1st HCSMEUcamp Berlin March 31st, 2010

Origanally posted on “Value innovation in medical and life sciences”; February 26th, 2010
See: http://web.archive.org/web/20101021014110/http://wp-pharma.waardeinnovatie.nl/?p=177

The Twitter #hcsmeu group, “Hcsmeu” for Health care and social media in Europe founded by Andrew Spong and Silja Chouquet is really growing and evolving in something great. Something that will be capable of moving people and things. There’s the cause and mission statement too …. and it surely is one to have. Refer to STweM for an integrative overview of what has been done meanwhile.

Now we, yes I’m one of the proclaimed members, will have our first “fieldtrip” in Berlin on March 31^st next. (Although back in September 2009, an early meetup has been held in London.

It wil be #hcsmeucamp.

We are to meet in the setting of an unconference: a participant driven, theme centred meeting.
As the maximum of participants will be 50, everything may happen. I look forward to this! (For some of us, it will feel like being in Amsterdam back in the sixties ).

In preparing myself, lots of thoughts came up concerning what all might not be possible to happen when #hcsmeu would turn into a movement, a research and study group, an information clearing house, an action group, and would feel like a good circle of friends dining in the evening sun, in some vineyard somewhere in Italy?

Well, I acknowledged to myself: I was spontaneously creating my own dream about it. And, yes why not share that with you. It may also inspire you to acknowledge to yourself your own wishes and desires!

So here are mine. I envision the following drivers for HCSMEU:

First of all, I myself experience the community and the twitter stream (#hcsmeu) foremost as an information channel to get updates of all kinds of new developments, projects, research, ideas and examples, regulations and tips about social media use, specifically in Europe.
It is a vast source for data and info. As I myself may add mine to it, HCSMEU functions as a clearing house or information warehouse if you like. It surprises me everyday, how much news can be created by the group!

Secondly, in my own endeavours, I have my own doubts and questions as to how to do what, or like shouldn’t I attend more to this or that when I work with clients and colleagues. So, I like to be able to pose questions and discuss issues involved in taking the innovative path to health care and all things related. To me then, sometimes explicitly, sometimes more implicitly, I feel free to just ask things and see how my fellow community members respond to that so as to see, whether I am on the right or the wrong track, or even just discuss visions and maybe’s. HCSMEU’s function is to have a platform for discussion and idea generation. To me it is also a trusted resource of expertise.

Thirdly, being active in the community and sharing ideas and information, inevitably brings up ideas and questions for further study and research. I have already been asked to join in studies, although it did not yet work out well, but sure it is there: the opportunity to partake in common research spread over the different countries in Europe. So, yes it may be a centre for cooperative research as well.

At the fourth place, I think of all the energy and drive that one can feel specially in the friday tweetups jumping form the screen right to you! There’s the cause working. And yes, it is hindered and limited by all kinds of factors holding the cause from racing ahead: regulations, policies, anxieties and all other hurdles just to innovate and get things done. It may well be that by coordinated and collective action, campaigning, acting, working and or lobby groups may originate from the community and act to pave the way for better conditions and contextual arrangements for a better flow of the respective innovations. So, much is feasible in improving life circumstances, if it just might be realised. So yes, I dream of a professionally campaigning group as well. Let them hear us, EMEA!

And last, but actually first to me, it is a community, a neighbourhood like, group of friends with which it is fun to hang out with! As I said, I hope to find a hcsmeucamp in an Italian vineyard in the future. I’ll do the spaghetti!

Of course, I may go into detail, but wouldn’t it be more fun to join in that effort together? I hope you will.

So please, have I inspired you, set you up or touched you in anyway: make it a comment and let us hear about it.

When we wrap up all responses, we have something to go on at the first #hcsmeucamp!

Rob Halkes.

 

Original Comments

Comment by Miguel A. Tovar at March 9th, 2010 at 18:33 | #1

Very well said, Rob! I fully share your dream. I couldn’t have express it better. Looking forward meeting you in Berlin.

Comment by Silja Chouquet March 10th, 2010 at 06:44 | #2