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From ePatient Connections 2010: Getting Physicians Involved

I attended ePatient Connections 2010 this week in Philadelphia and got the chance to meet some wonderful people interested in improving patient-provider relations, healthcare communication, and the adoption and employment of emerging technologies in healthcare.

One of the questions I raised had to do with getting physicians involved in the growing discussions about these plays for importance. It’s my view that physician involvement can be a sort of limiting agent, and that rather than “taking on” physicians, they should to be approached from where they are coming from so that they can better understand why it’s important to listen.

The video of my summary of the question is HERE, and you can catch up with the conference tweets HERE.

*This blog post was originally published at Phil Baumann*

The Difference Between “Passion” And “Psychosis” In Social Media

What’s the difference between “passion” and “psychosis?” Passion enables you to seek out the things that help you get things done. Psychosis drives you to see things that aren’t there, or to think in ways that are disconnected from reality.

A lot of people today are passionate about social media. And there’s good reason: These media are creating new ways of connecting and sharing and communicating. There’s also a lot of misunderstanding, though, about the nature, promises and limits of these technologies which indeed are reshaping the way we do things. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Phil Baumann*

Social Media Bill Of Rights?

Should we have a Bill of Rights for social media sites? It’s something we need to consider as such software becomes an integral part of our daily communications.

Some might say such a document isn’t needed, that we aught to take a buyer-beware approach. But I would argue that the core issue of the privacy threats of new media isn’t really privacy, but rather dignity. Having to go through fifty steps to set your privacy settings is undignified, even if your privacy is ensured.

So if we value human dignity, we aught to consider standards of dignity. A Bill of Rights, even if unenforceable, may at least remind us of the disturbing force of social technologies. What’s your take?

*This blog post was originally published at Phil Baumann*

Do You Own Your Genome?

Human Genome

As the costs of sequencing our DNA shrink and the roles of digital media in our lives expand, we will need to understand who (or what) controls the ownership, access and use of our genomic information.

From state regulation to Google to Facebook, who controls the acquisition, transmission and replication of our genomic information and material will become an important battle in the 21st century. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Phil Baumann*

Social Media Psychosis: 8 Stages

Even though it’s 2010, the talk and hype orbiting around social media continues. In fact, it seems to be getting louder. So I put together a Prezi: 8 Stages of Social Media Psychosis (some language may be harsh.)

For those of us who’ve been at this for a long time (my experience with social networking goes back to 1978 –- that’s a whole other story), it’s startling to witness the level of Web illiteracy in many important, well-financed organizations. Unfortunately, due to this Web illiteracy, I’m sad to say that the talk around social media will go on for some time. And that’s dismaying, because there so much more that we can talk about.

*This blog post was originally published at Phil Baumann*

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