New Forum Moderator

[Pat - Community Publisher]

After 4 years of moderating this forum I've come to realize that I just have not been able to give it the time it deserves. I've been very busy the last year in particular building resources and services for the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. These include the Hair Loss Learning Center and the soon to debut live help and chat.

 

I've decided to turn over the moderating of this forum to a fellow hair loss sufferer turned recovering bald guy - Robert - aka the "Social Drinker".

 

Those of you who are regulars here know that he has been an active person on this forum and recently did hair restoration surgery.

 

I know Robert has genuine empathy for other hair loss sufferers and is knowledgable about many hair loss treatments. I expect he will do a fine job of helping answer questions for those who post, while keeping this forum an even playing for all.

 

I want to thank the many long time posters on this forum who in many ways have shared the role of "moderating" this forum. This forum has really helped many people and will for a long time to come.

 

Best wishes to all, Pat

[Pat - Community Publisher]

After 4 years of moderating this forum I've come to realize that I just have not been able to give it the time it deserves. I've been very busy the last year in particular building resources and services for the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. These include the Hair Loss Learning Center and the soon to debut live help and chat.

 

I've decided to turn over the moderating of this forum to a fellow hair loss sufferer turned recovering bald guy - Robert - aka the "Social Drinker".

 

Those of you who are regulars here know that he has been an active person on this forum and recently did hair restoration surgery.

 

I know Robert has genuine empathy for other hair loss sufferers and is knowledgable about many hair loss treatments. I expect he will do a fine job of helping answer questions for those who post, while keeping this forum an even playing for all.

 

I want to thank the many long time posters on this forum who in many ways have shared the role of "moderating" this forum. This forum has really helped many people and will for a long time to come.

 

Best wishes to all, Pat

[HairBeThere]

Great decision Pat.. Social is an excellent choice, and will do a fine job!

[Robert_]

Thank you so much Pat for extending to me the opportunity to moderate these very important discussion boards. This forum has been a God-send to me and countless others and I am honored that I can help to further its mission. I look forward to helping anyone that suffers from hair loss and I invite them to allow me to help them research their best possible options at any time. Thank you.

 

-Robert

 

As forum moderator and a Patient Advocate for the Coalition I'm available to answer any questons.

 

To view animations and videos and learn about leading hair restoration physicians visit http://www.regrowhair.com/our_physicians.asp

[baldcasanova]

will there be any changes?

[Robert_]

No, there wil be no changes to the forum format or rules of any kind.

 

As forum moderator and a Patient Advocate for the Coalition I'm available to answer any questons.

 

To view animations and videos and learn about leading hair restoration physicians visit http://www.regrowhair.com/our_physicians.asp

[baldcasanova]

That's good to know.

 

Good luck with the new assignment.

 

Cas

[hairworthy]

Drinker,

 

Congrats on your new assignment. 2 issues I'd like you to address:

 

1. Put a bit of order in the posts. By that I mean moving the posts in the appropriate location when needed. Eg posts entitled "Question for Dr so & so" placed in the "New topics" section should be moved to the "Questions for physicians" section, those about medications should be moved to the relevant section as well, etc. The "new topics" seems to be a sort of bin to the detriment of the specialist sections. Also, some posters make the same post in 3 different sections hoping for more answers, which produces 3 different threads on the exact same topic. Those could, for example, be merged.

 

2. Can you clarify this "no link to outside websites" rule? There have been NUMEROUS links posted lately in all sections without any comment from Pat. The most recent example that comes to mind is akonsta from DHI. Are we or are we not allowed to post such links, and if so what kind? HT clinics? Personnal websites? Newspaper articles? Online stores selling products such as Finasteride or MSM? Please advise.

 

Thanks.

[JC]

Thanks for stepping up, Social.

From your posts, you sound intelligent, well informed and very active on the board (in the short time I've been here, anyway). Good luck to you and I hope you enjoy it!

Pat, thanks for all you've done. I haven't been around long enough to know what that all entails, but I have a feeling it's been a lot. Don't be stranger!

JC

[Pat - Community Publisher]

I'd like to clarify the rules for posting on this forum.

 

As many of you know, some physicians have been compensating their patients (typically in the form of drastically reduced costs for subsequent surgeries) in exchange for them promoting their surgeon. Typically this promotion has been in the form of posted testimonials that contain links to their patients sites that in turn promote their physician.

 

While I encourage patients to share their experiences, the good and the bad, I do not encourage them to peddle their stories without divulging their compensation from their physician. Yes, when asked, they will typically state that they are not "paid" and that they pay for all their surgeries. But in some cases the cost of their subsequent surgeries are drastically reduced to compensate the patient.

 

While Jotronic divulges his compensation from Hasson and Wong, some patients of various physicians have not. Such undisclosed relationships are not fair to the visitors of this site.

 

Therefore those who are interested in sharing their stories can create a narrated photo album with their photos using this forum. There is no need for them to link to a site promoting their physician, who may or may not perform quality work.

 

Only links to pages with our network of websites, include hair mentor pages and photo albums will be allowed. Those who want to excerpt outside non commercial articles in their posts are free to do so if the information is non promotional in nature.

 

Thanks in advance for respecting these rules.

 

Pat

[Robert_]

Thank you for your congratulations, hairworthy.

 

To address your rightful concerns:

 

1) I have noticed that the "Post Your Own New Topics" has become a "catch all" for new discussion threads. However, to move posts from section to section would entail a lot of confusion for the original poster and anyone keeping track of the thread that had found it in its original location. I can only ask posters to use discretion in where they place new posts so anyone perusing the forums would know where to look for threads pertaining to their own interests. The search function is also very helpful with this.

 

2) The rules are as Pat put out in a post later

in this thread. The post you are referring to has been edited of its outside link and the user has been informed of the discussion forum rules.

 

All users are invited to use the softwares user-friendly photograph storing software to display their pictures. If anyone has technical questions regarding the use of this tool, I would be more than happy to help.

 

As forum moderator and a Patient Advocate for the Coalition I'm available to answer any questons.

 

To view animations and videos and learn about leading hair restoration physicians visit http://www.regrowhair.com/our_physicians.asp

[altair]

Congrats SD. You have been very helpful to me over the past few months and have always been very supportive. I am sure you will do a very good job as moderator.

[lorenzo]

Congradulations to Social Drinker. I don't post much anymore but I was in a bit of shock to hear that a new moderator was named without any feed back of many posters that I have on this site for many years. Although I believe that Social drinker will do a good job as a devoted poster for over 2 years I feel that some kind of vote or discussion should have been taken place. I don't know SD knowlegde but I believe someone that has had more 4 months posting should have been given some consideration.

Either way I wish you the best and hope that you will stay neutral..

 

Good luck

Lorenzo

[lorenzo]

Congradulations to Social Drinker. I don't post much anymore but I was in a bit of shock to hear that a new moderator was named without any feed back of many posters that I have on this site for many years. Although I believe that Social drinker will do a good job as a devoted poster for over 2 years I feel that some kind of vote or discussion should have been taken place. I don't know SD knowlegde but I believe someone that has had more 4 months posting should have been given some consideration.

Either way I wish you the best and hope that you will stay neutral..

 

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>As many of you know, some physicians have been compensating their patients (typically in the form of drastically reduced costs for subsequent surgeries) in exchange for them promoting their surgeon. Typically this promotion has been in the form of posted testimonials that contain links to their patients sites that in turn promote their physician.

 

With this statement I believe there must be some kind of prove. Could you please post which doctors have done this? Without posting which doctor we can assume that there is a possible that every single doctor is doing this.

 

Thank you

 

Lorenzo

 

 

 

Good luck

Lorenzo

[western_star]

Good choice Pat, I think Robert will do an excellent job following your footsteps and thank you also for being here for us also.

[gethelp]

you mentioned the pre-screening process,

could we get the deatils on how that works?

I would like you to look at the coalitions

new member from Las Vegas. What is your

opinion on his work? If you lived in Vegas

would you go to him or mabe David Seager

who is not on the coalition, but a member

of the Hair Transplant Network?

[arfy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Those who want to excerpt outside non commercial articles in their posts are free to do so if the information is non promotional in nature.

 

Hooray! Good move.

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Gethelp,

 

I've spoken at length with Dr. Williams and reviewed dozens of his patient photos (soon to be added) and his work is very top notch. If you are in Vegas by all means check him out.

 

Pat

[lorenzo]

Good answers ..Pat made a good choice..

[Pat - Community Publisher]

As the long time past moderator of this forum, publisher of our community and a patient, I've strived to keep the interest of hair loss sufferers as my #1 priority.

 

To do this I have worked to provide educational resources and recommendations for some of the world's best hair restoration physicians. I've always felt that it is in the best interest of those visiting this site to know about as many quality physicians as possible so as to provide them with convenient quality options in their areas. That is why there are over 50 top notch physicians recommended on the Hair Transplant Network and over 27 members of the Coalition.

 

However, many of these top notch physicians have not gotten the attention they deserve on this forum. Instead clinics that have hired patients to work full time advocating online for them have been getting the lion's share of attention. This is simply not fair to them or the visitors on this site.

 

Robert will not only be moderating this forum and the new live chat but helping these gems in the rough physicians to get more presence on this forum.

 

For example, there are several excellent physicians who perform follicular unit grafting using the lateral technique with excellent results (see our new Lateral Slit section on the Learning Center for more info). However, a visitor to this forum would probably not realize this if they were reading posts on this forum that in many cases were started by patients paid or encouraged to post them.

 

Once again, this is not fair to the doctors who support this site or those who visit this forum.

 

Robert will be working with me and the quality physicians, both recommended on the Hair Transplant Network and who are members of the Coalition, to create a more balanced and inclusive forum.

 

Pat

[Bushy (fka jontew)]

Pat, Robert, and all:

 

I am sorry to say that I have substantial concerns about the direction in which these forums are headed. I am not here to bash or instigate, but to candidly lend my thoughts regarding the site's underpinnings.

 

I found this website while on the verge of potential disaster. Unbiased posts and pictures directed me to a first rate doctor and a fine hair transplant. I was easily able to distinguish those who were promoting or advertising from the rest, and evaluate their expressions accordingly. Frankly, I find self-promotion and puffery unprofessional and it turns me off. Those reps who crossed the line from fair and balanced posting to blatant, unsubstantiated self-aggrandizement only hurt their own doctor's cause in my eyes.

 

The very power of this website to educate and guide the public lies in its unrestricted, unbiased nature. Any and every doctor or patient on the planet Earth can post pictures and experiences here. If some choose not to, that is their own prerogative. However, the marketplace of ideas must remain free from artificial adjustments.

 

I was troubled when the no-outside-links rule went into effect, but am far more disturbed by new positions such as<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>. . . many of these top notch physicians have not gotten the attention they deserve on this forum. Instead clinics that have hired patients to work full time advocating online for them have been getting the lion's share of attention. This is simply not fair to them or the visitors on this site. . . . Robert will not only be moderating this forum and the new live chat but helping these gems in the rough physicians to get more presence on this forum.

and <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>. . . the Coalition physicians are the reason the site is here. . . . several highly skilled physicians are not getting recognition on the forums and to alleviate that, I'd like to get them more involved and showcase their work.

Call it what you will, but the day this site backs, endorses, assists, exposes, pushes, "helps" or "showcases" doctors is the very day that it loses its credibility. Had I, at the time I discovered this site, seen it as part of a "coalition" "helping" certain paying member doctors and "showcasing" their work I'd have moved on in three minutes or less.

 

What a shame.

[lorenzo]

Bushy you make alot of excellent points. Pat also make some good points as well.

 

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> However, many of these top notch physicians have not gotten the attention they deserve on this forum. Instead clinics that have hired patients to work full time advocating online for them have been getting the lion's share of attention. This is simply not fair to them or the visitors on this site.

 

I agree there are a few (not a lot) of good physicians that are unknown and deserve to get more attention. I believe that us posters and patients are about to tell the difference between a dishonest posters and an honest posters. Many of us have found this site because we are educated. In life is anything fair? If the top doctors in the world recieve praise from patients and the patients have not only posted before making a decision but showed there work, is this wrong?

 

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> However, a visitor to this forum would probably not realize this if they were reading posts on this forum that in many cases were started by patients paid or encouraged to post them.

 

Once again, this is not fair to the doctors who support this site or those who visit this forum

 

This is a very interesting point. Again I ask can you please show an example of where a patients (not one that already discloses it) has been paid to post? I think all patients should be encouraged to post its important to all new posters to get as much knowlege as possible.

I also believe that the word fairness in hair transplanation is not a good word to be used. Not all doctors are the same therefore not all doctors should recieve the same praise, paid member or not.

 

 

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Call it what you will, but the day this site backs, endorses, assists, exposes, pushes, "helps" or "showcases" doctors is the very day that it loses its credibility. Had I, at the time I discovered this site, seen it as part of a "coalition" "helping" certain paying member doctors and "showcasing" their work I'd have moved on in three minutes or less

 

I agree with this statement.

 

 

No disrespect but just my opinion where it is right or wrong.

 

Lorenzo

[Robert_]

Bushy,

 

I appreciate your concern for the site. It is very reassuring that I am not the only one that holds this forum to such high regards.

 

As for your concerns:

 

In my earlier posts, I mentioned that there are doctors that are very talented that do not get much recognition on the forums. I also said that I would be gathering before/after pictures from physicians to post on the forums for objective scrutiny by all.

 

Why am I doing this?

 

Every week I read another post from a new member asking about a different physician's credibility and results. I feel that by letting everyone take a close look at a different physician's "before/after" photographs at regular intervals and looking objectively at these results would help to broaden the scope and let everyone know the different surgical techniques being utilized by different hair transplant doctors.

 

Is this considered endorsement? I personally don't know. As a matter of fact, I personally don't care for one reason: I feel that the more a potential hair transplant patient knows of different techniques, the better. I firmly believe that to be properly equipped mentally and emotionally for this kind of surgery, a person should have realistic expectations. The more results a person sees, the more a person will know what to expect. Some people are not good candidates for this type of surgery. I feel that everyone should be properly educated from a vast amount of perspectives. It is this reasoning that makes this forum great, in my opinion.

 

That being said, as long as I've been doing research on hair replacement surgery, I've heard one mantra repeatedly:

 

Do your research!

 

This entails reading posts, looking at pictures, and talking to doctors and previous patients of doctors. Many times, this also entails a person has to research places in which to do their research (as in other websites, etc.). Don't you think we, as members, should attempt to make this process easier? I certainly do. A person new to looking into this procedure can easily be overwhelmed by the plethora of information traded on these forums and elsewhere, but even the most "green" novice can look at a picture of results and draw their own conclusion of whether they are aesthetically adequate or not.

 

Bushy, you have been a long-time poster and you are an asset to this forum. Your posts and your opinion are highly regarded by many members including myself. I simply want to assure you and every other member of these forums that my intentions are purely benevolent and for the benefit of the patient.

 

I hope this answers your questions and helps to reassure you of the forums and my personal intentions.

 

Regards,

 

-Robert

 

As forum moderator and a Patient Advocate for the Coalition I'm available to answer any questions.

 

To view animations and videos and learn about leading hair restoration physicians visit http://www.regrowhair.com/our_physicians.asp

[Brando]

I would like to personally thank Social(Forum Moderator) for doing such a wonderful job. Pat put a huge responsibility on his shoulders, and he is handling it well. He always seems to reply to everyone in need and if there's something he doesn't know or isn't educated about, he wastes no time finding out or at least trying to find out the answer. I believe Pat made a wonderful choice.

[gillenator]

Robert,

 

Congratulations on your new responsibility within this forum. I believe you do have the genuine concern for the patient(s)' well-being which you have demonstrated countless times. Those of us who know Pat and the history of HTN can clearly see that you as well are an advocate for the hairloss community. Keep up the good work!

 

There is nothing unethical about supporting physicians within the HTN or the coalition who contribute to this forum financially, as long as they are proven in the quality of their work. Any organization has overhead to meet and without that financial support this forum could have never made the strides it has in educating the patient and making good clinical referrals to proven surgeons. Now if HTN or the Coalition made referrals to doctors simply based on how much they contribute, yes that becomes unethical because it becomes entirely money driven. I have never seen Pat do this in the years I have known about him. He has and continues to invest much of the financial resources in educating the hairloss community, verses the endorsement of several physicians who display flashy advertisements.

 

There is a local news/weather radio station in my area who continually runs advertising for one of the worst HT doctors I have ever seen. His technology is 10 years behind and I have personally witnessed many of his patients in absolute disgust seeking corrective work. They refer to this doctor as the "premier" HT surgeon in the area which is the furthest from the truth. Should I then boycott the radio station because they directed me to someone who could potentially deface me for life? No, the station also broadcasts some very beneficial information that I want to hear on a daily basis.

 

You said it well. We all need to do our research and do it thoroughly. There is a wealth of information on the internet on how to qualify a good HT doctor, especially this site. So if I was a newbie, I owe it to myself to do my homework first to know what to ask and how to ask the right qualifying questions. It does not matter that my local radio station refers me to this doctor because I would know how to scrutinize him no matter who referred me to him.

 

It's the bottom line results of the procedure that count. If a good HT doctor chooses not to be part of a network or forum or even coalition, then they have the freedom just like us to reach out to the hairloss community. Do they not also enjoy freedom of speech in this great country of ours? The best wishes to you!