For those readers of this blog who wish to take one step deeper into the avian flu pool, I would recommend a trip to the FluWiki.
What, exactly, is a Wiki?
A Wiki is a web resource, created by its members. Anyone can contribute. It is a think tank of sorts. In this case, a user created Encyclopedia Influenza.
From the Fluwiki website, this is how they describe themselves:
The purpose of the Flu Wiki is to help local communities prepare for and perhaps cope with a possible influenza pandemic. This is a task previously ceded to local, state and national governmental public health agencies. Our goal is to be:
- a reliable source of information, as neutral as possible, about important facts useful for a public health approach to pandemic influenza
- a venue for anticipating the vast range of problems that may arise if a pandemic does occur
- a venue for thinking about implementable solutions to foreseeable problems
My first reaction when I heard about it was: This can't possibly work.
After all, if the members write it, and other members can come in and change it, it would be chaos. Right?
Wrong.
After 3 months on this site, I've changed my tune. It works, and most of the time damn well. Thanks to the moderators: Melanie, DemFromCt, and Pogge; the place runs like a well-oiled machine. Most of the time, anyway.
The wiki does suffer from growing pains. On occasion, their server has experienced outages. And we get a visit from the occasional troll. But these problems are transient, and are quickly remedied.
The wiki is divided into numerous sections. One side of the wiki is basically reference material. And here you will find the largest repository of influenza information on the Internet. Articles written by virologists, medical doctors, psychologists, health officials, and housewives. Very eclectic, and varying in sophistication, but full of valuable information.
The other side of the wiki are the discussion threads. Unlike many flu forums on the net, the focus here is on the science, and on how to deal with a pandemic, and less on politics or hard core (read:guns, guns, guns) survivalism.
A visit to the discussion forum will produce thousands of threads (you can search to find old topics) where people are simultaneously discussing the best way to can food, where to buy N95 masks, the science behind the polymorphism of the virus, how to build an LED lantern, and the best ways to deliver goods and services to communities during a pandemic.
The level of discussion here is, most of the time, more thoughtful and more rational than other sites that cater to flubies. When a discussion thread goes off track (and they do, occasionally), one of the mods will step in and redirect it. If that doesn't work, the thread is closed.
The purpose of the wiki is to unite people, to empower them: not divide them. It can be a difficult job for the moderators, but they do it exceedingly well.
One of the most fascinating series of discussions has been on what healthcare workers will do during a pandemic. You need to read this to really get an idea of what we are up against and how poorly prepared hospitals really are when dealing with a pandemic. HCW's are being asked to go to the front lines, and have not been assured of having even the basic protections afforded to them of masks and gloves. The debate, often, is passionate.
Featured on CNN, in Science Magazine, and in feature articles on the national news wires, the wiki is rapidly becoming the best source of flu information on the net. And we have some real heavyweights who post regularly. Many use pseudonyms, in order to talk freely. I know who some of these folks really are, and their backgrounds, and I am impressed.
We're talking doctors, scientists, public health officials, and health care workers. And while they patiently debate the intricacies of the influenza virus at a level I could only hope to understand someday, they all fit seamlessly into the less scientific threads.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist (although we have at least one on board) to enjoy, and learn from the wiki.
To Melanie, DemFromCt, and Pogge. My hat is off to you. You've created something truly unique.
And we do more than talk on the wiki. Members are working on projects that will help our communities during a pandemic. A series of videos, to be available freely off the net, are being planned on how to care for a flu victim at home. The feeling is, if the government won't do it. We will.
These projects aren't really a part of the wiki. They spring forth from our discussions, and members join with one another, to make them happen.
Behold, the power of the wiki.
For those who wish to talk politics, religion, conspiracy theories, or the stopping power of a .40 caliber vs a .45 caliber handgun, this place really isn't for you. But if you are looking for the best discussions on how to deal with a pandemic, the latest research information on pandemic flu, or just need a sane and safe place to relate to others preparing for a pandemic.
The wiki is the place you want to be.
www.fluwikie.com
