Google's new symptom search

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I'm confused. Don't people already search Dr Google and find information with which to diagnose themselves with exciting terminal diseases? Is this forum prepared for increased traffic? Maybe I should ask Dr Google.
 
Seriously?! No, just no!
 
Oh my gosh! After reading this forum for the past couple of weeks, I was just thinking that we need to figure out a way for google to remove ALS and twitching connections. Maybe just changing the word twitching to fasciculations might help. But this is likely to make it worse! I mean, oh my goodness, is it me or do the DIHALSers seem to be getting more abundant and persistent than ever???

Tracy
 
Yep I've been saying this a long time - the vast number of posts in our DIHALS forum are indexed by google. Therefore when someone searches on their twitches or cramps, a big chunk of old DIHALS posts turn up and they land here. They then start asking us if they too match, no matter that most of the posts there end with us saying - time to go now this is not ALS.

The fact this forum is so active (look at the stats at the bottom of the index page), means that google is likely to consider the posts in that forum as worthy of serving up - especially as so many are so suspiciously similar - to google this just adds weight to the posts there.

I think that section is our own worst enemy because it is indexed by google. That's just MHO.

The new google feature is still going to send em on here I'm sure.
 
Crap.

That is all.
 
I tried it. Put in twitching. What popped first were the benign things

I tried twitching and cramps. ALS was closer to the top but the benign things were there with a note common. ALS said very rare

I don't know how searches for these things looked before but suspect this may be an improvement. Any rational person looking at twitching would be pursuing other things. The fact that the health anxious are drawn here will not change but I do not see this making it worse
 
Nikki, thank you for checking and being our voice of calm and reason!!
 
I suggested once that people who have been told "possible ALS" be in a different part of the forum than DIHALS. It was probably rightly said that to be fair to everyone that was not possible. I have had some health anxiety in my life, but what I see here STILL amazes me. I think a big YES on the fine new Google feature increasing traffic, but I also think the mods can cope and cope well :)
 
I think most members have no idea just how much our mods are doing in the background every single day, while coping with their own ALS lives ...

THANKS MODS :)
 
And a particularly huge thanks to the mods who have to mop up the spam attack this evening - hundreds of posts within minutes ... multiple users ... only one I think with pics that big Mark will be sad to have missed ;)
 
You do, huh? ;^)

Sounds like a volunteer to me ....

Next Thursday the 30th should tell the tale of if I am here as a CALS or not, still hoping against hope NOT but hey regardless anytime this Forum wants or needs my help count me IN. I have known two people now with ALS and we are still barely past where we were in 1939 for treatment options. Just getting a Dx is like being roasted over an open fire.

People are amazing here!
 
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