Social Media and I

It happened one afternoon. It was quite simple, you see, I love to write stuff, you know. Yet the only writing that I could force onto paper was either medical or related to aviation. The force, or whatever you want to call it, inside of me, wanted to just release the energy that was confined and needed to find an outlet. In fact one of the editors that I had submitted my “stuff” to, said maybe I should “Blog” it. Blog? What was that? Never heard of it. Anyway after sifting through some books from the bookstore, I found out that there was an easy way to put my thoughts in a “Blog.” And thus sprang the spring of thoughts culminating in editable, bright letters.

Self-expression must pass into communication for its fulfillment.~Pearl S. Buck

I learned that sometime one has to stop pushing the concept of rejection, driving up the tautological pole of determination and find a medium conducive to share and pair with people of the same ilk – the vast majority, us!

As I started this foray into penning ethereal issues onto digital domains, I quickly realized that there were others who had the same drive and purpose. Some have successfully negotiated paths into brand name recognition while others like me just float about from one “Blog” to the next, caught in the wave of back and forth sludge at the end of the pier. Yet it was and remains to this day, liberating.

The old saying goes that to see farther one has to stand on the shoulders of giants. Well, I tried climbing those shoulders. There are some luminaries that stand out in the twitter-verse who focused my thoughts and attention. Their names need mention:

@drjohnm who writes about cardiac electrophysiology. Well he was kind enough to include me in one of his Grand Rounds. His posts are complex issues in cardiology reduced into bite-sized ingestible morsels for the rest of us. And then there is @jordangrumet. he is an internist by trade and has a life full of experiences. He writes heart warming and true to life experiences. They are from the heart and chock full of emotions. I also gravitate to @doctorwes a cardiologist, whose writing speaks volumes about the current trends in medicine and the fallacies ingrained within the healthcare system. Equally of great import is the well known @kevinmd who hosts articles/opinions from a diverse group of physicians and submits many of his opinions too. The articles represented on his site are well written and thought through. Some other physicians who post regularly include @LindP_MD  and @Doctor_V. I am missing a whole host of other wonderful bloggers and I apologize for that. There are many organizations that have excellent information that wake my senses and challenge my thoughts. These include; @NISSSAMSI posts about mathematics and all the nuances of probabilities, @ASCOPost  and @OncologyTimes that deal with cancer related topics, @AACR that deals with Cancer research and @Athletesheart that deals with human activities and the human heart.

The diversity of thought in the social media is so grand, it reminds me of an ancient oak tree with a trunk centuries old, roots that have spread over a vast geography searching for new aquifers and the deciduous branches in the thousands reaching out for new space sprouting fountains of knowledge and disseminating terabytes of new ideas. Imagine the possibilities!

And there is more to this tweet thing and the chat thing; something called the “Hash-tag chats or #”. This is another medium of interesting communication between likeminded individuals. These hash-tag denominated chats occur on specified days of the week at a given hour and all you have to do to participate in it is, well simply show up, search under the respective hash-tag, chat using that hash-tag and there you are. You get to hear other’s sentiments related to the discussion at hand and they get to hear your 140 character laden thoughts. Several ones that I participate are #MDchat: this one is a bunch of docs communicating ideas about the future of medical care and how to modify it for the better. #Cmechat:  discussion relates to nuances of teaching and learning in medical education, with some great insights into human and group behavior, #hcsm: is an excellent discussion for all, regarding healthcare and how to enhance it via social media. There are some free-flowing moments that bring a unique shade to the discussions and #bcsm: is about patients with breast cancer to join up with others and find a forum to discuss issues relating to the adversity they face and the available options of care, including nuances of medical are rendered and available. There are many more that you can participate in and enjoy the camaraderie. Just search!

In the end it is about expressing one's thoughts and learning from those of others. It is about communicating. I foresee for those with the desire to learn a bonanza through the social media. For some it may present a medium of self-expression, for others a universal medium of discussion and for the marketers a tool for misuse (warning: interfering in other’s private space with marketing will lead to unintended consequences - Guaranteed), but for the majority it will be an ideal ocean, colored in shades of blue by a rainbow of ideas. From the grids of a Mondrian painting to the lush spotlit grandeur of a Vermeer, the transition from the Tweet galaxy to the Blog universe, both, delight and intrigue us with their splendor.

So there you have it. Take from this, all, any, or none of its intended measure, then measure it to your own needs. If it helps, the universal energy (e of the mc^2) will put a smile on my face. If it doesn’t, I’ll try harder next time.

Heres to you dear friends!

Lets learn from that tree and explore that ocean!