OBGYN.net: The Universe of Women's Health

Copenhagen, A Week To Remember Part II

Hello Friends,

Those of you who read last week's Ramblings may remember I left you on the way to the Bella Center on the first day of the FIGO Conference.

If you want you can go back now and start with Part I

Bruce left early for the Bella Center to check on our connectivity. Mark and I were scheduled to arrive at 1:00, in plenty of time to be ready for what we all predicted to be a slow first day. At 11:00 the phone rang in my room. It was Bruce. "Get Mark, grab a cab, and get down here", he said. The attendees were prematurely swarming the gate, and making a beeline for the Zeneca booth and OBGYN.net!

From Sunday, to the last hour, of the last day on Friday, we had a constant stream of visitors to the booth to try out the Internet and OBGYN.net. Of all the people that came by I would estimate that about 20% were already familiar with OBGYN.net and were part of about 50% who were already using the Internet or at least email. Of the remaining 50% there was only a very few that showed resistance or no interest at all. The rest were all eager to utilize this new tool and learn more. We had some doctors come back several times during the week to learn as much as possible.

It was very intriguing to meet people from so many different cultures that were all bound together by both their professional ties but now also by their Internet connections.

At one point I was standing in the booth when a striking looking Indian woman approached Bruce. I overheard her asking him if Roberta was here. Dr. Sita Bhateja came up to me and told me that she was a regular visitor to OBGYN.net and read my Ramblings every week (and she still liked me, remarkable!). It was wonderful to feel so connected to someone from the other side of the planet. So, of course we had to have our picture taken together. I am the one not wearing the sari or the gorgeous diamond earrings (too bad)!

The funny part of the story is that later in the week an Indian woman came back twice to learn the Internet. She had never used it before and wanted to know how to get online. I felt pretty useless at helping her and thought that I wasn't going to be able to help her from so far away, with her not even being online yet. Then a thought came to mind. I asked her if she knew Sita. It turned out they were the only two at the conference from the same hospital in Bangalore. So I told her to call her when she got back home and have Sita mentor her on the Net. What a small Internet world!

Dr. Hans had two things on his mind at the beginning of the week. First getting the FIGO Board to look at the prototype of the web site we wanted to donate and host for them, and second to effectively deliver his presentation of OBGYN.net on Tuesday.

Tuesday morning we had our Zeneca hosted OBGYN.net Breakfast. It was 7 AM to 9AM so some of our OBGYN.netters were sleeping in, but we still had a good turn out and a chance to discuss old and new ideas. I was proud to be looking down the table at some pretty brilliant people.

One thing that was on every ones mind was the idea of starting a new association for Internet in Obstetrics and Gynecology. The general consensus seemed to be that those interested in standards issues should explore opportunities to work within existing working groups in FIGO, SIM and the Society for Computers in Obstetrics and Gynecology. If that is not effective or possible then they should consider starting a group of their own next spring. The idea of starting The International Society for Internet in Gynaecology and Obstetrics is therefore being revisited in the first of 1998.

Two new ideas for OBGYN.net were discussed which included a Mentoring Program on OBGYN.net and a Friends and Connections Program where local people can offer to host, or act as the guide, for others visiting their city for conferences. The Endometriosis ZONE was discussed with the Zeneca folks and an excellent Danish breakfast was consumed by all.

That Tuesday afternoon, Hans delivered his speech flawlessly to a room of about 100 people. It was wonderful. I was sitting with my dear friend and mentor. Dr. Ingemar Joelsson. Hans began by saying that the very first example of the power of OBGYN.net is that although he co-authored the paper with Geffrey Klein, MD; he had only ever met him on the Internet. He stayed very focused on OBGYN.net as a communication tool. This was an excellent strategy as OBGYN.net is really too vast to cover easily in a brief lecture. Communication is the key ingredient. The audience responded positively and several questions were asked. Hans later said he could see everyone in the audience scribbling down the URL. :-) All through his talk I kept thinking, this really can't be happening. But it was, and more good things were yet to come that fabulous week...

Next week I'll finish off my story with: Friends and Fun, Wheeling and Dealing at FIGO 97. We forged new relationships, closed new deals and consummated ones we had been working on for a LONG time!

Roberta

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If you have any interesting news, ideas, or questions you would like to share please drop me a line at roberta.speyer@obgyn.net.

8/20/97

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