Follow the Center on Facebook and other social media

Free online networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are providing new ways to educate the public and inspire support for the Center’s scientific mission

April 20, 2009 • By Anne Broache

The popularity of interactive social media on the Web—Facebook, Twitter and YouTube—has produced a host of new opportunities for the Hutchinson Center to educate the public and inspire support for our scientific mission.

In recent months, the External Affairs and Communications Department has been expanding the Center’s presence on these highly trafficked sites, drawing an encouraging response from members of its networks so far.

“Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all have the potential to strengthen public awareness of the Center and help us better connect with the public—including donors, former patients and their families and the news media,” said Linda Gainer, vice president of External Affairs and Communications. “These networks enable us to talk and listen to people directly and to do it at no cost.”

The Center's presence in these media can drive more people to our Web site and promote science news and fundraising events, Gainer said.

Here’s how faculty and staff—as well as your friends, family and other associates—can keep up with the Center in the growing realm of social media:

Facebook
Join the Center’s network: Anyone with an fhcrc.org e-mail address can consider joining the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center network on Facebook. By doing so, you can identify your affiliation with the Center to other Facebook users and realize yet another way to interact with colleagues.

Become a fan of the Center: Any of Facebook’s some 200 million users around the globe can also learn more about the Center through its profile page. We encourage faculty, staff and all who support the Center to become a “fan” and/or to suggest the page to friends and family. Fans receive periodic alerts through their Facebook accounts about events and other Center-related news. We’re working on implementing other engaging features designed to educate the public about the Center’s activities.

Join our Cause: In addition, the Center maintains a Facebook Cause page, where visitors can make financial gifts. Joining the cause, which requires no donation on your part, embeds a small “widget” on your personal Facebook profile that encourages and tracks contributions from Facebook members.

Twitter
Want to receive brief updates about the latest Center research, media coverage, public events and other informative features on our public Web site? Sign up for a free Twitter account and “follow” the Center (username: HutchinsonCtr).

Even if you’re not interested in signing up for a Twitter account, you can still view Hutchinson Center Twitter updates. (There’s a separate Twitter account geared toward members of the Innovator’s Network at http://www.twitter.com/IN_network.)

Since the External Affairs and Communications team began sending out near-daily updates, called “tweets,” earlier this year, more than 400 people and organizations have signed up to receive these messages, ranging from local media organizations and businesses to peer research institutions and interested individuals.

YouTube
The team also maintains a dedicated YouTube channel to house our library of videos all in one spot. If you choose to register with YouTube, you have the option to post comments about videos and subscribe to alerts when the Center adds new content.

In the “groups” section, you can review the video submissions from our Get Screened! colon-cancer awareness video contest, which concluded earlier this year.

Social media at the Center
Help spread the word about the Center's social-media presence. Add the links below to your e-mail signature: