"Tumour Diary"

For those of you who know me I am a big BBC news supporter. Recently I have been following the blog of Ivan Noble. Ivan is a online science and technology writer for BBC news. In 2002, Noble was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Faced with this life changing situation Noble decided to share his story with the online world. He decided he would take his readers on a journey of his life starting from when he was first diagnosed. His blog was a public diary for the world to see. He would discuss having a good day or having a bad day. If he was going for surgery he would post a blog "Going to Surgery" and let his readers know. Eventually Noble developed more than a few readers, he gained a fan base. People from all over the world were following his blog. His fans were eager to find out what would happen next in Noble's life. Would he need another surgery? How is he handling the new drugs? Readers were over-joyed when his son was born and watching him juggle two children. Readers from all over the world-from England to India-would post on his blog letting Noble know how happy they were for him. However there was always the scared thought that would cross all the readers minds: What if this was his last blog post? When his last post eventually does come there is an outpour of comments.
Many readers expressed how thankful they were that Noble would open himself to the world and allow us to experience this very intimate time in his life. He has helped so many people deal with their battles against sickness, smoking or any other life problem.
Why I was so intrigued by Ivan Noble's blog because it brought a new meaning, to me at least, of the power of online networks, specifically blogs. Noble has shown us how real relationships can be developed online. This is an example of the connection people can have with each other. I know for myself, I really underestimated how therapeutic blogging can really be. We often talk and think about online forums and tools in such a very technological way that we can easily forget the emotions that can be associated with online practices such as blogging. It is often discussed how the technology has both made us more connected but separated us at the same time. Ivan Noble's blog is definitely an example of bringing people of all walks of life, from all over the world together at one meeting place. I highly recommend everyone to read Ivan Noble's blog. It is so inspiring and gives a new light of the possibilities of online forums.