Social Networking Goes Professional

Reading this article has made me think twice about this whole social networking thing. Before this class, I didn't care about any of this. But now, I'm beginning to see just how important it is now and in the future, as long its creators keep tweaking the sites and making them better. And it seems this is what they're doing. I've gotten to the point where I find myself searching for sites for different professional areas just to see if one exists.

I found Sermo.com to be quite interesting because "doctors are generally more interested in getting treatment advice and access to other doctors' experiences." This is a remarkable way to network and pick the brains of other medical professionals without having to know or see them. This is valuable technology for the medical field. However, since the site does not require users to give their real names, it is crucial that identities be verified to make sure imposters are not posing as doctors and giving misleading information. According to the article, Sermo does hold and verify the identifies of those who register. But on the other hand, I'm sure doctors or any professional worth their credentials will verify any information they get before using it.