“We’re in the ‘Friendster’ stage of m-health.”  While this was a closing comment at today’s SXSWi’s panel on health apps, it seems a fitting way to provide some initial context for a discussion on the direction of mobile medicine. On one hand, it’s certainly an exciting new space, and new apps are sprouting up everyday.  There are diet and exercise diaries, virtual personal trainers and apps that help track blood glucose or pregnancy symptoms. There are apps from start-ups and from large companies, alike.  Yet, while the field may appear cluttered already, we still have a long way to go to fill in the holes in the mobile-health landscape and develop apps effective enough to truly integrate into medical treatment and preventive wellness programs. One of the biggest obstacles yet to be overcome, says B.J. Fogg of Stanford University’s “Persuasive Technology Lab,” is determining the key elements... Read more

While the blogosphere has quickly grown into a veritable, virtual beast – and the food blogosphere is burgeoning with equal gusto in its own right – there’s still a dearth of info on how-to’s and best practices. At today’s BakSpace.com TechMunch workshop for food bloggers there was no shortage of need-to-know content for anyone hoping to stake a claim in this ever-saturated, ever-competitive space. Whether you’re a blogging newbie or a seasoned veteran, there were valuable take-aways for all.  This afternoon’s session started with some pointers on how to leverage  traditional media and get on food editors’ radar.  Let’s start with some do’s and don’ts from the L.A. Times’ Rene Lynch, Kat Kinsman from CNN’s Eatocracy and Jeff Houck of the Tampa Tribune: -       DO stay on top of the news. A story that’s timely, or, better yet, breaking news, is always a good way to... Read more

Regardless of your political perspective, the word “government” seems nearly synonymous with “bureaucracy” and typically conjures images of red tape, endless hoops to jump through,and legalese clauses to maneuver around – not exactly change and progress.  Yet, the opening comments at Friday’s Apps for Healthy Kids panel painted a far different picture. The tone of the entire presentation was inspirational, motivational and, above all action-oriented.  Problems were positioned as answers awaiting discovery.  Challenges were seen as opportunities. A Let’s Move! initiative, Apps for Healthy Kids initially started as a conversation with everyone at the table – from government to non-profits, industry to academia – to come up with innovative approaches to the daunting issue of childhood obesity. Clearly, the standard health education methods and stock campaign slogans are no longer sufficient in today’s excess-encouraging, sedentary-supporting (bonus vocab word: “obesogenic”) environment.  But could public health pitfalls become advantageous... Read more