Indian social site warns: ONLY DOCTORS
By Techgirl

Social network websites like Orkut, Facebook and MySpace have hundreds of millions of members and have changed the way we live, learn and love.  Specialized networking websites like LinkedIn are pitched to senior managers and businessmen and those who aspire to become like them. Indian doctors have now launched a site for fellow medicos and warned all others to stay away.

My doctor is an angel and goes out of her way to build a maternal relationship with all her patients.  I can ring her at any time of the day to discuss any issue.

Now Mumbai-based doctors have set up a social networking website for Indian doctors.  Their website medtitans.com says their: “goal is to create a single location for doctors to share their wisdom, network with one another and discuss things a doctor would only want to discuss with another doctor. Using the web, medTitans creates a platform (free from the barriers of time and distance) where doctors can challenge or agree with the thoughts of other doctors, or even give and get advice, helping us achieve our mission – ‘To enable innovation, improvement, education and knowledge sharing in healthcare by creating a location for only doctors all over the world to connect with one another.’”

Like other social networking websites like Orkut and Facebook you can create your own groups of doctors and ‘invite’ other medicos to join your club at Medtitans.

Will it succeed?  There is definitely a market for niche websites. Much depends on investment, marketing and even luck.

I see two issues which need to be ironed out.

Firstly, the social networking website Medtitans has to remove the aggressive photo which is the face of their website.  As soon, as you logon you are accosted by an angry doctor pointing a huge finger at you screaming ‘DOCTORS ONLY’.  (Yes, it is in upper case in case you do not get the message).  Someone forgot to tell them that doctors should provide calm, comforting exterior to the patients and outside world.

Secondly, its Terms of Service says that it can sell the non-personal information provided by member doctors.  It says: “MedTitans is the sole owner of the information collected on this Site. We will not sell, or rent any personal information to others in ways different from what is disclosed in this Privacy Policy and the Contract for Use. MedTitans collects information from You on the Profile and Registration pages on the Site. MedTitans reserves the right to collect, disseminate, sell or otherwise disclose non-personal information provided by You”

Doctor website, heal yourself.

Techgoss note:  Techgirl is a senior Tech journalist who reports on the IT, KPO and KPO Sectors for a leading media house.  In her spare time, she dabbles in satire in her blog
http://techgirltalk.blogspot.com