Social networking about health

I get so many press releases and Google alerts about new social networking sites that I long ago decided to pass along to you only the milestones. This one is: "The social-networking revolution is coming to health care," the Wall Street Journal reports, adding that "patients who once connected mainly through email discussion groups and chat rooms are building more sophisticated virtual communities that enable them to share information about treatment and coping and build a personal network of friends." Advocacy groups like the American Cancer Society and government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control are using social-networking and online gaming technologies to educate consumers. For example, the CDC has actually held virtual health fairs in the virtual world Second Life, the Journal reports. As for social networking, GroupLoop.org "helps teens with cancer connect in a private, safe environment," and OrganizedWisdom.com is a social site that allows users to share info about diseases, medications, and medical procedures. "At DailyStrength.org, patients and caregivers dealing with hundreds of issues, including asthma, celiac disease and depression, can join a support community, start a wellness journal, share advice and recommend doctors, link to news stories and Web sites with disease information, and even send other members a virtual hug," according to the Journal.