Sermoblog or Sermo Blog? Can an anonymous critic represent physician transparency?

Are you interested in how to run an online physician community? Many people are. That is why the subject will be treated at Health 2.0 Europe. The panel will be segmented in two parts: international physician communities and national physician communities. One American community will be present, Sermo represented by Daniel Palestrant. SInce I'll be moderating that panel, I was intrigued by a post on Sermo blog, self-described as "keeping an eye on physicians' social media. "Today's article is entitled: what makes a physician forum work, part 1? The post was tweeted around today, amongst others by @Gaborgy who manages a physician community in Hungary.

The post sounds interesting:  starts by saying that a physician's forum should be limited to physicians. So far so good. But in the middle of the article, hmm, we find this sentence: "Since I started this blog by critiquing Sermo.com,"...So who is behind a blog to critique Sermo? Is it a physician? A would-be entrepreneur? A genuine competitor? A spouse tired of being a Sermo widow or widower?

But, when we click on "about", there is no information. We don't know who wrote it. Should someone who is advocating transparency and proof of physician identity be writing under anonymous cover? Are we dealing with a physician or not? We have no idea. The author ends with an ominous "There is one huge problem with all this, which I’ll get to in later posts." and then proceeds to lambast doctorshangout.com 

I have no stock in any of this. But frankly, is this what social media is about? Hiding behind anonymity to criticize everyone. I hope not and I don't think so! So far, whether linkedin, facebook, twitter, my experience with social media has been enriching. It has helped me meet people with similar interests and have great exchanges. SermoBlogWordpress, please come out of the closet !

Here is Sermo's blog with articles by Daniel Palestrant, the doctor who founded Sermo (meaning conversation). Daniel will be speaking at Health 2.0 Europe Paris.

On this blog, we know with whom we are dealing. There are insightful texts. And added comments by anonymous registered doctors...but we aren't totally in the dark, since we know that the main material is vetted by Dan.

Comments

[anon]

Wow, you removed my comment. Ebola is stalking me. And you allow it and you removed my objection. Way to go.

[anon]

Here you go, just when I thought this was all an unpleasant memory...stalkers never give up...
http://sermoblog1.wordpress.com/cyberstalking-on-sermo/

[Denise Silber]

Thank you James, for the interesting comment.

[James Biggerstaff MD]

This anonymous blogger, who goes by the name Seeker, hides behind her anonymity while viciously criticizing those who disagree with her.
She guards her privacy to the extreme and has extensively discussed her inability to hold a job as a physician.
While jealousy guarding her own privacy, she hacked my identity on Sermo and threatened to mail copies of my postings to members of my family (though they were not offensive other than to disagree with her).
Anyone who follows her comments know that she has been more and more virulent in her anti-Sermo statements. Perhaps because it is becoming obvious that no one is paying her any attention.