Twittering on about social networking and babyfeeding matters: the wisdom of the crowd from the global village

C. Guy, A. Paterson, H. Currie, A. J. Lee, G. Cumming

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate whether or not social networking increases traffic to a website offering support and advice on infant feeding and whether or not this technology is potentially more useful than the existing online forum. Profile accounts were set up on Bebo, Facebook and Twitter and people who might be interested in infant feeding were contacted through the search facility on each of these sites over a 6-week period. If interest was expressed, they were invited to complete an online evaluation on www.babyfeedingmatters.co.uk. A total of 250 invitations were issued and 136 surveys were completed. The study found that www.babyfeedingmatters.co.uk is meeting its aims and is both easy to navigate and understand. However, the current forum may be outdated and would benefit from being incorporated into a social networking platform to provide informal peer support. Overall, social networking increased web traffic and responder feedback from the ‘wisdom of the crowd’ and has led to further refinement of the website.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)620-627
Number of pages8
JournalBritish Journal of Midwifery
Volume18
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2010

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