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American Public Health Association
133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition
December 10-14, 2005
Philadelphia, PA
APHA 2005
 
Session: Blogs, Wikis, and Public Health
4329.1: Tuesday, December 13, 2005: 4:30 PM-6:00 PM
Oral
Blogs, Wikis, and Public Health
The weblog or "blog" is a relatively new form of communication. Starting out as a form of on-line diary, blogs have assumed increasing importance as a means to communicate political information and opinion, and to advocate for political or social issues. Over the past two years, a number of public health, science, labor and workplace safety blogs have been created, combining substantive information with the political context in which these issues exist. These include Confined Space, Effect Measure, Impact Analysis, Mine Safety Watch, and Brooklyn Dodger which address workplace-related health and safety as well as more general public health issues, and GoozNews and Chris Mooney which discuss more generic science and public health issues. The impending threat of a pandemic with avian influenza has now spawned a new kind of endeavor, the "wiki," a collaborative venue for problem solving in public health (http://www.fluwikie.com). This late-breaking development is significant and may play a part in coping with epidemic disease as early as this fall. This presentation will discuss the growing role of blogs and wikis in communicating public health, and specifically workplace safety and health information, and advocating for related issues. Is this an effective means of communication to workers and workplace safety and health advocates? Does the politics inherent in these blogs and wikis add to or detract from the information they seek to convey?
Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives: • Recognize the interdependency of politics and scientific information concerning workplace safety, pandemics and public health. • Create an interest in new forms of communication with workers, academics and public health officials. • Discuss the role of the internet, weblogs and wikis in communicating workplace safety and public health information, and how to measure effectiveness. • Describe how weblogs and wikis work.
Organizer(s):Jordan Barab, MA
4:30 PMBlogs, Wikis, and Public Health  [ Recorded presentation ]
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Organized by:Occupational Health and Safety
Endorsed by:Socialist Caucus

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA