Many health apps include social elements and seek to build online communities. Some succeed and thrive, while others languish. Why? My fellow panelists, Jenn Sprung (@mindthecompany) and Bruce Baskerville (@CrushTheCrave), and I (@colleen_young) explored this question at Apps for Health (@appsforhealth) on May 16. I shared best practices of Community Management That Works – How to build a thriving online community. Bruce presented the app Crush the Crave as a Case Study – Successes and lessons learned integrating social in a health app. And Jenn reminded us Don’t Forget the User – First-hand stories from the hand that holds the app.

1. Why do some online communities
succeed & others fail??
#appsforhealth
Lessons from a:
Community
Manager
Community
Member
App
Developer

2. Community management that works
How to build and sustain a thriving
online health community
Colleen Young

3. Peer-to-peer health care
“PewInternet Project data shows that if
you can enable an environment in which
people can share, they will and the
benefits will entice others to join.”
~ Susannah Fox, Pew Internet &
American Life Project
Excerpt from Susannah Fox’s Medicine 2.0, 2011 Keynote address

4. My story

5. What is an online community?
A group of people who share a
strong common interest, form
relationships and interact online.

6. Why some succeed and others fail
To succeed:
• Understand and establish your domain
• Build a sense of community
• Develop a strategy according to the
community‟s lifecycle stage
Wenger E. et al., 2002.
Blanchard and Markus, 2004.
Iriberri A. and Leroy G., 2008.

7. The Domain
is the strong common interest that
inspires people to participate in and
contribute to the growth of the
community.

8. Sense of community
• Membership: feeling of belonging
• Identity: goals of members match those of the
membership
• Influence: members feel they can influence
and be influenced
• Attachment: members share an emotional
connection
McMillan and Chavis, 1986
Blanchard and Markus, 2004

9. Community life cycle
Iriberri A. and Leroy G., 2008.
Millington R. FeverBee.com, 2013.
2.
Establishment
3.
Maturity
4.
Mitosis
Death
1.
Inception

10. Inception
• Focus on growth
• Develop relationships with potential
members
• Nurture an active core group
• Foster tone and style
The community reaches critical mass when > 50%
of growth and activity is generated by members.
Millington R. FeverBee.com.

11. Establishment
• Focus on activity
• Deepen sense of community
• Broaden outreach
• Create content for and about the
community
50 to 90% of growth and activity is generated by
members.
Millington R. FeverBee.com.

12. Maturity
• Focus on scaling the community
• Maintain sense of community
• Assess and optimize processes
• Co-create content and develop
collective value
More than 90% of growth and activity is generated
by members.
Millington R. FeverBee.com.

13. Mitosis
• Focus on division and expansion
• Monitor for subcommunity
developments
• Consult community
• Conceive and establish new community
Repeat life cycle process for each new community.
Millington R. FeverBee.com.

14. Measure for success
Measure:
• Growth
• Activity
• Sense of community
In order to:
• Grow
• Improve
• Report value

15. Founded by:
Crush the Crave™:
A Social Media and mHealth Quit Smoking
Intervention
N. Bruce Baskerville & Stephanie Filsinger
May 16, 2013
AppsforHealth 2013

16. • 24% of 18 to 29 years old
smoke.
• 69% of mobile users 25-34
years of age own
smartphones.
• Need for evidence-based app
design
• A platform for future
research to assess reach and
effectiveness.
Help available anytime and anywhere
Check-out www.crushthecrave.ca and
facebook.com/crushthecrave
Potential of mHealth for Smoking
Cessation - Crush the Crave™

17. Crush the Crave™ Social Media
Channels
17,000+ likes on Facebook
700+ Twitter followers
1,000+ App installs
(V1.0 & 2.0)
950+ total Views

18. Crush the Crave™ Promotion &
Media Activity
• Media releases on April 26, 2012 and April 15, 2013
– http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/962069/help-to-quit-smoking-the-
university-of-waterloo-s-got-an-app-for-that
– http://www.techvibes.com/blog/crush-the-crave-stop-smoking-2013-04-18
– Considerable newspaper and online media coverage
– 3 radio spots, 2 TV spots – CTV „The Beat‟ & CTV local news
– 60% increase in app downloads
• Linking to our partners at Leave the Pack Behind and the Canadian
Cancer Society
• Posters and stickers
• Global News article on September 20, 2012
– CTC labeled one of the top 5 medical apps in Canada
http://www.globalnews.ca/top+5+canadian+medical+apps/6442718979/st
ory.html
18

19. • Customized quit plan
• Simple tracking of smoking and
craving
• Health and monetary benefit
calculators/ feedback on
triggers
• Geo-tagging
• Supportive text messages
tailored to user
• Graphic displays of performance
• Reminders and push notifications
• Virtual awards of milestones
achieved
• Connection to social networks
for support (e.g. Facebook)
• Share success with friends
• Interactive social distractions
• Leaderboards to show progress
• Evidence-based service
information (e.g. NRT)
• Evidence-based help (e.g.
dealing with cravings or
relapse)
• 3rd party endorsements
• Developed with user input
• Trustworthy data collection
Credibility
Social
Support
Task
Support
Dialogue
Support
Crush the Crave™ - Evidence Informed
Design and Features for Quitting Smoking
Adapted from: Oinas-Kukkonen & Harjumaa, 2008

20. Enabling Support – Crush the Crave
Facebook Comment Examples

21. 21
Enabling Engagement – Crush the Crave
User Likes to Facebook Posts (April 2013)
Crush the Crave Expands
to iOS with Bundle of New
Features to Help Users
Stop Smoking
I quit smoking just
over 1 month ago
and I've never felt
better
Does anyone remember the
FRIENDS (TV Show) episode when
Chandler tries to quit smoking?
Maybe he should have tried our
app! www.crushthecrave.ca
Fill in the blank! I've
pushed the CRAVE
button _____ times
today. #CrushtheCrave

22. Lesson Learned - The Audience
Reached May Surprise You!

23. 23
Lesson Learned - Engaging on
Facebook with CAT Power!
VS.

24. Lesson Learned - Moderators are
IMPORTANT
March 19th
Post - “We’re
back!”
April 29th
WIN an
iPhone5
26 Moderator Posts in AprilNo Moderator Posts in February

25. Lesson Learned - Impact of Social
Media Support on Quitting Smoking
BREAK IT OFF: SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
Break-it-Off Telephone
counselling
32%
14%
QuitSmoking(30dayPPA)
Percent Quit Smoking:
Social Media vs. Telephone
Counseling
p = .001

26. Next Steps
• Ongoing monitoring of implementation (reach, usage and
outcomes)
• Quantitatively via web analytics
• Qualitatively via NVIVO
• CIHR grant application to determine impact and cost-
effectiveness of Crush the Crave
• Continue reaching out and working with end-users and
partners such as Leave the Pack Behind
• Build a persuasive technology for behaviour change
community of practice
• Continue learning

27. Acknowledgements
• A huge thank you to Lindsay Taylor & LTPB for their
expertise, ongoing contributions, and for allowing us to borrow
heavily from the Smoke/Quit booklets for the app content pages.
• Thank you to IMP for their social media expertise, development
and promotion efforts.
• Thank you to our Team of Propel Staff & Investigators.
• Thank you to Health Canada, Federal Tobacco Control Strategy.
27

28. Cookies and Kisses

33. Discussion
Colleen Young
@Colleen_Young
Bruce Baskerville
@CrushTheCrave
Jennifer Sprung
@mindthecompany
Thank you