Public Health: Why Blog ?

About Blogging

Hits
Type "blog" into Google and you get over 150 million hits. "Blogging" gets more than 9 million. "Weblog" gets you 40 plus million while "web log" gives you in excess of 20 million.

In the Dictionary
According to Wired magazine “Bloggers had a great year.” they go on to say that Merriam-Webster, the dictionary publisher, declared "blog" – a word- "noun (short for Weblog) (1999) : a website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks provided.

So What is blogging?
Ask Bruce! Will tell you along with a bit on why to blog and the history of blogging. http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/askbruce/articles/browse/blogging_1.shtml
More on what blogging and its history here http://www.tokyoshoes.com/blogclass/
For A Practical Guide to Blogging see Greg Knollenberg http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jul02/gak16.htm

Please be careful
You could loose your job.-This wired article talks about posting content that your employer does not agree with. http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65912,00.html
Listen to the guy who worked for Waterstone’s (UK booksellers) and got sacked because of his blog- "It is a big personal blow to me to lose my job and it also has grave implications beyond that - for anybody who works for any company and blogs, which is thousands of people." The story posted in the Guardian Newspaper in the UK is an interesting read and a cautionary tale. (Blogger sacked for sounding off. Waterstone's says bookseller brought firm into disrepute.) http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/weblogs/story/0,14024,1388466,00.html

Public Health and Blogging

Public Health Blogs
This one is actually called Public Health Weblog http://depts.washington.edu/hswork/phblog/phblog_0904.html
The Behaviour and Health Blog at Johns Hopkins University is definitely worth a visit. http://bhblog.jhsph.edu/
The Public Health Press http://publichealthpress.blogspot.com/

Here are some functions blogs can fulfill according to Effect Measure:(http://effectmeasure.blogspot.com/- this site seems concentrate on the spread of viruses- influenza in particular- however there many other posts of interest to public health practioners)

Filter information from the web and elsewhere pertinent to our point of view and of use and interest to the public health community;
Provide context for that information;
Provide alternate points of view (challenging the conventional wisdom or the unspoken assumptions that get in the way of finding "out of the box" solutions);
Encourage argument, examination and evaluation of important issues for the purpose of fashioning a coherent point of view that can be framed and efficiently and effectively communicated;
Accrue an audience specifically interested and attuned to that point of view, which may be small, but if coordinated can exert significant influence and leadership.

If you want to try your hand at blogging you can start at Blogger
(it's free!):http://www.blogger.com/