorite teams every day
"In other words, there is opportunity for both the NFL and the individual team organizations to reach a broader fan base through a more organized and official use of social media," says Media Frenzy. "Reaching out to sports bloggers and providing information through Twitter and other social networking sites could boost fan loyalty and dispel false information."
The NFL has of course banned the use of Twitter by players and coaches during game time (including 90 minutes before and after the game). Meanwhile, Chad Ochocinco Johnson, the NFL player who brought Twittering in the NFL to the news in the first place says he has some loopholes that will let him get around the league's Twitter rules. He also says he will be tweeting from the Super Bowl.
