In the UK, over-50s getting online faster than anyone else

July 2, 2010 · Filed Under found on the net, trends & principles · 2 Comments

Over 50s lead dash to the internet: “The latest figures on new internet users in the UK have shown that people aged 50 or over made up the largest social group to join last year”": more than half of new users. As the article says, “Don’t knock silver surfers.” (Thanks to Twitter buddies @patientopinion and @age_uk.)

Tags: 50s, Buddies, Internet Users, Lead, Silver Surfers, Social Group

Health 2.0 Europe: A Moveable Feast

April 19, 2010 · Filed Under demographics, trends & principles · 27 Comments

Ernest Hemingway wrote that Paris is a moveable feast, not fixed in time or place. I think that describes great gatherings of any kind, including great conferences, which begin before the first speaker takes the stage and don’t end simply because the participants have left the building.

Health 2.0 Europe began, for me, in February, when I started thinking about some of the topics that the Patients and Online Communities panel would discuss. My post, “Privacy can kill, openness can heal,” kicked off a discussion about health data rights, the role of health professionals, security/confidentiality/privacy, patient-driven research, and why relatively few patients have joined formal patient communities while naturally-occurring communities on Twitter/MySpace/Facebook have blossomed. Read more

Tags: ACOR, california healthcare foundation, cancer, Chronic Conditions, chronic disease, diabetes, health 2.0, Heart Conditions, High Blood Pressure, Internet Users, Lung Conditions, participatory medicine, patientslikeme, pew internet project, Pew Research Center, Sharing Strength, Social Impact Of The Internet

Participation Matters

October 2, 2009 · Filed Under Why PM · 11 Comments

In politics and in health care, participation matters as much as access.

The passion we saw in the political campaigns last year is matched by the passion we see when someone is trying to save a life, find a better treatment, or just manage the health of a loved one. What are you doing in your work to harness that passion? Read more

Tags: American Adults, Benchmark, chronic disease, Definition Of The Internet, digital divide, disability, health care, health information, Internet Connections, Internet User, Internet Users, Internet Wirelessly, Laptop Cell Phone, Medical Advice, Mobile Access, Mobile Adoption, Participation, participatory medicine, Passion, pew internet project, Political Campaigns, Voices