The CFID’s is coming of age in the digital age. SolveCFS, a new website, is a nice step forward for the CFID’s Association. If you haven’t looked the CFID’s Association has been on a roll lately. Check these projects of the past few years:
- A sucessfull research initiative
- They hired a well known researcher, Suzanne Vernon, as their Research Director (arguably their most important move over the past couple of years). She has galvanized new research, brought new blood (finally) into the ME/CFS research arena and called for a major changes in the ME/CFS researchers work.
- Created a successful ME/CFS Physician education program on Medscape
- Broke with the CDC, uncovered financial problems at the agency and publicly called for new leadership.
- Created a partnership with other disease groups
That’s alot of movement but the CFIDS Association has really faltered over the years is in their public outreach and particularly their use of the technologies available on the Internet. That’s clearly changing. If you haven’t visited their Facebook site you should; it’s a vibrant active site that they’ve plainly a lot of work into. It’s easy to lose touch when you’re not in touch – with the Facebook site the CAA began using the technologies of the Internet to put itself directly in touch with ME/CFS patients.
Now they’re Twittering and on YouTube and just this past week they unveiled their ‘Solve CFS’ website. This isn’t the stodgy green and white CAA website we’ve known (and tired of) over the years; this is nicely designed (Web 2.0 updated) modern website. It’s easy on the eyes, it looks fresh and inviting.
The CFID’s Association is changing; in the last year it’s gotten a lot ‘younger’ and more open; things this 20+-year-old organization clearly needed. These changes are good for them and they are good for us.
Check out the new website below. Hopefully there is more of this to come from the CFIDS Association.