Re: 4s Websites - Which to join?

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Please consider belonging to all 3 of the 4s websites! That is what I and many others do. It is not the least bit divisive. I am reposting an earlier post by DH ("Mister Earplugs") SoundSensitive.org Administrator who explains why the public websites are important and pros and cons. Personally I find the newer forums so much more user-friendly, less repetitive, this yahoo site is old technology, very clumsy to make your way back thru all the older posts for information. You won't get emails from these newer forums unless you subscribe to a weekly digest from 's site which I find very convenient. Instead you just stop by and see what's being talked about. Forums are much better suited for this kind of community IMO, because it is so much easier to find information!

although I really like getting emails too.From DH:A key purpose (in my opinion) of having a 4S website is that it has the potential to raise visibility of the 4S condition among both the general public and the scientific/medical communities. I believe that having as much online discussion as possible in the open also helps to raise public visibility of 4S and increases the pressure to develop treatments. Granted, it may be less comfortable airing our issues in a publicly-visible forum, but that is a trade-off I hope some will accept in the interest of increased visibility. For those who are concerned with posting personal issues in an open forum there is a simple solution: post under a pseudonym (as I do).I hope to move more of the discussion from the Yahoo group/listserv over to the website forums. The reason behind the plea, though, is not to promote the site (which, after all, is just a means to an end) -- it is to make the site a

more powerful tool for raising the public visibility of 4S.Here are some of the pros and cons of each mechanism:Yahoo Group/Listserv (here)ProsAll messaged delivered to participants' e-mail inboxes - conveniencePosts not visible to general Web searcher population - better privacy for posters using own identities/e-mail addressesConsPosts not visible to general Web searcher population - they don't help raise visibility of the 4S conditionPosters' e-mail addresses are visible to all other membersWebsite Forums> http://www.soundsensitivity.info

> http://www.soundsensitive.org ProsPosts in public area visible to be searchable by all Web users - greater visibility for the 4S conditionPosters' e-mail addresses are never revealed to either other members or the web at largeOptional private area where posts are visible by members onlyRegistered users can subscribe to specific discussion topics and be notified by e-mail when replies are postedPrivate Messaging (PM) feature available that allows users to communicate directly without revealing e-mail addressesMessages are grouped by subforum and topic -- better organized than in the Yahoo groupConsFull text of new posts not delivered by e-mail -- notification onlyUsers who do not choose to use a pseudonym

reveal their identity (hence pseudonym use recommended)

> There are two other forums:

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> http://www.soundsensitivity.info

> http://www.soundsensitive.org

>

> Does anyone have a preference of where is best to join/post? It doesn't really matter to me, but it feels somewhat divisive.

>

> .