It's Del-i-CIOUS!

If you haven't noticed my posts on Delicious.com (linked on the sidebar to the right) you should check it out. Many of the posts are discussed in the Veritas Health blog, but many more of the bookmarks reference websites and news articles that I have never gotten to writing about.

Are you on Delicious? If so, I'd love to join your network. Just let me know!

Can We Harness New Media for Public Health?

After a year of public health blogging I have numerous questions on the utility and impact of new media on public health. While there is no technical definition of "new media" that I am aware of (please tell me if you have one) this is what I mean by the term:

"Interactive digital media, such as the Internet, as opposed to traditional media such as print and television" (from Wictionary - an example of new media in action).

Other types of new media that I regularly interact with include: Facebook; Twitter; personal and community blogs; Delicious; Yelp; YouTube; LinkedIn; and, of course, my cell phone. A few of these examples fall into the social media category. In other words, it is used to primarily network with others and to build relationships. Others are primarily used for communicating and documenting ideas, activities, and information.

There are a variety of ways to use new/social media...and that brings me to the questions that I just keep on asking myself...