"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."  -- George Bernard Shaw When I was young, in my 20s, we had no internet or Skype. We had party lines and dial phones or those fancy new push button phones that were all the rage. We didn't have texting or sexting, or Scruff or Grindr, or phones that were used solely for the purpose of taking self-absorbed portraits of our dinners or our faces with duck lips. No, we had much more... We actually talked to

Last week, sadly, we lost a regular contributor – one whom we valued - because we rejected a post that he had submitted for publication. The subject of the post? Let’s say it could easily be interpreted to relate to a specific staff issue - a contentious employee firing, in fact - at an AIDS Service Organization in Canada. The individuals described in the piece were given fictitious names but I thought I knew who they were..It was creative non-fiction.  Immediately I saw it on the site�

I’m feeling very fortunate and getting pretty excited now because in just two more days I’ll be in Chicago for #HealtheVoices17. #HealtheVoices17 is a conference for online patient advocates. Bloggers who advocate for the rights of people living with a variety of ailments, of which HIV is just one. This year, the conference is proud to host more than 100 attendees from 30 different states in the U.S., as well as Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan So

The PositiveLite.com team last week: (left to right) Rob Olver, Wayne Bristow, John McCullagh and Bob Leahy Noted community activist John McCullagh is relinquishing the PositiveLite.com publisher’s chair effective March 1. The move is designed to free up more time for his busy schedule of other activities, notably as chair of CATIE. Current editor Bob Leahy from Warkworth, Ontario  becomes the new PositiveLite.com publisher but will remain involved in editorial decisions. He will continu

Let’s get this out first. We were thirteen in the list. That puts us just behind CATIE at number 11, so we like that. Feedspot says their process has resulted in  the most comprehensive list of best HIV blogs amongst many on the web, with rankings based on the following criteria:  Google reputation and Google search ranking Influence and popularity on Facebook, twitter and other social media sites Quality and consistency of posts. Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review  H

At my chiropractor’s office as I was laying on my stomach, waiting for him to crack my back, he asked, “So do you have someone special in your life”? “Nothing that lasts longer than an hour,” I quipped. Chuckling, he said, “Hmmm, an hour - that’s impressive.” Great that he thought it was funny, but I didn't think “that” was impressive. I’d hate to tell him about all the four hour plus occasions. On the 'someone special' side of things, I haven’t tried dating anyone

Are you stuck?  It strikes me that many people who have a passion for writing about HIV nevertheless sometimes run out of ideas. It’s called writer’s block and it affects most of us who blog. Luckily, I’m mostly immune to it. I blogged daily in another life. But for those for whom blogging isn’t ingrained, it isn’t so easy and thus as an editor, I’m often asked for writing ideas.  At a recent conference in Chicago that I wrote about here  one session included distribution of

We are survivors of a chronic disease or caregivers, moms, dads, sisters or brothers affected by it. We are 100 activists with a huge connection - we are online health writers and bloggers. Many of us have never met. But thanks to the recent HealtheVoices conference in Chicago earlier this month we are connected.  Now, I’ve been to plenty of workshops, seminars, and conferences over the past five years, full of powerpoint presentations, professional speakers and very busy agendas full of r

Prominent social media health advocates and bloggers from across North America heard just how valued their contributions are at a Chicago conference last week. The event, HealtheVoices16, is the second such annual event organized by Jannsen Pharmaceuticals. I and PositiveLite.com social media guy/contributor Wayne Bristow were among those invited to attend.  I’m required to say here that Jannsen covered my travel and other expenses and that all views here are my own. And yet not. I think

I’ve been to many conferences in my time, all mostly about HIV. But this one, HealthEVoices2016, happening this week in Chicago, is a little different. Less than ten of us from across North America are HIV advocates. The rest of the approximately 90 attendees represent other health advocacy groups - from breast cancer to arthritis to MS to diabetes to many more. The opportunities for cross-sectoral learning and sharing seem boundless. Already recognized as leading Canada’s most influential