NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- OrganizedWisdom, LLC today announced that it has launched the first health-focused social networking site, where consumers, health care professionals, and health organizations can collaborate and share knowledge on more than 6,500 health topics. OrganizedWisdom.com was founded by Internet industry veterans Steven Krein and Unity Stoakes to improve how people find and share health information by linking trusted, evidence-based information with practical user-generated health advice, ratings and recommendations.
The company's patent-pending technology makes it easy for users to contribute their most important experiences and recommendations on any disease, medication, treatment or health issue. In addition, through the company's SponsoredWisdom(tm) program, health care companies can contribute educational research and patient advocate wisdom in a credible and safe environment. OrganizedWisdom is designed to clearly identify the source of all health information (doctor-reviewed, user-generated, and industry-contributed) for consumers and physicians, as well as to help health care companies avoid many of the risks that currently limit their participation in online communities.
"By organizing the collective wisdom from millions of people who have personal health experiences, and aligning it with professional knowledge and doctor-reviewed content, we can help the public make better informed decisions," said Steven Krein, CEO of OrganizedWisdom. "Because the content is community-rated, segregated by source, and structured by topic, this one-stop-shop approach makes it easy for anyone to quickly learn what the doctors have to say, what people with life experience have to say, and what the industry has to say on any health topic."
"With 80% of Internet users searching online for answers to practical health questions (see Note), it's not as easy as it should be," said Unity Stoakes, President of OrganizedWisdom. "There are too many cluttered message boards, distracting banners and generic information on most health sites. Our goal is to make it easy to safely connect people who need information, advice and support with a health community who can help them. In one-click, users can save, recommend or email any information found on the site to family members or friends who might need it."
Through a content licensing partnership with the non-profit evidence-based health information leader, Healthwise, OrganizedWisdom is able to leverage one of the most comprehensive health and drug information resources available. More than 75 million times a year people use Healthwise information to help them make better health decisions.
"I like the concept of organizing wisdom and connecting it with scientific information," said Healthwise CEO Don Kemper. "Giving people accurate, up-to-date medical information is hugely important. Giving them access to the experience of others adds another valuable dimension."
Management Team
The OrganizedWisdom team has worked together building companies for nearly a decade.
Steven Krein, co-founder and CEO, was also co-founder and CEO of Internet marketing firm Promotions.com and its Webstakes subsidiary from start-up in 1996 through its IPO on NASDAQ in 1999 and its subsequent sale to women's media company iVillage. Krein served as a senior executive at iVillage after completion of the sale in 2002.
Unity Stoakes, co-founder and President, was the Chief Marketing Officer of Promotions.com through start-up and IPO. Stoakes left to become VP of Marketing at The Privacy Council, a privacy compliance software company helping companies manage HIPPA and data management issues.
Gregg Alwine, Chief Technology Officer, was also the CTO of Promotions.com. Alwine is also CEO of Corsis, which provides technology services to some of the world's largest companies including McDonalds, iVillage and NBC.
Adam Ingberman, VP, Product Development, spent 8 years as VP, Application Development for iVillage. Ingberman is also the VP of Product Development at Corsis.
About OrganizedWisdom
OrganizedWisdom is a health-focused social networking site that enables consumers, health professionals and organizations to collaborate on thousands of health topics. The company, founded by Internet entrepreneurs Steven Krein and Unity Stoakes, aligns doctor-reviewed and user-generated health content to help people make better health decisions. Its patent-pending technology and unique organizing structure makes it easy for people to transform health experiences into valuable wisdom to help others. (http://www.organizedwisdom.com)
Note: Pew Internet & American Life Project.