Just thought I’d drop you in and leave a quick note about a new section of the website we added as of yesterday.
The Breast Cancer Newsblog (breastcancercare.org.uk/newsblog) is a new part of the media centre, which will feature a general round up of what’s in the news - whether online, on TV or print - and highlight new things we’re adding to the website.
Bascially, the intention is to aggregate stories about breast cancer that we spot in this crazy digital webby world and pick them out for your attention. Blogging is something we don’t really do at the moment, and we wanted a place to tell you about things going on and the new bits and bobs we’ve made - for example, has anyone noticed the video clips sneaking onto the clinical pages lately? (Hope so!)
My colleague, Elissa, and myself will be posting every weekday as soon as we can nick the papers off our press team (i.e. before lunchtime-ish) and read our daily Google Alerts emails!
For those of you who are technically ‘in the know’, we’ll be adding RSS feeds and some widgets to the blog soon, but this is kind of a ‘trial run’ to see how it goes for a few weeks. You can leave comments on our posts and support us, tell us off or even leave completely random messages about fruit to confuse and generally baffle us.
(You have to be registered to comment so that if you swear at us, I can report the naughty ones of you to the moderators.)
I think so far it’s very interesting and that everyone in the world should read it. But then I’m biased…
James( one of the newsblog editors) Elissa (one of your colleagues)
Does that mean there are more of you?
We have to register so that you can report us if we swear, sorry we are grown up women and when upset we express our feelings using … instead of vowels.
You will nick the papers before lunch!
You may be amazed to learn, we can actually read our own papers before lunch. In fact we quite often do and we have been known to make comments on current affairs.
Maybe I am still a bit prickly regarding the £100.000 invested in the new design.
Oh dear does this mean I will be the first to be reported for expressing an opinion?
Debs
Yes, there are more of us, there will be other contributors to the newsblog too.
No, of course you won’t be reported for expressing an opinion. But then you know that, as you use the forums regularly and also have access to our website terms and conditions too.
And no-one’s saying you can’t read the newspapers. If anything, please support them and buy them because circulation figures are really falling. It’s a serious problem.
Hi Debs,
With you on this one! Methinks tone of original post not quite right, James!
We are actully GROWN UP women on this site, as Debs says, comments about naughty swearing etc comes over really quite patronising, well,does to me anyway,
On a positive note, will be interesting to follow news as and when…
Apologies if you’re offended by the tone of the post. I was just attempting to be playful and light hearted, as reflected my mood this morning coming into work, rather than repeat the usual standard sentences from terms and conditions pages.
I agree with Debs…many of us who use this site regularly post about and debate the latest breast cancer stories…with rather higher quality debate than a quick read of your newsblog comments suggests.
And I feel irritated to read about your video clips that ‘Wendy prides herself on being a living example that breast cancer is not a death sentence’.
Personally I’m rather keener on breast cancer charities grasping the fact that women like myself who are going to die of breast cancer also have working thinking brains, a sense of humour and like shopping.
I bet you think I am a grumpy old woman, I promise I am not. I love cheerfulness.
The tone came across as if you were talking to a senile old gran!
Plus I am still smarting at the investment/waste of £100,000 but I will get over it.
Thanks for the apology.
Debs
Oh if I weren’t such a sillywilly gurlywurly in all my pinky winky breast cancer paraphenalia maybe I could get my silly likkle head around all this really really difficult information stuff.
Thank goodness big strong James and co are there to help us out…
I could - and probably should - go on but I would have the back of my legs slapped for swearing.
The more I think about this the more I feel so cross about the way BCC’s resources are being spent. All these web based innovations but for what purpose…are they really supporting and helping anyone with breast cancer?
By contrast I remember writing to three key people in BCC a year ago about the lack of accurate of information on regional breast cancer recurrences. (I had taken the trouble to write a short paper 1-2 A4 pages so not a quick e-mail) I got one response (from someone who I had copied in because I’ve written an article with her for BC news in the past.) The chair of the secondaries task force never replied.
OK I should have pursued it…and damn I will now…but your information base at BCC remains superficial in many areas…yet money is found for innovation such as this ‘newsblog’ which no one with breast cancer has aksed for and must be costing a fair bit in staff time.
I think I read that 40% of the money donated to BCC goes on administration.
We seem to be paying a lot of wages to an ever growing team of computer nerds(don’t think that is swearing) to replace, renew a service that was reasonable in the first place.
How many are in this team? Do we need them?
No doubt when James comes back from lunch he will report this to the moderator. Maybe when he does they could check out the figures for us.
I will be in the ‘gormless’ thread.
Debsxxx
Cancer Research already offer their science update blog whereby all recent studies and reports are gathered, correlated and commented upon.
And they don’t employ a peculiarly cheeky chappy tabloid tone in order to do it.
We didn’t know this would cause such a heated debate! As forum users you are very important to us, that’s why we want to let you know first about changes to the website. Please keep in mind the majority of our visitors are not using the forums and want information and support about breast cancer.
A bit of background to the newsblog… Every day our Press Team circulates all breast cancer related news to all staff and we felt it would be useful to republish it for our web users. Of course we know you can read newspapers and websites but some users may not have the time to read 15 newspapers and websites. James’ tone was meant to be light-hearted not patronising and he has apologised if he was misunderstood.
Recently a few links to articles were posted and I’ve never seen a user attacking another user for posting news. I am a bit surprised by the tone being used by some of you. We decided not to moderate this topic but if the discussion had not been started by a member of my team we would probably moderate this as I feel this is out of order. Can I remind you that you agreed “that you will be polite to other forum members” that includes my team. Thank you.
Finally, there was a serious assumption made that Breast Cancer Care spends 40% on admin. Our income and expenditure are available online: breastcancercare.org.uk/server/show/nav.667
Last financial year, we spent £52,000 on governance out of a total expenditure of £14million.
I hope this ends this debate. And, if not, please remain polite.
Bertie,
I would like to think I am always polite, nerd and geek are badges worn with pride these days and it was not meant a personal slight.
Comments were welcomed and I responded it seems strong tone may only be used by staff. In a grown up world life is not like that.
Debs
James’s original post was an affront to any intelligent woman and I doubt very much if that tone would have been employed on a forum used predominantly by men. It was patronising and inappropriate and therefore quite provocative. Remember a lot of us here don’t feel particularly “light-hearted” and perhaps your “team” would benefit from a little more training to truly understand what this disease is all about.
Is it really necessary to point out the difference between a forum user posting a link for discussion - and people being employed by BCC to do the same thing?! As Jane has pointed out there is deep unease amongst many of us regarding the cost of this website change. The fact that BCC resources are being used for something which is happening quite organically anyway is worthy of discussion.
I once applied for a job at BCC and do remember the individuals as being pretty genuine -doing their best and working for not a lot. I’m sure James didn’t mean to cause offence.
I will stand up and be counted, I’m classed as an intelligent woman and I certainly wasn’t affronted by your original post James,I don’t mind your tone at all !I don’t feel patronised and I didn’t feel it was inappropriate,or maybe I’m not as intelligent as |I think I am … ! You are in a no win situation ,some don’t feel lighthearted but I don’t want a doom and gloom attitude either.
All aspects of this website have been a godsend for me,and I for one am glad you are here providing a service to me with information and support from others in similar circumstances which has proved priceless.
Could I please just add my views as a ‘lurker’ who doesn’t submit many comments but likes to keep up to date with the forums/website.
I was first diagnosed in December 2000 and there wasn’t the wonderful range of websites available that there are now. During the past years this is the one I’ve gravitated to for information more than any others and it is the only breast cancer one I regularly still access. 3 years ago I finished my 5 years of Tamoxifen so only have annual check ups.
The idea of someone else collating press snippets and putting them in one place for me to read appeals to me as I don’t buy daily newspapers so the blog has been bookmarked on my computer and will be used. So I’d like to say ‘Thank you’ for the blog.
It’s a shame that James’s post has been picked on without much mention of the reason for the post, okay he could’ve worded it differently but please lets stop all the complaining and have a look at what’s on offer.
I really like the idea of a Newsblog. I always seem to manage to miss information in the press and end up hearing about it second hand. I like the idea of going to one place to find information.
I also really like the idea of the videos. I do not know anyone else who has had breast cancer so it is great seeing and hearing others experiences.
One question, is it possible to view the complete video clip? I was interested in the video by ‘Kate’ but I could only find two short extracts.
Thanks
Sherbert
)