Public Health: The Communication Initiative Network

I'm back to school and back to blogging. I ran across The Communication Initiative Network today and thought it was worth mentioning here. Although it is not a "pure" health site, their site is about social and economic development and I see that as integrally tied in with public health. After all, the site has information about avian flu, AIDS/HIV and polio.

Their web 2.0 use is nicely integrated into the flow of their site and their mission. One example of this is their use of RSS feeds. The most current articles are called "most currently shared knowledge." I can't tell for sure but I think this is a place where their members can post press releases and articles.

They are also using web 2.0 to define their target market. For example, I don't even understand how to answer the poll. They want to know how important a bivalent OPV vaccine is to their community. To answer the poll you need to join the community. To join the community, you need to answer many questions about your organization, it's mission and your role. After that you may or may not be approved to join the community.

For an organization with a specific mission and a narrow target audience, the web 2.0 applications that they have put into place will help them to attract the members that will make a contribution to their mission, not detract from it.

Bravo! More is not always better. If average Joe and average Sue can't really contribute to your mission, you don't want them as members of your social network.

If The Communication Initiative Network wants to expand their public relations a bit, they could add some podcasts and videocasts. Anyone see any other web 2.0 opportunities they are not taking advantage of?

If your organization has a narrow target market, how are you using web 2.0 applications to attract the right people and groups to your site?