Though blogs, or web logs, have been around for years — sometimes it seems like everyone has a blog –  the vast majority of Internet users have only a glancing knowledge of them. We thought it would be a good idea to explain, clearly and simply, what The Bridge blog is, who it is for, how to get around, how to use its features and how to participate.

The Bridge is a blog about medical travel and tourism, written and edited by experienced professionals. It is sponsored by BridgeHealth International, a medical travel company that provides services both to consumers looking to travel abroad for high-quality, lower-cost medical, health and dental care; and to businesses that seek to provide such services for employees or customers. BridgeHealth International has a web site, obviously. But it sponsors The Bridge as an information and discussion center that is less formal, more interactive and more flexible and current than its more focused corporate web site sibling.

Who is The Bridge for?

The Bridge is a blog for anyone with an interest in medical travel and the global availability of medical services for consumers and for businesses. In the left column, note our categories. They are general headings or sections for the articles that appear on the blog. There will be some overlap. In general, if a blog post or article fits in more than one category, it will be cross-filed so that readers are better able to find relevany information by browsing through the categories.

How do I navigate The Bridge?

The most recent five blog posts appear on the front page. Some longer articles are not complete on the front page; readers should click on “Read the rest of this entry” to go to the complete article. Older articles can be found by subject (browsing categories in the left hand column) or by date (browing the archives, underneath categories.) Readers can also search the full contents of The Bridge via the the box in the upper right on every page.

“Recent Posts,” on the right side displays the headlines of the five most recent articles, linked to the complete articles. The “Recent Comments” box lists the five most recent comments on articles and gives the author of each comment.

The News Ticker is updated in real time as a service of Google News, with five recent stories about medical travel from around the world. Clicking on a story will open it in a new tab in your browser. To return to The Bridge, simply select its tab in your browser.

“Top Links” are a list of sites chosen by the editor of The Bridge for the quality of information they provide about medical travel. They are not advertisers.

The Currency Converter at the bottom of the right column is provided as a convenience for readers. Exchange rates come from Yahoo Finance.

RSS Feeds and Social Networking

At the bottom of each post are links to some of the most popular social networking and bookmarking sites. If you are a subscriber to them, you can add The Bridge to your site or page by clicking on them. If you are unfamiliar with social bookmarking and wish to learn more, see this link at Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_bookmarking

RSS Feed links for The Bridge are at the bottom of the left column. These are links that readers can use to offer content from The Bridge on their own blogs, profiles or other web pages. We will add to and update these options as time goes on.

Registering and Subscribing to The Bridge

If you wish to participate fully in our discussions, customize an e-mail subscription to The Bridge or manage your own personal profile, you must be a subscribed and registered user. Click the “Subscribe” tab at the top of any page. You’ll be asked for your e-mail address and to select a user name. A password will be sent to you, allowing you to log in using the box near the top in the right hand column. Once logged in, that same box will show your user name and give you additional options.

The Bridge will never give out your e-mail address and you may unsubscribe at any time. Users control their own privacy.

Article Comments

Registered users may view comments on any article by clicking on “Comments” below that article. Registered users who are logged in may add their own comments on the comments page for any article. Registered users can choose to be notified of responses to any comments they may have.
All comments are subject to moderation as of May 15, 2008, which means that they must be approved by a moderator before they will appear on the site. We will try to moderate the blog in real time, but are not staffed 24/7. We hope to relax moderation for registered users as conversations and time goes on.

Unregistered users can also leave comments but they will always be subject to moderation.

Spam comments and comments of an overtly commercial nature are banned, at the discretion of the moderator.

Article Authors

We welcome article submissions from the public and from medical professionals and businesspeople with an involvement or interest in medical travel and tourism. Please submit queries to the moderator using the “Contact” link in the navigation at the top of any page.

Happy blogging, and I look forward to meeting you on The Bridge!

Jeff Schult, moderator and editor
May 10, 2008

Registered subscribers of The Bridge can receive notification via email when the blog is updated. They can also customize the content and format of the emails they choose to receive and opt to be alerted if someone responds to a comment they have made. Registered users can update their own profile information and choose what to allow The Bridge as we add more interactive features.

Registration requires only that you choose a username and have a working e-mail address. A password will be e-mailed to you. Registered users will also retain the ability to post comments after an initial period of time in which we will accept comments from anyone. Registered subscribers may also qualify for special offers or discounts from time to time.

• Registration Page
• Existing User Login Page

• Existing User Profile Page
• Existing users: Manage Subscriptions

You can also choose to be notified via e-mail when there is a new post on The Bridge without becoming a registered subscriber, by joining the mailing list below: (Form will not display if you are already logged in as a registered user.)

Subscribers to this notification e-mail cannot customize format or content. We promise to keep notification messages short. You will receive a verification e-mail and can unsubscribe at any time using the form above.