The new magazine, Heal: Living Well after Cancer has brought forth the idea of setting up a blog to help spread information as well as spread the word on the magazine. It will be set up as a place for those who have had cancer, as well as those who have not, to learn how to live well after surviving cancer. The magazine is a spin off of Cure Magazine, a publication focused on informing and communicating with those who are currently battling cancer. Neither of the two magazines currently has a working blog nor any way for readers to create a forum for conversation about cancer and its effects. This blog must be set up simply to allow the average blogger to respond and give their opinions or insights on cancer research, treatment and or the life of a cancer patient in remission. Additionally, this blog can be a leeway into other blogs or sites dealing with the same issues. While this blog will act as a community forum for anyone to discuss or share ideas about cancer, it needs to make sure that it is not simply an advertisement for Heal or Cure. This is vital because people trust other people, not companies that they see are out to earn more money through indirect advertising.
The blog should be set up in a way that the readers and bloggers can not only easily access the sidebars; they need to also make it easy to access other blogs and sites that are focused on cancer. The sidebars are the key element to this blog because it will direct traffic to areas the blogger wants to focus on. One possible side bar could be something called “The Doctor’s Corner,” where bloggers can ask questions to an MD and receive well informed answers. This sidebar could be updated weekly by a doctor with tips and facts on living well post cancer with certain questions answered each week. If possible, a well known doctor will draw much attention to this sidebar adding to its credibility. The next possible sidebar topic could be called “The Mind, Body and Spirit,” where an expert could chime in with tips on how to maintain an all around healthy lifestyle. I think this sidebar should be split into two groups, one for women and another for men giving each gender an equal opportunity to learn and share facts that only pertain to their situation. This sidebar can also act as the spiritual aspect adding to the mental and physical health elements. I believe the site should have more than three sidebars for gathering and sharing information, but my suggestion for the next side bar would be a link called “Testimonials.” This sidebar will allow anyone to share their stories about being in remission and how it has affected their lives. This may be the most important aspect to the blog because as I stated before, people will listen to others who have shared a similar experience.
The goal of this site should be to help those who are in remission, but they also need to align themselves with some other sites in order to create awareness and more insightful information. To visit Heal Magazine go to http://healtoday.com. Here is a list of other blogs that could fill this role (and by no means is this exhaustive):
- www.BlogForACure.com
- www.Thecancerblog.com
- www.Stop-cancer.blogspot.com
- www.Medicineworld.org/cancer/cancer-blogs-list.html
- www.Scotthousehold.com
- www.Cancer-news-watch.com/2005/11/03/debuting-a-few-new-blogs/
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