May 17, 2008

Facial Difference Google Group - Correction

Some folks have been having trouble joining the Facial Difference group in Google from the email invitation that was received. Here is another way to join.

Google: Groups: Facial Difference: http://groups.google.com/group/facialdifference

Click on the link above and try to join from that page. If you have a Google GMail account, you will need to join with that account. If you do not, you would need to either use a Google account that does not have GMail or create a Google account based on another email address. I hope this works. Good luck, all!

Posted by pfa at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)

May 12, 2008

Social Networking for the Facial Difference Community

Social networking -- finding a supportive community -- has always been important for people. Now online social networking has become important in the same way. Email lists, forums and bulletin board systems are tools for online social networking that have been with us for several years now.

There are many lists and groups for persons with a specific type of facial difference concern, but there does not seem to be a single place to bring together the discussions that are common to all of us. Let's Face It, as a site concerned with providing information and support across the spectrum of facial difference concerns and communities, is exploring the idea of using online social networking tools to address this gap.

We have created broad social spaces in a variety of online social environments. We don't know which of these (if any) will be most useful to the facial difference community. We hope that some part of this will prove to be useful. We thought it was worth trying. Here are some of the online social spaces. Please feel free to join us, and pass the word along to your friends.

"Let's Face It is here to provide information and facilitate connections and support for the broader facial difference community. By the broad community we mean individuals who have facial difference, or their friends or family. We mean any kind of facial difference -- cleft lip or other birth anomalies; as a result of trauma, injury, violence or burns; or resulting from cancer. We mean any kind of facial difference -- mouth, jaws, skull, nose, eyes, ears, skin, or other. There are many common concerns shared by anyone with facial difference -- let's come together here to help everyone with facial difference."

Google Groups: Facial Difference email group: http://www.google.com/groups/facialdifference/

Second Life Group "Let's Face It".
NOTE: Application for Second Life can be downloaded from http://secondlife.com. Personal avatar must be created to join group.

Ning: Facial Difference: http://facialdifference.ning.com/

Facebook: Let's Face It: http://groups.to/letsfaceit/ or http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14635254465

Other Ning networks of possible interest:

- Epidermolysis Bullosa Awareness & News: http://ebnews.ning.com/

Other Facebook groups of possible interest:
- AboutFace
- All The Cool Kids Have Cleft Lip And Palate
- Alliance For Smiles Team Members
- Apert syndrome awareness
- Awareness of cleft lip and palate
- Behcets Disease Awareness
- The Birth Defect Appreciation Society
- Cleft Gang
- Cleft Lip & Palate Association of Ireland
- Cleft Lip & Palate Surgery for Kids in Need
- Cleft Lip and Palate
- Cranio Connect Ontario - Craniosynostosis
- Crouzon Syndrome
- Darren Agnew Cleft Pallet Society [sic]
- Deformed Orphans Relief Association of Yingshan County, Anhui, China
- Donations for CLAPA (Cleft Lip and Palate Association)
- Ectodermal Dysplasia
- Edmonton Cleft Lip & Palate Support Network
- Facing the World
- FDU Students for Operation Smile
- February 29th is Rare Disease Day
- Find A Cure for Epidermolysis Bullosa
- Friend of Interplast.Org
- Future Plastic Surgeons of America
- god's gifted children-apert and down syndrome
- Help Us Stop Sticklers Syndrome
- I love someone born with a cleft.(Lip or Palette) [sic]
- Join the cause: Help Us, Help Kids
- The Jorge Posada Foundation
- Kelleigh Gustafson Vascular Anomaly Awareness and Advocacy for Research
- Melrose High Operation Smile :o)
- One Charity. One Problem. One Goal. Smile Train.
- Operation Smile
- OPERATION SMILE =D
- Operation Smile ASFG
- Operation Smile HVHS!
- Operation Smile Ohio State Chapter
- Our Journey, Cleft Lip and Palate
- Parents of children with cleft lip or palete [sic]
- Pediatric Cranial Synostosis
- Pierre Robin Sequence
- Plagiocephaly Support Group
- Progeria
- Robinow Syndrome
- Rxcipes for Smiles - Charity Cookbook
- Saving the World One Smile at a Time (GO SMILE TRAIN!!)
- Smile Campaign
- SmileTrain
- TheSmileTrain.Org
- Smile Train
- The Smile Train: The World's Leading Cleft Charity
- Summit for Smiles
- Tiana's One smile page
- Stand Up and Smile
- Support for families of Cleft lip/ Palate childern in Ontario
- Supporting families who have children with Cleft Lip/Pallet [sic]
- Teens with a cleft lip/palate
- Tribute to Rare Diseases That People Know Too Little About
- Tuberous Sclerosis
- Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome
- We Love Our Cranio Babies!

... and more.

Posted by pfa at 09:27 AM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2008

Let's Face It and Social Technologies, Part 1: Google Video

When UM took on the Let's Face It web site, we always intended to make use of Web 2.0 and social technologies for enriching the site. Unfortunately, the loss of the webmaster for the site last Summer has delayed much of this. With a new webmaster soon to arrive and assistance from one of the hopsital webmasters, we are again ready to get going.

You should be noticing more blog activity, more activity on our del.icio.us account, signs of these being integrated more fully with the web site. In addition, we will be expanding the variety of social media used in the site.

For starters, the video of Betsy speaking here is now available in Google Video. I hope this makes it easier for people to view. I just watched it again myself, and am impressed all over again by Betsy's dynamism as a speaker and a person. I hope you enjoy watching this as much as I have, and find it easier to share with your friends and families.


Posted by pfa at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)

March 20, 2007

Slides about Let's Face It

Just another way to show you the slides I mentioned previously.

Posted by pfa at 10:31 AM | Comments (0)