Health, Technology, and Aging :: Fall 2007

Two Bay Area start-ups capture top prize in 2007 Boomer Business Plan Competition; World Hearing Organization and SeroNostics win $10,000 plus access to leading venture capitalists and boomer market experts

Santa Clara, CA, June 22, 2007 -- Two early-stage ventures developing innovative technologies that address health problems common among older people have been selected as winners of the 2007 Silicon Valley Boomer Business Plan Competition. Find out more

The SeniorNews.net site has information you can access about marketing to the 65+ age group. I have also subscribed to the newsletter and will bring paper copies to the Living Lab so that you can use it during lab times.

I think I have the wiki working well for the most part. Once all of you have registered i'll start adding your names to the team spaces I created.

A wiki is an open forum, but to edit pages you have to be logged in. So don't get any funny idea's about messing with other people's words on shared pages. Every thing is logged, and everyone can see who made what edits :-). Play around with the different options, you'll see what I mean.

Email me with questions or concerns. It usually takes a day or two to get everything working smoothly, but by the end of the semester I think you'll like this system.

--Richie

I fixed up the posting for Assignment 1 in the wiki. The syntax is simple, but very strict. someone overwrote the whole page. This is not a big deal because everything is saved every time you edit the page. So far there are only two people who have made entries here. I added a few extra names so you can see more examples of how you should add your own name when you are ready to post on that particular page.

I strongly recommend that you check out the syntax guideline for the wiki. Its not something you have to study, just browse it for a few minuets so that you are familiar with the possible ways you can set up your posts. The reference will always be there. Check it out here:

http://cgi.cs.indiana.edu/~surg/agingwiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax

Social Networking Goes Professional
by Jessica E. Vascellaro
Aug 28, 2007
Page: D1
Click here to view the full article on WSJ.com

TOPICS: Social networking, Social Professional Networking

SUMMARY: When radiation oncologist Michael Tomblyn recently saw a 21-year-old patient whose eye was protruding from its socket, he turned to his fellow physicians for help. Dozens of doctors offered suggestions, including fungal infection, HIV-associated lymphoma or a cocaine-associated sinus problem, eventually steering him toward the correct answer: rhabdomyosarcomma, a fast-growing cancer most often observed in young children.

CLASSROOM APPLICATION: This article teaches students that there are several consumer technologies that can be used in obtaining and sharing professional knowledge and information. It also presents students with an opportunity to become entrepreneurial in considering the development of new sites by learning from Daniel Palestrant who launched Sermo.com when he was a surgical resident in Boston. Students could brainstorm the creation of other innovative health care sites.

QUESTIONS:
1.) What is Sermo.com? Visit it. Evaluate your experience.

2.) Define social networking. What are some advantages? Disadvantages?

3.) What are some do's and don'ts for using social-networking sites? Have you ever used a social-networking site? If so, which one(s)? Any more do's and don'ts to recommend?

4.) In addition to social networking, identify and discuss other consumer technologies for crossing over into the corporate world.

5.) How can social-networking sites offer many new services free to members? Present at least two examples.

Reviewed By: Dennis S. Palkon, Ph.D, MPH, MSW, Florida Atlantic University

Tonya told us about the "Jitterbug" phone for the young-old demographic. She sent some sites for you to see more...
http://www.jitterbug.com/Home.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5hnoxrNb0s

This site is humorous, if nothing else for the titles of the entries! It's sort of the CAST site on comedy steroids. Check out "click to the loo my darling," and the "going gently into the program."