Everyone knows Facebook and MySpace. Before that, some of us used Friendster and AOL chat rooms or Yahoo member boards. When we think back on how the social aspect of digital media has changed us… some of us yearn for more personal interaction. Sure, Facebook is great for keeping in touch with old friends from high school or inviting people to your dinner party… but the potential for social media goes so much deeper than that.
Imagine you were just diagnosed with cancer. Yeah, worse than the recent financial news, I know. Now imagine what your first actions would be. You might cry, scream or look deeply inward for a while… but chances are the next thing you’d want is information. You’d crave connection and comfort in the knowledge that other people have and continue to go through the same thing you are. You’d probably call your uncle, mother or friend who has already battled it and you’d surely spend hours on google to get more information.
Now imagine there was one place you could go for all of that. Think of it like a niche Facebook. It doesn’t have millions of users and you’re not going to get tons of spam from it but it does have a very focused goal: to help you survive. The numerous and growing number of users at Surviving Cancer Whole share their stories, ask questions and provide insight to whoever needs it. They also have established themselves as a place to get crucial news stories about Surviving Cancer that you’ll want to keep up with.
They have a new blog to accompany the website which you should subscribe to… and if you’re a survivor or current patient you’re questions and/or answers will prove valuable not only to you, but the others in the community.
It’s beyond Facebook and Web 2.0. It’s Web 3.0: Niche social networking at its best! So if you or anyone else you know would be interested in this community, click on over and check it out!
justin