# 4270
January 20th marks my fourth blogiversary at Avian Flu Diary, and it is no exaggeration that this blog has opened doors and taken me in directions that I could scarcely have imagined in the winter of 2006.
The fact is, I never expected anyone to read this blog. I created it for myself, and a few friends and family members, and went nearly a year without putting a site meter on it. During that first year I never promoted its existence, and figured no one would ever find it.
I was wrong. People did find it, and some became regular readers.
And while it is my name on these essays, in truth this blog comes about through the combined efforts of scores people from all around the world. Without their input, I'd have run out of things to write years ago.
Atop my list of people who deserve credit are the other flu bloggers, all of whom I am pleased to call friends, advisors, and colleagues. While there may be competition and rivalries in other arenas, I’m happy to say we are about a collegial a bunch as you are likely to find.
Crof at H5N1 Crofsblog was one of the first, and arguably remains one of the best, flu bloggers around. Just about everything I think I know about blogging, I unabashedly stole from Crof.
Thanks Crof, you've been a great teacher.
The Reveres over at Effect Measure have been very supportive of this blogger, as well. Suffering in silence, no doubt, as I've clumsily attempted to explain the science behind influenza.
Whatever I got right, I owe to the Reveres. Whatever I got wrong, is on me alone.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention Vincent Racaniello, who pens the always excellent Virology Blog and produces one of the finest science podcasts on the internet; TWiV. I’m learning more about virology than this old medic ever expected to, courtesy of his blogs and podcasts.
SophiaZoe, editor of A Pandemic Chronicle, was one of my earliest flubie friends. I've been lucky enough to meet up with her and her husband on several occasions over the years and look forward to our next encounter.
I taught her (and a handful of others) how to suture one night at a party a couple of years ago (we practiced on a large, deveined shrimp), and once, in a weak moment, I even let her practice starting an IV on me.
Being an ex-cop and an excellent shot, she hit my antecubital vein on the first try.
Now you know what flubies do when they party!
Trying to figure out where to mention Maryn Mckenna in all of this is a little difficult, as she is obviously a Renaissance woman. Author, journalist, blogger, pilot . . . .
She and I first `met' via a phone call in early 2007. Maryn was working on an article for CIDRAP on grassroots initiatives for pandemic planners.
I don't remember exactly what we talked about for 40 minutes, but I remember we laughed a lot.
Her Superbug blog serves as a whiteboard for her upcoming book on MRSA, which I’m eagerly awaiting to read. Maryn is an award winning author, with her non-fiction book Beating Back The Devil winning much praise.
Another blogger I've had the great fortune to meet, and work with, is DemFromCt, editor of the Flu Wiki and a blogger on the Daily Kos.
Dem and I have worked together on four projects so far; The 2007 HHS Pandemic Leadership Blog, the 2008 and 2009 HHS Pandemic Tabletop Exercises, and are both contributors to GetPandemicReady.Org.
And then there’s Indigo Girl at allnurses.com who has been synopsizing pandemic/bird flu news and blogs for well over three years on that site. And along the way, she has also been a trusted friend and an invaluable advisor to this humble blogger.
That’s a hard combination to beat.
Another terrific friend (and unindicted co-conspirator) is Scott McPherson, whose day job is as CIO (Chief Information Officer) for the Florida House of Representatives. Scott doesn't blog as much as his readers would like, but when he does, it’s always a treat.
Scott, Indigo, and I terrorized CIDRAPs H1N1 summit last September, and had a terrific time doing it.
While not flu-centric, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Jimmy Jazz’s Break Glass, John Solomon’s In Case of Emergency, and Caroldn’s 2Resilience , along with two science blogs that I learn a lot from; Tara Smith’s Aetiology and Professor Ian York’s Mystery Rays From Outer Space.
As you can see, as a flu blogger, I find myself in excellent company. And I’m very appreciative of that fact.
Each day I rely upon the newshounds on the flu forums to dig up, and translate, news items from all around the world. They not only find these tidbits of information, they often provide analysis as well.
Trying to name all of the newshounds is pure folly, of course. No matter how diligent I am in recounting their names, I'll miss a few. Still, a partial list is better than no list at all. With apologies to anyone I left out, my thanks go to:
Dutchy, Ironorehopper,Treyfish, Commonground, Florida1 (Sharon Sanders), DemFromCt, SusanC, Kobie, Carol@SC, Pixie, mojo, bgw in MT, Readymom, pugmom, Frenchiegirl, AlohaOr, UK-Bird, Rick, Canada Sue, Mosaic, Cottontop, Influentia2, Mojo, Michelle in OK, Mary In Hawaii, dbg, flubergasted, Laidback Al, Alaska Denise, Siam, InKy, History Lover . . .
Ida at The Bird Flu Information Corner is another terrific resource that I go to often, along with AIDigest.
For more information on the work that the newshounds do, check out Newshounds: They Cover The Pandemic Front.
I, of course, get a good deal of my information from professional journalists as well. Some of whom I've been fortunate enough to meet along the way.
Writing about influenza, or pandemic issues, is a specialized field and it demands more than just being able to write using the 5 W's (and one H)(Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How) of journalism.
A solid understanding of the background science is a must, as is having a Rolodex (ok, showing my age . . . a PDA) filled with contacts in the scientific community.
Some of the names who stand out in this field are Helen Branswell of the Canadian Press, Maggie Fox of Reuters, Maryn McKenna of CIDRAP , Jason Gale of Bloomberg, Lisa Schnirring and Robert Roos of CIDRAP , Patrick Thibodeau of ComputerWorld, Robin McDowell of the AP, and Emmy Fitri of the Jakarta Post.
I know, when I find an article by any of these writers, that it will be well written and impeccably researched.
I was also fortunate to meet and work with professionals such as Joel Kramer of Minnpost.com , Amy Burkholder of CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, Betsy McKay of the Wall Street Journal, and chief science correspondent of NBC news Robert Bazell.
And of course, fellow Kathleen High Jr High school alumni Forrest Sawyer at the HHS table top exercises.
I owe a special debt of thanks to Sharon Sanders, aka Florida1, editor of Flutrackers. She has not only been a valued friend and advisor, she has archived hundreds of my blogs on their site. It is a rare day when we don't communicate by email, chat, or Skype. Thanks, Sharon.
The list of others, to whom I owe much, is long. I can't mention them all, of course. But some others would include:
Stephanie Marshall, Andrew P. Wilson and others at the HHS and CDC, who believed in the new media of the Internet enough to invite wildcard flu bloggers, like myself (and others), to participate in several HHS events over the years.
A special thanks to Dr. Bruce Gellin who was very generous with his time on my last trip to Washington.
The staff (Lisa, Robert, Maryn, and Nick) at CIDRAP (Center For Infectious Disease Research & Policy), and their director Michael T. Osterholm, who have extended tremendous friendship and support to this blogger.
Dr. Michael Greger, whose book Bird Flu: A Virus of our own hatching is a must read, and whose lecture on bird flu hits the nail on the head. Much of what I know about bird flu, I learned from Dr. Greger.
A special thanks to my friend from the UK, chacal and his wonderful family. And there's Sally, and Seazar, Snick, Ghostrider, Bluesky, and Old Red Wolf, Blitzen, and Corky (and their families). Flubies and friends, alike.
I also owe much to flu forums (and their members) out there, as well.
The two I frequent are Flu Wiki, Flutrackers. Each has their own style and personality, and in many cases, members belong both forums.
The list becomes long, and probably tedious, but I have to thank people like Karen, and SusanC of Readymoms. And Mel Johnson, and the rest of the volunteers who worked on GetPandemicReady.Org.
And there are the readers of this blog, who for some strange reason, keep coming back. I am truly humbled when I look at the list of visitors to this site. Thank you.
Many of you have taken the time to write me, as well. PhytoSleuth, AnnieRN, Rolf, Anne, Graeme, TomDMV, Gary The Fire Dude, Bonnie, Paul, Joel . . . and many others.
Every visit is appreciated, as are the emails.
Even the ones with suggestions with what I can do with my blog.
While I've no doubt left out many of the people who have helped me, and this blog, along the way . . . I think I've made the point.
No blogger is an island.
I've been very lucky to have stumbled upon a unique universe of bright, dedicated, and quite frankly . . . unusually nice people . . . who inhabit this place called flublogia.
The subject matter may sometimes be grim, but the people involved are truly remarkable.
And so, whatever I give to this blog pales in comparison to what I get out of it.
As I begin my fifth year of blogging here at AFD, my best wishes go out to everyone who has helped along the way.
* * * * * * * * *
A couple of postscripts . . .
My blogging schedule has been a bit light the last 6 weeks due to the demands on my time in the aftermath of a car wreck that my sister and father were involved in.
After nearly 6 weeks of hospital and rehab, they are home and recovering. But neither are particularly ambulatory, and until they are, I’m the designated chauffeur and medical advocate.
Secondly, I’d like to remind my readers – in a bit of shameless self promotion – of my other blog, Master of My Public Domain which I began about 16 months ago. This gets about as far away from influenza and virology as is possible.
If your tastes run to (mostly) old movies, classic (1940’s and 1950’s mostly) TV shows, OTR (Old Time Radio) shows, 1920’s Hot Jazz, or 1930s and 1940s Big Bands, or other eclectic blasts from the past . . . then you may find a lot to enjoy on this blog.
You’ll find download links for freely available or public domain shows along with some (hopefully) entertaining and informative commentary.
Take a look sometime.
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