When our class was asked to help Heal magazine with their blog site, a publication for cancer survivors being launched in the spring, I immediately thought of my best friend, Gina. Gina was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor in the sixth grade, and after major brain surgery and radiation she is now living a healthy life at 22 years old. I remembered how traumatic the experience was for her and her family and thought I would ask her opinion on what might interest her now that she is a cancer survivor.
Based on the research I have done on existing cancer blogs and the information that Gina offered, I am attempting to make what I think will be good suggestions for Heal’s cancer survivorship blog site.
A written disclaimer, like the one found on www.thecancerblog.com should be at the top of the blog. It should explain that the information on the blog should not be perceived as professional medical advice. It’s necessary because Heal, as an open forum about medical issues, cannot be held responsible if a reader chooses to use someone’s advice that isn’t authorized to give it.
Next, it should state its purpose clearly so readers are aware of what kind of cancer blog this is, because there are already quite a few out there. And my suggestion for Heal is that it should be consistent with their magazine’s mission, which sticks to cancer survivorship as opposed to cancer patients.
Sidebar items should include other cancer survivorship blogs, but also cancer blogs that are more general, like www.thecancerblog.com, which covers various cancer topics for both patients and survivors. It also has endless links to resources that are useful for survivors, patients and families. Also, topics like medical resources and recent technology that would include several links to the latest news for helping cancer survivors.
I don’t think it is bad to use celebrity to get people’s attention about cancer because it works. The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship website used fashion designer and cancer survivor Carmen Marc Valvo to design a t-shirt for their new campaign. 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the National Breakaway from Cancer Initiative, which also has the support of actor Patrick Dempsey, whose mother is a two-time ovarian cancer survivor. The Breakaway from Cancer Initiative provides a direct link for patients and caregivers to various professional resources.
Lastly, this blog needs to stand out from other cancer blogs and cancer survivorship blogs. My friend, Gina, has looked at cancer survivorship information on the internet and none of it interests her. She says that it is mostly geared towards seniors and not toward her age group. A good example, though, is Glamour's blog, Life with Cancer, written by a young staff member who survived leukemia and is using her job at Glamour as a way to share her experiences with other cancer survivors. Although, Heal magazine’s readership is mostly those above the age of 60, I believe that Heal could reach out to the 20-35 age group. Blogging, as an emerging technology, already attracts a younger crowd; therefore Heal’s blog should attract a younger audience and hopefully encourage them to read Heal magazine as well as the Heal blog.
Overall, the Heal blog should act as an open forum for survivors to write about their struggles, offer advice and simply be a place to relate with others going through the same experiences. Gina is looking forward to a place where she can read about others’ experiences as cancer survivors and hoping that it will be able to attract a younger crowd who she can better relate to. I am happy to be a part of something that is not only benefiting the cancer survivor community, but also my friend Gina, who has given me a glimpse at an insider's perspective and will help me better serve our class in developing a blog for Heal magazine.
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