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blog carnival
January HABC: 3 Fortune Cookies
Jan 4th
Like last year, we will have a monthly Health Activist Blog Carnival where members of our community can submit their entries on a theme-specific topic. Going with our January theme month is New Year, New You: Setting Health Activism Goals, our HABC topic is: "3 Fortune Cookies."
There are a few things that make a fortune cookie so great. First: it's a bonus for after a delicious meal (who doesn't like free bonuses?). Second: the awesome crunch sound as you break them open and pull out the tiny slip of paper containing the surprise and mystery: "what will it say?" you wonder. Third: Reading the fortune and mentally applying it to your life. Fourth: Eating that cookie (or, if you're not a fan - giving the cookie to a friend).
Let's replicate that process in our Blog Carnival! Pretend you're writing the slips of paper to yourself or your health community - what do you think (or hope) the future holds? You can use a favorite quote if you'd prefer - and explain how that quote can act as your fortune. If you're a fan of Dove chocolates and would prefer to write a command (Do this in 2011, self! Always remember this, community!) that's also an option. And, if you are like I am and enjoy the facts on the inside of Snapple caps - you can use a fact to guide your 3 fortunes. Then, once you're done - you should treat yourself to a cookie (proverbially or in real life).
There are a few things that make a fortune cookie so great. First: it's a bonus for after a delicious meal (who doesn't like free bonuses?). Second: the awesome crunch sound as you break them open and pull out the tiny slip of paper containing the surprise and mystery: "what will it say?" you wonder. Third: Reading the fortune and mentally applying it to your life. Fourth: Eating that cookie (or, if you're not a fan - giving the cookie to a friend).
Let's replicate that process in our Blog Carnival! Pretend you're writing the slips of paper to yourself or your health community - what do you think (or hope) the future holds? You can use a favorite quote if you'd prefer - and explain how that quote can act as your fortune. If you're a fan of Dove chocolates and would prefer to write a command (Do this in 2011, self! Always remember this, community!) that's also an option. And, if you are like I am and enjoy the facts on the inside of Snapple caps - you can use a fact to guide your 3 fortunes. Then, once you're done - you should treat yourself to a cookie (proverbially or in real life).Once you've written your 3 fortunes for 2011 - share a link in the comments section of this discussion in the Community's Health Bloggers Group. We will check back in here at the end of the month and share some of the most creative or inspiring fortunes.
So welcome again to the new year, our new WEGOblog, and your "new you." Together we're going to get all set up for a great year - we'll organize, plan, scheme, and more. If you have your party hat left over from the weekend - now would be a great time to put it back on.December Blog Carnival Recap: Your Top 10 of 2010
Jan 4th
Last year (well, last month!) we asked you what 10 things you liked best about 2010 and you reported back with awesome recaps. You reminded us of your best posts, big milestones, and favorites from your past year in Health Activism.
Check out a few highlights:
Kelly remembered this milestone fondly: "1) American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting. Attending the weeklong meeting in Atlanta was a milestone for me, for my blog, and for the RA community. This was the first time a patient attended the meetings as press. However, the week itself was also full of milestones that I cannot easily summarize. There was one special blog post to describe how it affected my perspective: American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting 2010 and a little video telling the highlights: Video: Thoughts from American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010."
Janeen's #2 of 2010 was: "2. All of the wonderful and moving videos from the Food Allergy Initiative : There is no better way to get your point across than with a moving video that shows everything you are feeling. These videos are truly valuable. So is all the work that FAI does to try to find a cure."
Amy was proud of "1. The creation of the Mental Health and Social Media Chat on Twitter. (#mhsm) In the beginning of February of 2010, (February 9, 2010 to be exact) I launched, in a solo effort, the #mhsm chat on Twitter. It has continued on every Tuesday evening, now at 9pm Eastern (with only one exception) since. The community has grown and been a great source of conversation, brainstorming, and awareness efforts."
One of Ellen's favorite blog posts of 2010 was "A physician's 10 commandments Written from the patient's perspective, this generated quite a few conversations."
The Sanford Burham science blog recapped their most popular posts here.
And if you missed it - #10 on our WEGO Health Top 10 of 2010 was actually the Health Activist Blog Carnival! If that's not a meta way to wrap up this post, I don't know what is!
Thanks to everyone who submitted and to everyone who looked back over 2010 and saw awesome feats of Health Activism!
Check out a few highlights:
Kelly remembered this milestone fondly: "1) American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting. Attending the weeklong meeting in Atlanta was a milestone for me, for my blog, and for the RA community. This was the first time a patient attended the meetings as press. However, the week itself was also full of milestones that I cannot easily summarize. There was one special blog post to describe how it affected my perspective: American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting 2010 and a little video telling the highlights: Video: Thoughts from American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010."
Janeen's #2 of 2010 was: "2. All of the wonderful and moving videos from the Food Allergy Initiative : There is no better way to get your point across than with a moving video that shows everything you are feeling. These videos are truly valuable. So is all the work that FAI does to try to find a cure."
Amy was proud of "1. The creation of the Mental Health and Social Media Chat on Twitter. (#mhsm) In the beginning of February of 2010, (February 9, 2010 to be exact) I launched, in a solo effort, the #mhsm chat on Twitter. It has continued on every Tuesday evening, now at 9pm Eastern (with only one exception) since. The community has grown and been a great source of conversation, brainstorming, and awareness efforts."
One of Ellen's favorite blog posts of 2010 was "A physician's 10 commandments Written from the patient's perspective, this generated quite a few conversations."
The Sanford Burham science blog recapped their most popular posts here.
And if you missed it - #10 on our WEGO Health Top 10 of 2010 was actually the Health Activist Blog Carnival! If that's not a meta way to wrap up this post, I don't know what is!
Thanks to everyone who submitted and to everyone who looked back over 2010 and saw awesome feats of Health Activism!
New Health Activist Blog Carnival: Top 10 of 2010
Dec 2nd
With the end of the year fast approaching, it's an ideal time to look back on what the year has meant to you as a Health Activist, and to your communities.
The topic for December's Health Activist Blog Carnival is simple: Share your Top 10 of 2010.
We hope you'll use this post as an opportunity to think big and share your community's achievements and milestones, your favorite posts and discussions (whether started by you, or others!), as well as the best developments for you as a Health Activist!
In addition to featuring some of our favorite submissions at the end of the month, we'll be sharing items on your Top 10 lists with our Facebook and Twitter followers to highlight the accomplishments of our incredible community of Health Activists - so start thinking about your Top 10 of 2010 today!
First time submitting a post to the Health Activist Blog Carnival? Here's all you need to do:
- Let others know that your post is for the Health Activist Blog Carnival by including the following text at the end of your post: "This post is my December entry in the Health Activist Blog Carnival. If you're interested in participating too, you can read all about here: http://blog.wegohealth.com/2010/12/new-health-activist-blog-carnival-top.html
- Leave a comment with a link to your entry on this Health Bloggers Discussion - be sure to come back often to check out the latest entries from your fellow Health Activists!
We can't wait to read (and share!) your successes.
Health Activist Vlog Contest: Update!
Oct 21st
With a little over a week left in our first-ever Health Activist Vlog Contest, we wanted to give you a quick update on some of the fantastic video content we've been seeing from our Health Activists. Check out these great Health Activist videos and take a moment to create your own!
- Noah Ohlsen, fitness blogger at The Pursuit of Fitness, used our contest as a stepping stone into vlogging and shared some of the great ways that video can help illustrate fitness strategies in his video: FFVV (First Fitness Video Vlog)!
- Elder Care and Aging Health Activist Anthony Cirillo, who blogs at Who Moved My Dentures?, shares his personal story in his vlog: Why I'm a Health Activist
- Video entrant Glenda Bateman, posted by Make Women Matter - a campaign to improve the lives of women and put an end to preventable deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth, shares a personal story of Health Activism
- Ade, Sickle Cell Health Activist and founder of sikcell.ning.com, shares his personal Health Activist journey and some moving member stories in his vlog entry: Why I am a Health Activist for Sickle Cell
- Paul Winter, ME/CFS Health Activist and long term vlogger, uses his video: Why I am A Activist for ME/CFS Sufferers to share his own story and the benefits of using video
- In Persistence & Determination!, Diabetes Health Activist and Health and Chronic Illness Specialist Ginger Vieira tells us why Health Activism is so important and why each of us should be our own advocate
- Dani Z, vlogger at Dani Z World and Mental Illness Health Activist, shares the impact of video on her Health Activism and in breaking the stigma associated with Mental Illness in her video: Raising MI Awareness Through Video
We think these vlog entries are all an awesome testament to the power of video in Health Activism and we hope you found them to be as inspiring as we did! Be sure to record and share your own Health Activist video before our contest ends on October 31st!
New Health Activist Blog Carnival: Vlog Contest!
Oct 1st
This month's Health Activist Blog Carnival is an especially exciting one that offers Health Activists a chance to break into the spotlight by using video!
WEGO Health has partnered with icyou, the Web's only destination focused solely on bringing you the whole world of healthcare video, to bring you the first ever Health Activist Vlog Contest! Whether you're new to vlogging or using video in your community is old hat--this contest is for you!
Simply pick one of our topics and get those cameras rolling! Upload your video onto icyou and tag it wegohealth and leave a link on our Blog Carnival discussion post in the Health Bloggers Group. Then share your video with your communities!
Health Activist Vlog Topics:
- Why are you a Health Activist? What inspires you to Health Activism?
- Share your social media/internet success story - how has your community improved?
- If you use video: how has video benefited your online community? If you don't yet: how would video improve your online community?
Because this Blog Carnival is a bit different from our others, we want to make sure you know how to enter. Check out our Health Activist Vlog Contest page for all the details - and for how you can share the contest with others!
At the end of the month, as always, we'll feature a few of our favorite submissions. And for this month's blog carnival, we're handing out prizes. We will 2 winners to receive an new iPod Touch and 2 winners to receive a new FlipCam! We hope you'll join us in this month's Health Activist Blog Carnival and share your thoughts on video.
New Health Activist Blog Carnival: Hard Times as a Health Activist
Aug 11th
This month's Blog Carnival is about the hard times we face as Health Activists.
We know that being a Health Activist isn't easy - you have so many people looking to you for information, resources, support, and so much more. You've got your own health, and your own life, to think about too. We're all human, and even though Health Activists are the sort who always want to give 110%, sometimes that's just not possible.
While it may not be an easy topic to discuss, we're hoping you'll write a bit this month about how you handle those hard times as a Health Activist.
How do you keep yourself going through a slump or a rough patch? What do you do when your Health Activism has you feeling overwhelmed? How do you bounce back?
Just a reminder, here's how you submit your entry to the Health Activist Blog Carnival:
We know that being a Health Activist isn't easy - you have so many people looking to you for information, resources, support, and so much more. You've got your own health, and your own life, to think about too. We're all human, and even though Health Activists are the sort who always want to give 110%, sometimes that's just not possible.
While it may not be an easy topic to discuss, we're hoping you'll write a bit this month about how you handle those hard times as a Health Activist.
How do you keep yourself going through a slump or a rough patch? What do you do when your Health Activism has you feeling overwhelmed? How do you bounce back?
Just a reminder, here's how you submit your entry to the Health Activist Blog Carnival:
- Let others know that your post is for the Health Activist Blog Carnival by including the following text at the end of your post: "This post is my August entry in the Health Activist Blog Carnival. If you're interested in participating too, you can read all about here: http://blog.wegohealth.com/2010/08/new-health-activist-blog-carnival-hard.html"
- Leave a comment with a link to your entry on this Health Bloggers Discussion - be sure to come back often to check out the latest entries from your fellow Health Activists!
Health Activist Blog Carnival – July Wrap Up!
Aug 10th
Last month, we asked Health Activists to share their experiences and tips for traveling.
Here are a few of the excellent entries we received:
Kelly (you may know her better as RA Warrior) shared her experiences driving to and from Mississippi last summer in her post, "Traveling with Chronic Illness/RA". She talks about how traveling has changed since she was diagnosed, and wonders whether part of the reason we don't see more people living with severe rheumatoid arthritis, "because people who are limited by RA don’t spend a lot of time traveling around in public places." Be sure to check out Part 2 of her post, where she shares 20 fantastic travel tips for those living with chronic illnesses!
In "Buckle Up, We're Going on Vacation with Food Allergies", Janeen describes how she prepares for family vacations - including everything from grocery lists to kitchen utensils necessary to prevent cross contamination. In addition to some tips about helpful online resources for finding food allergy friendly restaurants near your destination, there's also a photograph of the final packing results that you won't want to miss.
Amy K's entry, "Health Activist, Will Travel" presents a different perspective on the challenges of being a Health Activist on the road: sometimes one's health conditions can prevent travel altogether. Amy notes that, "a lot of people with health conditions and a lot of health activists just don't have access to the funds or support they need to travel." Be sure to check out the full post - there are some great travel suggestions in the comments section too!
Just getting back from a trip of your own? It's not too late to share your tips for traveling as a Health Activist with the WEGO Health Community! Take a minute to leave a comment on the discussion in our Health Bloggers Group.
Many thanks to everyone who submitted entries for last month! We hope you'll come back tomorrow to find out the topic for August's Health Activist Blog Carnival.
New Health Activist Blog Carnival: Health Activists on the Road
Jul 2nd
This month's Health Activist Blog Carnival is all about travel.
How do your health conditions impact vacation time? Do you have tips on how to make traveling with health issues a little less of a hassle? Maybe you even have suggestions on how you keep up with your Health Activist responsibilities while you're away from home!
Whatever you choose to write about, here's how you submit your entry to the Health Activist Blog Carnival:
- Let others know that your post is for the Health Activist Blog Carnival by including the following text at the end of your post: "This post is my July entry in the Health Activist Blog Carnival. If you're interested in participating too, you can read all about here: http://blog.wegohealth.com/2010/07/new-health-activist-blog-carnival.html"
- Leave a comment with a link to your entry on this Health Bloggers Discussion - be sure to come back often to check out the latest entries from your fellow Health Activists!
At the end of the month, we'll feature a few of our favorite submissions here on the blog. Can't wait to see what stories and suggestions you have to share!
Health Activist Blog Carnival – June Wrap Up!
Jul 1st
For our June Blog Carnival topic, we invited you to reflect on your experiences as a Health Activist and share your proudest moment with others in the WEGO Health community.
The entries this month were nothing short of inspiring - but let's be honest, that's hardly a surprise.
Here are just a few of the incredible submissions we received this month:
Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and has been using the web for Health Activism since 1997. In her post for this month's Blog Carnival, she writes about where that journey has taken her, and shares just a few of the things she's accomplished along the way. Be sure to read the full post to learn more about her proudest moment - starting National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week!
Alicia admits to struggling a bit with this month's topic, but we think you'll agree that her best Health Activist moment is incredibly heart warming. As the founder of The Staley Foundation, and the author of the Awesome Cancer Survivor blog, Alicia's no stranger to Health Activism - but her best moment came just a few weeks ago. Read the full post to find out what happened at the 11th annual Fabulous Females brunch that has Alicia (and the rest of us) a little choked up.
In sharing her best Health Activist moment, Ellen reminds us that sometimes the most gratifying moments are also the closest to home. Ellen became a Health Activist and an empowered patient when her daughter began showing symptoms of an autoimmune disease - learning how to find, interpret, and explain all the information she needed to understand her daughter's condition made Ellen the incredible Health Activist she is today, and it made all of her other Health Activist moments possible.
These are just a handful of the amazing posts submitted this month. If you haven't had a chance to read through all the entries, or if you'd like to submit a belated post (we won't judge!) - be sure to visit the discussion thread in our Health Bloggers Group.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Blog Carnival this month. And don't go too far - we'll be announcing July's Blog Carnival topic tomorrow!
New Health Activist Blog Carnival: Your Best Health Activist Moment
Jun 2nd
Back in April we asked everyone to share their Health Activist stories - that moment when you realized you were truly a Health Activist.
To participate in the Health Activist Blog Carnival:
For this month's blog carnival, we'd like to hear your best moment as a Health Activist - the moment you were most proud of the work you've been doing.
Maybe it was organizing a big event (on or off-line) for your health community, or a blog post getting attention from all across the web. Perhaps your favorite moment as a Health Activist came as an email, comment, or Retweet from a fellow community member.
Whatever it is, don't be shy! Take some time this month to reflect on what you've accomplished as a Health Activist and share what you're most proud of with others!
To participate in the Health Activist Blog Carnival:
- Let others know that your post is for the Health Activist Blog Carnival by including the following text at the end of your post: "This post is my June entry in the Health Activist Blog Carnival. If you're interested in participating too, you can read all about it here: http://blog.wegohealth.com/2010/06/new-health-activist-blog-carnival-your.html
- Leave a comment with a link to your entry on this Health Bloggers Discussion - be sure to come back often to check out the latest entries and read your fellow Health Activists' stories!