More Than a Blog: Creating a Community

In a study conducted in 2004, Clarity and The EAR Foundation found that a startling number of Americans experience a hearing loss . It was a shocking finding which made Clarity wonder— is there a place where these individuals can come together as a community? And for the most part, a Technorati ( a what? ) search on the term “hearing loss” says ‘no.’

 

Today that has changed. Do you, or someone you care about, have a hearing loss? Well, MyHearingHealth is for you. This is your space-- make it yours by commenting on blog posts and articles, or better yet, submit your own. We’re counting on you to make this a community as vibrant and diverse as you.

 

So, what led us to develop a blog in the first place? You can thank people like David Copithorne of Hearing Mojo , a PR veteran who has become probably the most well-known hearing loss blogger around. David covers everything from trends and technology to the experiences of dealing with hearing loss in the workplace. Another inspiration in the community is Dr. Brent Edwards, author of Innovation Science . Dr. Edwards’ blog is full of insights into hearing aid technology (naturally, since he is the director of the StarkeyHearingResearchCenter) as well as a wide variety of business and technology innovations.

 

We’ve also been watching the growing number of businesses and corporations entering the blogosphere . Two well-known trailblazers are Jonathan Schwartz , CEO of Sun Microsystems, and Randy Baseler , VP of Marketing at Boeing, who have built huge followings by speaking transparently and without pretense about their companies and industries. A long-time personal favorite is Signal vs. Noise , published by a web application development firm in Chicago. They’ve turned creating passionate users (and blog readers) into an art form. Bringing that kind of passion and value to everything we write will be our goal at MyHearingHealth… and we’ll trust you to keep us honest.

 

Posted by John Hawbaker, Clarity