E-drug: Role and function of E-drug (cont'd)
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Dear Dr. Haak:
I share Dr. van Mils' concern that the breadth of subjects covered
by E-drug has broadened and perhaps changed directions over time.
I delete a lot of things without opening them, and I do wish more
was on target for me.
That said, I don't agree that much change is needed. A wholesale
ban on published articles, whether from medical journals or
newspapers, would be most undesirable, especially to those of us
who have no ready access. Editorial selectivity is needed, but you
and the other coordinators supply it very well. My sense is that you
decline to give over E-drug to trivia, which I assume you see often.
Being American, I should leave to others the possibility that E-drug
pays excessive attention to the American press, the Bush
Administration or the American drug industry and its various foibles,
but I can't. I'd rather see more discussion than less, more exposure
of ideas. It's easy enough to delete subjects from one's E-mail.
What's hard is getting access to what people are concerned about
and what they think can or should be done.
I have a suggestion, prompted by your mention of coming revisions
to the website. I suggest you take a look at an interesting feature
on the Washingtonpost.com site, called "mywashingtonpost.com."
Using it, a reader can specify things of interest. Thus, one can
specify "patents," "drug industry" and "movie reviews." Your
"mywashingtonpost.com" will, in effect, put anything in that day's
paper on those subjects on the front page of your version of the
paper. The full text of the rest of the paper is also there, too, so
you can also read it. So far as I know, this feature is unique to the
Post in the US. Your website designer might want to take a look at
it and advise as to its practicality.
As for me, I like, and benefit immensely from, E-drug as it is. It is a
uniquely helpful pulse on interests, problems and ideas. Please
don't change it much!
Respectfully,
James B. Russo
Executive Director
The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations
146 Koenig Road
Bernville, PA 19506, USA
tel: +1-610-488.8303
fax: +1-610-488.7036
e-mail: JBRusso@aol.com
[Your assumption that a lot of trivia is passing the moderator's eyes
is correct. That is on the one hand the subscribe/unsubscribe
messages (which should go to majordomo@usa.healthnet.org, and
NOT to e-drug!), but also lots of requests for individual treatment
advice. Some websurfers seem to think that E-drug delivers cures
without having to see a doctor. And, since about a year we are
seeing an ever growing volume of spam, which is never allowed to
pass, but nonetheless also never stops. Any suggestion of how to
get off spam lists without getting even firmer "infected" is
appreciated. Hilbrand Haak, E-drug co-moderator].
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