I Smell a Lawsuit

Oh dear Lord. What have we done.

Write about medicine and improve lives

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Reply to: suemyass@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-01-18, 1:23PM EST
Online medical community needs contributors to write about topics in medicine and health. Apply to be a contributor here: http://medpedia.com/Special:Landing?chapelhill

• it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• Compensation: no pay

Though the terms of Medpedia clearly state it’s not offering medical advice, the ad for contributors suggests that writers will “improve lives.” Now, as a writer I know what to expect from Wikipedia. Many non-writers feel it’s the end all/be all of web truthfulness. The same will go for those not offering medical advice medical advice website.

A wiki offering medical advice that’s not medical advice is worrisome. Only people who write web content know how off the mark most of it is. Someone looking for assistance or diagnosis takes anything printed as Gospel. Some people are so desperate to heal thyselves and stay away from the true experts , they would rather take the word of an unskilled non paid web content writer than visit their doctors.

I’m so looking forward to reading what volunteer medical writers are going to write – and how they’re going to improve lives without actually offering advice.