TreatmentDiaries.com

Billing itself as a place where users can get “real information from real people,” Treatment Diaries (treatmentdiaries.com) is a social network that offers support to people who are living with illness while maintaining their privacy. Started by melanoma survivor Amy Ohm, who felt overwhelmed when she first tried to Google her illness, the site makes it possible for users to connect directly with others who share their particular medical condition and can provide personal information and advice. Since officially launching the site in February 2011, more than 650,000 diaries have been posted by users from around the world, with about 4,000 new diaries added every month. Signing up for the service is free and completely confidential. Like other social networking sites, Treatment Diaries enables users to create a screen name and a brief biography that is posted to their “wall.” Diary entries can be made for public viewing on the user’s wall or kept private, and users can leave private messages for others or “scribble” messages on their public diary entries. The site also features a blog, where advocates and experts write about timely topics.