Going to the 'Gram! - OSTOMY GAZETTE INSTAGRAM MAY 2020
Youth membership and awareness is an area where Halifax Ostomy Society (OHS) wants to improve. While OHS remains strong and very supportive of its members, this youth demographic is one with which we want to better engage. To do this we are adding another channel of communication to our growing the list: Instagram!
For those of you who may not be familiar, Instagram is a free application that can be accessed via phone, tablet, or computer. Account holders can “Follow” other people/organizations/platforms and see posts made by the account. Regular posts stay on the page unless deleted.
Instagram also has a feature called “Stories” where the account can post something quickly and it lasts only 24 hours before disappearing. A special feature with the Story is that an account can host live streams to connect with members in real-time over the app.
For example, if the page wanted to live-steam the annual auction that happens in December, viewers can tune in to see what is happening in real-time. With regular posts, other Instagram account holders can “like” and comment on the post, similar to what is done on Facebook.
There are two types of accounts: Public and Private. Sharing information about ostomies, teaching people about experiences of ostomates, and providing resources are the main purposes of the account. The aim of the account is, therefore, to reach as many people as possible, whether they have an ostomy or not.
We are going to begin our Instagram journey with a public account. It will be continually monitored and reviewed (by me) to ensure content stays on point, those commenting educated and respectful, and everyone learning.
Instagram is a way to get a lot of information to people fast in an aesthetically pleasing manner. One post can have text, multiple pictures/videos, and graphics. Stories can also be a tool to get feedback from followers. Other Instagram tools that allow followers to interact with an account’s post, like directly reacting to a post, with an emoji or messaging the account with related thoughts act to enhance the user experience.
Many people aged 15-30 have an Instagram account and check it often. This age demographic is less likely to have Facebook, and if they do, it is for business reasons, like staying connected to older family members, or work-related. To help bridge this age gap and get awareness of OHS out to this demographic, we have decided to go to them!
The current vision for the OHS Instagram account is to create interesting, easy-to-digest posts that inform the followers of the account about our society and to reveal available resources for the youth that which they may not have known existed. Current ideas for posts include: what OHS is, individual posts explaining the different types of ostomies, and frequently asked questions. Some existing information from the www.ostomyhalifax.ca will be transferred over to Instagram over time. There will be a link to the OHS website on the profile so that it is easily accessible for anyone who wants to learn more.
If you would like to check us out, or know someone who would, click the link below and follow us!
About Anna
Anna recently completed her studies at Mount Allison University and is now living in Halifax. When she was a little younger, she attended Camp Horizon in Alberta and has been to an OHS General Meeting or two over the years. She has a cecostomy and a desire to help and inform her peers and others about life and living well with an ostomy. OHS is thankful to Anna for helping us reach and support more people through the Instagram platform.