13,771.

Number of nucleotides that can be sequenced in a single run?
Good guess, but no.

Number of microfuge tubes that can fit in a 20-liter fermenter?
Close.

Number of times a Kardashian daughter has appeared on a tabloid magazine cover?
Way too low.

Searching Amazon.com for books using the phrase “social media and business” generated 13,771 results*, including Social Media for Business, The Zen of Social Media Marketing, and every straight-shooter’s favorite, No Bullshit Social Media.

So it’s fair to say that businesses are turning to social media to learn about their customers, their competitors, and themselves. But buying 13,000-plus books gets a little pricey, so what are your options to see how a variety of social media strategies are playing out in a science-related marketplace?

One option is to check out DoseOfDigital.com, a compendium of social media efforts applied in the pharma space by pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, patients, medical societies, and publishers. Organized by several advertising agencies that comprise the WPP network of companies, this wiki (itself arguably a social media tool) provides links to hundreds of social media communities serving a variety of therapeutic areas, audience types, and purposes.

Some sites are brand sponsored, some organized by patients, some seek to connect physician to physician, some patient to patient, and some are organized specifically to solicit feedback from designated target audiences. You can also find examples that are platform specific: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more.

So if you’re looking for examples of social media in action to support one of your ideas or you want to see if any groups have tried a similar approach, you might want to pick up a Dose of Digital. In this case, you’re not obligated to take only as directed.

*As of December 2012