A pioneer in social networking, the American Cancer Society realizes that Web 2.0 tools are just high-tech ways to continue what it's been doing for a hundred years — building and interacting with a community of constituents united against cancer.

By Abny Santicola

ACS also recently unveiled Circle Of Sharing (cancer.org/circleofsharing), a social Web application designed to help cancer patients, their families and their friends better coordinate support and cancer information as they move through treatment and beyond. The application enables users to share reliable medical information and resources from the American Cancer Society with a trusted circle of caregivers, family and friends for a more holistic approach to managing their disease. Patients can organize and access critical details about their diagnosis, medications, other treatments and side effects in a secure online location, making it easier to keep track of this information and share it with health care providers as they move through the different phases of treatment. In addition, as people record the details of their health, Circle Of Sharing personalizes articles it displays to match their situations and help them manage their care and prepare for what lies ahead. Patients can then share these articles with members of their circles. The tool also allows patients and loved ones to send messages to one another to share support and pertinent information.