![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 62 to 86 of 86. Go back in thread:
Posted by TexasChic on July 20, 2008, at 1:25:50
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? Just me, posted by Bobby on July 20, 2008, at 0:22:47
I've been here since 2002 and there's always talk like this. I HAVE seen a big turnover since I started posting, but maybe that's normal. Maybe people grow out of babble. Maybe there were a select few who gave babble a certain feel and now they are gone. And like someone else said, now there are many more sites like this than at the beginning, so it stands to reason things will thin out. I think its a lot of small factors that contribute to this feeling, but I don't think babble is dying. I think its just evolving.
As for the feeling of not belonging and clicks, I remember that being said many times in the past too. I also remember feeling that way when I first started posting, but that changed for me eventually. Maybe its just the normal dynamics of a chat room like this.
As for people being ridiculed, that's deplorable. It only takes a few bad apples (or sometimes even one) to make a whole lot of people feel bad. I don't like seeing people being picked on or ridiculed, and if that's going on it needs to be addressed by the deputies and/or Bob. So maybe Bob's less prominent presence does have something to do with that.
-T
Posted by llurpsienoodle on July 20, 2008, at 7:28:21
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? Just me, posted by Bobby on July 20, 2008, at 0:22:47
>Thank's to Lurpsie for starting this thread--I think communication is good. thanks to anyone who's finished this hogwash and Best wishes to all. the end
Thank YOU Bobby. I have been very worried that I started a firestorm over here on admin. I was concerned that I started something that will only add fuel to the fire. Maybe that's so, but I hope it won't escalate past the point of being useful dialog.
I can't remember the last time I started a thread over here. Sadly, I lack the analytical skills and perceptiveness to dissect the real issues behind the loss of so many wonderful posters--- real people, real characters.
-Ll
Posted by llurpsienoodle on July 20, 2008, at 7:35:48
In reply to Things are shifting, posted by banana on July 20, 2008, at 5:46:42
Lacking the wherewithal to comment on Dr. Bob's psychology... I only submit the following reasons why some posters cease posting.
1) boredom. Once the med or therapy questions have been answered, there seems to be little reason to "hang out". When I get bored here, I try to be a little proactive and spice things up. Of course most of my efforts are failures, but at least I tried.
2) feeling better. One of the most prominent human tendencies is to run far and fast away from pain. Once the meds kick in, the job settles down, the relationships smooth out, the therapy is progressing appropriately-- why stick around? It might only remind one of the pain of adjustment, of transition. The reason why many folks seek out babble is because they are in pain, suffering for some biopsychosocial (political?) reason. Once that issue is resolved-- then what? Oh to be a Pollyanna and to proclaim- the death of babble is due to the success of modern psychiatry/psychotherapy... Wouldn't that be a panacea?
-Ll
Posted by Quintal on July 20, 2008, at 10:57:25
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? Just me, posted by TexasChic on July 20, 2008, at 1:25:50
>As for people being ridiculed, that's deplorable. It only takes a few bad apples (or sometimes even one) to make a whole lot of people feel bad. I don't like seeing people being picked on or ridiculed, and if that's going on it needs to be addressed by the deputies and/or Bob. So maybe Bob's less prominent presence does have something to do with that.
One of the problems I've seen is that people don't stop bullying because of the civility guidelines. They either go away or learn a more subtle form of bullying that doesn't *technically* violate the civility guidelines. This has come to be known as 'flying under the radar' or 'stealth' posting, and a lot of people have got it down to an art. I find this particulalry troubling when new posters respond to a taunt with an honest, emotional outburst and get blocked. There are posts on record where an individual (who no longer posts) has admitted to doing this as a kind of sport. This might be one reason why newcomers tend not to hang around/ survive for long these days. Like fresh meat round vultures, they get picked off.
Q
Posted by fayeroe on July 20, 2008, at 11:46:13
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? Just me » TexasChic, posted by Quintal on July 20, 2008, at 10:57:25
Quintal, I've noticed this since I came here back around 2002/03.
At times it feels like I'm watching some animal marking their territory...pawing, urinating, howling and in general saying "I'm someone to be reckoned with".
Why?
Sometimes I get the gut feeling that there is more here than meets the eye and upon reading a post again, I'll see see how the wording gets them "under the radar"..Such a waste of time for the person who sets out to antagonize.
Do you think the quote below applies Babble?
Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power.
John Steinbeck
Posted by Lemonaide on July 20, 2008, at 12:59:26
In reply to Is Babble Dying?, posted by llurpsienoodle on July 17, 2008, at 7:34:58
lol
Posted by Dinah on July 20, 2008, at 13:05:57
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying?, posted by llurpsienoodle on July 18, 2008, at 15:37:39
> Is babble dying due to deputy involvement or due to bob's disengagement?
>
> -LlOn nontearful consideration, I'd have to say that the one is the result of the other, not two separate possibilities. With Dr. Bob's current level of engagement, I don't see how he could continue to keep Babble open without a deputy system. Therefore the deputy system alone cannot possibly be the cause of Babble languishing. And this possibility could be restated and combined as Dr. Bob's disengagement pushing deputies forward into duties he once held is a factor in Babble's lack of activity.
Now, whether the current deputies are more corrupt, vicious, etc. than others might be is a separate consideration, I suppose. I happen to think we work very hard to apply the rules as we understand them, along with our understanding of Dr. Bob's wishes and our knowledge that he can and does override us. And to apply them fairly and equitably. And the fact that there are three of us, and that our actions can be overturned by Dr. Bob is an additional safety factor should any of us be given to enjoying power. Since I've worked hard all my life to avoid both power and its attendant responsibilities I would hesitate to consider myself someone who enjoys power. But I suppose that people who think otherwise would suppose that I could not be objective about that. I hope that Dr. Bob, who is aware of our struggles to apply the rules fairly, would not be in the latter group.
Posted by Dinah on July 20, 2008, at 13:09:01
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? yup » AbbieNormal, posted by Dena on July 19, 2008, at 13:43:34
I would not wish to be called a moderator. My role is not that of a moderator. The reality is that I act in Dr. Bob's name, to do what Dr. Bob would do if I were here, as best I can determine it. To me, that says "deputy" in its truest sense of the word.
I wouldn't mind assistant. But anything more than that would be misleading as to the actual truth of the situation.
Posted by Dinah on July 20, 2008, at 13:51:37
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? yup, posted by Dinah on July 20, 2008, at 13:09:01
> The reality is that I act in Dr. Bob's name, to do what Dr. Bob would do if I were here, as best I can determine it....
Whoops. Freudian slip. It is true that I, like many people I suspect, wish that Dr. Bob would run Babble the way I would have him run it. Rather than leave the deputies to run it the way he would have us run it. Now *that* would be the best of all worlds.
Posted by johnj on July 20, 2008, at 14:41:59
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? Just me » TexasChic, posted by Quintal on July 20, 2008, at 10:57:25
Wow, you hit the nail on the head. When I was banned for the week it happened because I had posters responding for another poster. To be honest it pissed me off. They were challenging what I said, when it was an honest attempt to help. When in essence they were doing what they were accusing me of. Too bad the person that I was talking with never clarified for all involved they just seemed to sit back and watch it all go down.
That was when I decided I just had to ignore one poster forever and even stated on the adm. board to Dr. bob about the ability to just turn off posters. That post was met with sarcasm which I viewed as a taunt so I responded harshly which just set me up. The deputies did nothing. So yes, people skate along the lines, which they have admitted, so they can "get away with it". The deputies should do something when the intent to taunt is there. The funny thing is I have NEVER responded to a legitimate question with taunting and if people do it for sport that is sad as that means they have nothing better to do.
So when people ask if babble is dying the answer is if you think it is it probably is. The good thing about all of this I have stayed away more and more and have vowed to limit my posting. That reminds me I need to go do something constructive for my mental health. I will be picking mulberrys today. Peace
johnj
Posted by fayeroe on July 20, 2008, at 16:27:43
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? yup, posted by Dinah on July 20, 2008, at 13:09:01
Dinah, John G. has the final say on everything at PC.
I've seen John step in before a mod sees a post and either warn posters or let them know that he is locking the thread.
Generally, locking a thread comes after John and the available moderators confer behind the scenes, the same way it happens here.You have to do something that is very, very bad before you are asked to stay away.You may be "banned" or suspended for one week. Two people come to mind..a doctor of psychology who was "guest" moderating the psychology forum and a poster who had the entire site in an uproar.
John is more hands on there than Bob is here. That doesn't mean that there aren't squabbles and dustups....
The "moderator" part comes from different people being "in charge" of a specific forum.I have no idea how many mods are at PC now. Maybe 10.
p.s. I really haven't seen a post here today that refers to the deputies as being vicious but posters who know how to stay under the radar are receiving alot of heat. That issue is definitely frustrating posters.
Posted by Dinah on July 20, 2008, at 18:02:44
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? yup » Dinah, posted by fayeroe on July 20, 2008, at 16:27:43
I didn't mean to suggest that anyone had said that deputies were vicious. I was just seeing where the two possibilities could be separated and where they were entwined. My statement that they were inseparable would of course be incorrect, if it was the particular deputies that were being objected to.
It was, in part, an exercise in logic.
We really aren't moderators of any particular board, though. We're not in charge of anything. We just are Dr. Bob's hands.
Dr. Bob's chosen dictionary didn't load for me for some reason, but Encarta defines deputy as follows.
1. somebody's representative: somebody fully authorized or appointed to act on behalf of somebody else
It's gotten associated with law enforcement because of the prevalence of sheriff's deputies. But I think that the above pretty much defines our role. It's a very limited role, even now. Thank heavens.
"Moderators" might be appropriate for the PC role. I think deputy is the most appropriate name here.
I don't know that it matters in the grand scheme of things. But it matters to me to delineate where my power and responsibility ends.
As far as flying under radar...
I've long wished Dr. Bob would invent the "Please Cease and Desist". A more general warning for specific behavior that may not be conducive to civic harmony, but that is too rare or too elusive to put down in a rule. I'd actually like that better than the plethora of rules. If deputies weren't considered trustworthy to hand them out, it could be reserved for Dr. Bob alone. The general rule could be that requests by Administration should be followed.
Dr. Bob prefers more specific rules, and I understand his reasoning.
I wish Dr. Bob were around more, though.
In the end, isn't it better to have deputies constrained by the rules than deputies not constrained by the rules? Maybe it's even better to have a site owner who feels constrained by his own rules?
Posted by obsidian on July 20, 2008, at 18:15:56
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? Just me » Quintal, posted by johnj on July 20, 2008, at 14:41:59
it's impossible to have a relationship with someone and not really piss them off sometimes right?
and I don't mean that we have to be "mean", because there is a difference between being mean and being truthful
although the response on the other end can be the same
honestly, the energy I have to expend to figure out what people are "really" saying is too much
I just wish people could be more direct, I can't deal with veiled anything at the moment
anger can be there, veiled enough to be civil or notI just want to know where people are coming from, I can't deal with anything else right now
Posted by fayeroe on July 20, 2008, at 18:22:17
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? Just me » johnj, posted by obsidian on July 20, 2008, at 18:15:56
Great post!
Posted by ron1953 on July 22, 2008, at 14:46:23
In reply to Is Babble Dying?, posted by llurpsienoodle on July 17, 2008, at 7:34:58
Actually, I think Babble is already dead, just not buried yet. I stopped posting here a long time ago because the insistence on political correctness and "safety", PBCs, blocks and general interference by Bob and the deputies created a rather repressive and sometimes hostile environment. It simply wasn't fun any more. And as the PC dead horse continued to get flogged, the site lost its allure and ultimately its purpose. I realize the PC-insistent folks feel that they've been doing the right thing but they're simply wrong.
Posted by ron1953 on July 22, 2008, at 16:36:40
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying?, posted by ron1953 on July 22, 2008, at 14:46:23
Regarding "safety". The most "neurotic" dogs I've seen are those who are kept "safe" from everything by their owners; limited exposure to other dogs, humans, new environments, noise, etc.. These fearful animals are also the ones most likely to bite. Socialization is the prescription for dogs and for people, too. This place don't do that.
Posted by karen_kay on July 23, 2008, at 13:17:06
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? Just me, posted by Bobby on July 20, 2008, at 0:22:47
i don't think babble's dying. as long as mister bob pokes his sexie face in long enough for me to flirt with, i'm stickin around :)
i know i've been called (written? huh?) flighty and i am. i tend to post more when i'm feeling better, regardless of the current rules or leiniancy (oh man, that's really not spelled right! can you tell i've started my meds again?)
anwhoooo0, hey everybody! kinda my thoughts on the matter, from how i see it. it may be completely different in a few days, remember, i'm flighty!
miss y'all bunches! i'm feeling better, so i'll be around more often!
kk
Posted by toph on July 24, 2008, at 20:21:10
In reply to Is Babble Dying?, posted by llurpsienoodle on July 17, 2008, at 7:34:58
The thread is too long for me to read so if I'm saying something someone has covered already I'm sorry.
Bob didn't bring me here. Bob didn't cause me to stay. Bob didn't cause me to leave. And Bob didn't bring me back.
That being said, Bob has a pretty significant influence on this place both in it's design and in what he represents to most of us. To the extent that he is some form of parental image and he provides some kind of psychic glue keeping this all together, it makes me worry about what will happen to my family when my parents die. They seem an irreplacable force holding all the generations together. When they pass I think that many of my siblings will be asking a similar question. Is our family dying?
Posted by gardenergirl on July 24, 2008, at 21:08:55
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying?, posted by toph on July 24, 2008, at 20:21:10
> To the extent that he is some form of parental image and he provides some kind of psychic glue keeping this all together, it makes me worry about what will happen to my family when my parents die. They seem an irreplacable force holding all the generations together. When they pass I think that many of my siblings will be asking a similar question. Is our family dying?
That's an excellent analogy. Wow, it really hits home with me. As the generation above my mother dwindles, it makes my mother, aunts, and uncles seem so much more vulnerable. Heck, we've even lost one from that generation now. And though I grew up with, for the most part, at least the older generation of my cousins, we are much more scattered and splintered. We rely on our parents to get the whole family together. What will happen when our parents can't or aren't here to arrange that? We talk about making sure we continue to get together, but so far it's only talk.
To tie this to Babble, perhaps as different "branches" and generations of the Babble family become more, diffuse?, we find it harder to come together?
gg
Posted by antigua3 on August 2, 2008, at 11:53:38
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying?, posted by wishingstar on July 17, 2008, at 18:11:19
I've always thoroughly enjoyed your posts. I think you've always added a great deal to any thread. I always read what you write and encourage you to participate more!
antigua
Posted by antigua3 on August 2, 2008, at 11:55:16
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? » wishingstar, posted by obsidian on July 17, 2008, at 20:55:13
I'm sending you the same message as wishngstar. Please post; I always look forward to your opinion and while I may not respond, I'm always reading!
antigua
Posted by antigua3 on August 2, 2008, at 12:05:42
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? » obsidian, posted by rskontos on July 18, 2008, at 21:35:48
You have a great voice--IMO, it comes across very well, and I think you add great value.
antigua
Posted by Zeba on August 5, 2008, at 21:57:38
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? » rskontos, posted by antigua3 on August 2, 2008, at 12:05:42
Well, what does anyone think? If Dr. Bob is only going to be around one day every month or two,then perhaps the site should be shut down. That is one thought I have, and I guess I say this and ask for feedback because many people seem to feel hurt that he is not around much. Am I reading this wrong, or is this true? Thanks
Zeba
Posted by Marty on August 13, 2008, at 16:09:16
In reply to Is Babble Dying?, posted by llurpsienoodle on July 17, 2008, at 7:34:58
PBabble needs to EVOLVE or risk extinction, gradually fading into the web history. While the value proposition of the competitors always increased in the last couple years, the value proposition of Dr.bob.org has not.
As a software developer I always thought there was an incredible lost of value generation on this site. With so many people willing to participae in finding something that works for them and help other and feed so much data about their experiences with their illness and medication experiences.. Think about it.. all the datamining and realtime statistics that we could do/have if this site would have (or would, never too late) offered.. just some possibilities :
- A user profile section including a biological background(age, sex, etnicity, disease running in the familly, everything related to health and experiences/reaction with prescribed and street drugs) and an historical background (personality as a child, familly history/problems, traumatism/adverse life situation) and diagnostic history.
- A journal which would include affect/mood/motivation/sexual functionning/cognitive functionning/...every pertinent symptoms. AND a medication journal with the drug/supplement/therapy, prescription (dosage, frequency), benifical effects assesment, SIDE EFFECTS assesment, rating on some aspect of the subjective experience (cost vs effiency etc).. also when a med is added or withdraw a more detailed questionaire could be offered/'requested' after sometime and would be an opportunity to gather even more data on a varity of aspect that you wouldn't want to include in the 'day-to-day' journal.
- Patient bloggin to allow him to express itself freely without a rigid format but every post linked to the other journals. Allow video blogging (Vlog).
- A wiki (like wikipedia: an open encyclopedia) on everything related to mental disorder:
- Medication basic info page (like the one already on wikipedia) + associated research paper + realtime statistics generated by the journals + user experiences + Experts (Docs and Scientists) experiences with the med + Experts theories about synergictic/agonistic/antagonistic relation with other drugs and user rating of those relation.
- Knowledgebase comprised of empirical data (Research paper backed), data generated by this site journals/rating/pools/theories etc (filtered to avoid inputing NOISE -> Garbage in, Garbage out!) + any thing that can be tagged/parsed for keywords like a website or document (note: very weak weight in analysis or can be turned off in datamining/analysis query). The entities would be organized by multiple dimension (subject, tags, medication, condition etc) and linked between each others which would allow to search/detect some possible links between a varity of entities (disease, medication, neurological knowledge, news, every recognized medical field papers/report ... etc), which are usually difficult to see because of the of the multiple 'degrees' between them. (just like there is 6.6 degree between every human, there could be something interesting to for scientist to study that they dont see yet because they are separated by many degrees .. 6, 10, 43 .. well formated data input and multidimensionally well linked, the computers could see some potential interesting links in about 2 to 4 years (of knowledgebase enrichment/development by volunteers) what scienctists from many different fields could finally see in 15, 20 years or just NEVER see because of the slow pace at which links are made between fields and subfields/areas of research). Note that there's already some database system in place that are facilitating research of those links... Check for Pubmed fellow MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) as an example. I'm not sugesting to do better than those system but doing something different that would use those systems to enrich itself and it analytical quality greatly. Without such systems, and other type like Pubmed as example, already in place and public this part of the project would be a lost of time.
SO........even with just a fraction of those idea developed, if well thought and well done, the possibilities are just short of MINDBLOWING on many different level. I wont describe all that could get out of this project as there's ALOT of possibilities. This all couldn't happen in a couple months but alot could be done in 1 or 2 years and a decade could be sufficient to develop the whole thing to a mature level so that it would become a favorite of Patients/Clinicians/Researchers in the psychiatry field. This, obviously, wouldn't never get as much attention as Wikipedia and would never have more than 2% the amount of Wikipedia contributors: Everybody needs an encyclopedia but not everyone has something to do with mental health (lucky b*st*rd!!). Just saying before someone think I'm manic .. (lol) I think the community could grow enough to happen. I could imagine the year 2014: ~10000 patient members, ~2000 clinician members, ~200 researchers.... what do you think ?Keep in mind that the data input wouldn't be exclusively by patient/sufferers but enriched/verified/corrected by all kind of experts willing to participate to what would be for neuroscience/psychiatry what SETI@Home, Folding@Home, Wikipedia, or Open Source software are for other fields: a platform to exploit the collective knowledge/experiences of a massive community of willing contributors where, because of the platform good data gathering/data relationing/Analysis and datamining, the total value generated would become with time bigger than the sum of the individual contributions. The created value for the users and the researchers would be many time more than the actual value generated/offered and would allow Pbabble not only to survive but become one of the best if not THE best site for mental disorder sufferers.
Who's with me ? Think I'm going manic with those potential ideas of grandeur ? I'm not. Just being ambitious when I don't feel sick. MANY incredible and just plain groundbreaking Internet community based projects wouldn't have seen the light of day if it wasn't for a couple ambitious and optimist fellows -c-r-a-z-y- enough to not only believe in the success of their ideas but also had the courage to gather around them and work on them together ! Think of Wikipedia for instance .. HOW crazy does someone looks in 2001 and announce that by 2008 his community based website would have become the biggest encyclopedia in the history of mankind with several million freely usable articles and pages in hundreds of languages worldwide, and content from millions of contributors !!! Keep in mind it wasn't a Bill Gates or a Rockfeller, an Eistein or a Philippe Pinel .. OR what about Open Source ? How the hell so many people from many different background, country, age group etc work together on the web without even actually seen each other let alone know the credential/talent of the other contributors and create succesfully something as complex as a computer operating system (Linux) in a couple years without much money/sponsors .. seens the different variation of Linux lately ? Every billions of Microsoft COULD NEVER beat that quality of engineering and product.
Dr-Bob.org was groundbreaking a couple years ago and could recycle itself/evolve to something as much, if not much, groundbreaking again in 2008.
I, for one, would be willing to work on this project if I could get some sponsorship/risk capital/financing and the participation of a couple clinicians/researchers willing to share their ideas as to how this platform could generate optimal value for them. Dr.Bob would without a doubt be someone very interesting to talk this project with as he must have put alot of thoughts into those kind of ideas since he created this website.
Anyone who had the nerve to read my post to this point (my written english is awful. I speak french) and is interested in dicussing this fantasm is welcomed to babblemail me!
/\/\arty
PS: RemedyFind (RevolutionHealth) ideas are good, but not great and they are implemented in a way which is very far from giving what I have in mind. That said, I think it would already be a good target to aim for this kind of simple implementation in a possible next version of Dr-Bob.org.
Posted by Marty on August 13, 2008, at 16:18:36
In reply to Re: Is Babble Dying? yup, posted by AbbieNormal on July 19, 2008, at 6:37:38
To discuss this idea I started a new thread at http://dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20080719/msgs/845970.html.Here's the first post. I welcome you to reply in the new thread so that everyone discuss in the same thread.
------------------>PBabble needs to EVOLVE or risk extinction, gradually fading into the web history. While the value proposition of the competitors always increased in the last couple years, the value proposition of Dr.bob.org has not.
As a software developer I always thought there was an incredible lost of value generation on this site. With so many people willing to participae in finding something that works for them and help other and feed so much data about their experiences with their illness and medication experiences.. Think about it.. all the datamining and realtime statistics that we could do/have if this site would have (or would, never too late) offered.. just some possibilities :
- A user profile section including a biological background(age, sex, etnicity, disease running in the familly, everything related to health and experiences/reaction with prescribed and street drugs) and an historical background (personality as a child, familly history/problems, traumatism/adverse life situation) and diagnostic history.
- A journal which would include affect/mood/motivation/sexual functionning/cognitive functionning/...every pertinent symptoms. AND a medication journal with the drug/supplement/therapy, prescription (dosage, frequency), benifical effects assesment, SIDE EFFECTS assesment, rating on some aspect of the subjective experience (cost vs effiency etc).. also when a med is added or withdraw a more detailed questionaire could be offered/'requested' after sometime and would be an opportunity to gather even more data on a varity of aspect that you wouldn't want to include in the 'day-to-day' journal.
- Patient bloggin to allow him to express itself freely without a rigid format but every post linked to the other journals. Allow video blogging (Vlog).
- A wiki (like wikipedia: an open encyclopedia) on everything related to mental disorder:
- Medication basic info page (like the one already on wikipedia) + associated research paper + realtime statistics generated by the journals + user experiences + Experts (Docs and Scientists) experiences with the med + Experts theories about synergictic/agonistic/antagonistic relation with other drugs and user rating of those relation.
- Knowledgebase comprised of empirical data (Research paper backed), data generated by this site journals/rating/pools/theories etc (filtered to avoid inputing NOISE -> Garbage in, Garbage out!) + any thing that can be tagged/parsed for keywords like a website or document (note: very weak weight in analysis or can be turned off in datamining/analysis query). The entities would be organized by multiple dimension (subject, tags, medication, condition etc) and linked between each others which would allow to search/detect some possible links between a varity of entities (disease, medication, neurological knowledge, news, every recognized medical field papers/report ... etc), which are usually difficult to see because of the of the multiple 'degrees' between them. (just like there is 6.6 degree between every human, there could be something interesting to for scientist to study that they dont see yet because they are separated by many degrees .. 6, 10, 43 .. well formated data input and multidimensionally well linked, the computers could see some potential interesting links in about 2 to 4 years (of knowledgebase enrichment/development by volunteers) what scienctists from many different fields could finally see in 15, 20 years or just NEVER see because of the slow pace at which links are made between fields and subfields/areas of research). Note that there's already some database system in place that are facilitating research of those links... Check for Pubmed fellow MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) as an example. I'm not sugesting to do better than those system but doing something different that would use those systems to enrich itself and it analytical quality greatly. Without such systems, and other type like Pubmed as example, already in place and public this part of the project would be a lost of time.
SO........even with just a fraction of those idea developed, if well thought and well done, the possibilities are just short of MINDBLOWING on many different level. I wont describe all that could get out of this project as there's ALOT of possibilities. This all couldn't happen in a couple months but alot could be done in 1 or 2 years and a decade could be sufficient to develop the whole thing to a mature level so that it would become a favorite of Patients/Clinicians/Researchers in the psychiatry field. This, obviously, wouldn't never get as much attention as Wikipedia and would never have more than 2% the amount of Wikipedia contributors: Everybody needs an encyclopedia but not everyone has something to do with mental health (lucky b*st*rd!!). Just saying before someone think I'm manic .. (lol) I think the community could grow enough to happen. I could imagine the year 2014: ~10000 patient members, ~2000 clinician members, ~200 researchers.... what do you think ?Keep in mind that the data input wouldn't be exclusively by patient/sufferers but enriched/verified/corrected by all kind of experts willing to participate to what would be for neuroscience/psychiatry what SETI@Home, Folding@Home, Wikipedia, or Open Source software are for other fields: a platform to exploit the collective knowledge/experiences of a massive community of willing contributors where, because of the platform good data gathering/data relationing/Analysis and datamining, the total value generated would become with time bigger than the sum of the individual contributions. The created value for the users and the researchers would be many time more than the actual value generated/offered and would allow Pbabble not only to survive but become one of the best if not THE best site for mental disorder sufferers.
Who's with me ? Think I'm going manic with those potential ideas of grandeur ? I'm not. Just being ambitious when I don't feel sick. MANY incredible and just plain groundbreaking Internet community based projects wouldn't have seen the light of day if it wasn't for a couple ambitious and optimist fellows -c-r-a-z-y- enough to not only believe in the success of their ideas but also had the courage to gather around them and work on them together ! Think of Wikipedia for instance .. HOW crazy does someone looks in 2001 and announce that by 2008 his community based website would have become the biggest encyclopedia in the history of mankind with several million freely usable articles and pages in hundreds of languages worldwide, and content from millions of contributors !!! Keep in mind it wasn't a Bill Gates or a Rockfeller, an Eistein or a Philippe Pinel .. OR what about Open Source ? How the hell so many people from many different background, country, age group etc work together on the web without even actually seen each other let alone know the credential/talent of the other contributors and create succesfully something as complex as a computer operating system (Linux) in a couple years without much money/sponsors .. seens the different variation of Linux lately ? Every billions of Microsoft COULD NEVER beat that quality of engineering and product.
Dr-Bob.org was groundbreaking a couple years ago and could recycle itself/evolve to something as much, if not much, groundbreaking again in 2008.
I, for one, would be willing to work on this project if I could get some sponsorship/risk capital/financing and the participation of a couple clinicians/researchers willing to share their ideas as to how this platform could generate optimal value for them. Dr.Bob would without a doubt be someone very interesting to talk this project with as he must have put alot of thoughts into those kind of ideas since he created this website.
Anyone who had the nerve to read my post to this point (my written english is awful. I speak french) and is interested in dicussing this fantasm is welcomed to babblemail me!
/\/\arty
PS: RemedyFind (RevolutionHealth) ideas are good, but not great and they are implemented in a way which is very far from giving what I have in mind. That said, I think it would already be a good target to aim for this kind of simple implementation in a possible next version of Dr-Bob.org.
This is the end of the thread.
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