brian loew founder and ceo of the health and wellness social networking website inspire. com suggests that consumers should consider the following when going online for support around a health condition: not all sites are the same: think about what you want from an online community and understand that different sites will offer you different types of connections. communities that develop on social networking sites like facebook or linkedin for example are broad in scope and gather a group of people who simply know each other. within niche communities on the other hand -- those developed on the basis of a shared medical condition -- the conversations tend to be deeper in nature with members talking about specific symptoms treatments and the emotional impact of dealing with illness. look for moderators: it's best to avoid communities that don't use moderators. moderators are online to essentially enforce the rules of the road. they keep an eye out for any behavior that smacks of bullying personal attacks or hate speech as well as other forms of bad behavior such as selling ads. there are hot button issues within certain communities that must be monitored and stopped if they appear in order to keep the experience safe for all members. avoid anonymity: you want to join a community that allows you to modify your privacy settings but not one that allows total anonymity. the reason: it's much easier for people to say hurtful or inappropriate things when they aren't held accountable. that doesn't mean you should be required to make your real name public however.
what should i look for on a social networking health site?