MS Site Reviews
Site: MedGrasp.com
Motto: "By the Patient, For the Patient"
Philosophy: MedGrasp's philosophy is to offer a site that stresses real-life connections to MS information rather than more academia-based ones. It is a place where you can read, search, and sort experiences of other sufferers and their loved ones to find people just like you.
Strengths: the MS topic at MedGrasp has a lot of potential. The site features Med Posts, Mail, Chat, and Reviewed sites (where you can vote on your favorite sites). You have several options when viewing posts:
- post your own message,
- reply to a post,
- email the post to a friend, or
- email the author of a message directly.
A truly unique and helpful feature on the message boards is the mini-bio of the member who posts a message. For example,information about the person who posted the comment is displayed at the end of the message:
"JANEDOE, a 38-yr-old Female from Wisconsin, has had Multiple Sclerosis for 2 years. JANEDOE is taking Copaxone for Multiple Sclerosis"
This is a feature that should be particularly helpful in building relationships over time. You will have a better idea of how relevant an experience is to you if you have some general information about the member posting the message.
Caveats: Much like RemedyFind.com, this is a site that is just getting started, and will rely on increased traffic and the participation of its members to reach its full potential. Many of the links I clicked on had no posts at all, but displayed the following message:
"Poor Bob . . . He really wants to read other experiences. Help Bob, and more importantly your community, by sharing your experiences."
You do need to sign in or register to enjoy many MedGrasp features. However, you can easily sign in as a guest to get a feel for the site.
One pet peeve I have with the site is that I found I could not use the "back" button on my browser to return to my Suite101 page. Using the "back" button only re-displayed the MedGrasp page which was a bit annoying. I hope that this is just a glitch that will be remedied soon.
Overall Impressions: With increased visibility and participation, this site offers a lot of opportunity for meeting people with similar symptoms and connecting in meaningful, and more personal encounters. Again, it will be up to the MS community to spread the word
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