Most health information is just totally boring
As I work on the Deepest Health redesign, but also my (our) clinic I am occasionally paralyzed. This mostly has to do with one unavoidable fact. The vast, vast, vast majority of information out there about health, wellness, Chinese medicine and the rest, regardless of intended audience, is unbelievably boring. One of my least favorite posts is the, "This is what Chinese medicine thinks about the Spring season" type of post.
3 comments
Scholarly work shouldn't be for your patients (though you shouldn't necessarily sacrifice accuracy because of this). Scholarly work should be for those of us who share your understanding (or some it! ;)) for acupuncture. Who are you writing for when you write?
Well, obviously audience is important. My point is that the VAST majority of the material I read (for patients or for scholars) is boring. I'm very clear who I'm writing for, and when, but the boringness is certainly a possibility regardless. Even on Deepest Health, the more scholarly posts are not written in a way that is compelling... not to say this is true of ALL my writing on DH, some of it is fine... but particularly when I'm addressing a concept I'm interested in, I tend to wonk out a little too much, and those posts get almost no commenting, no traffic... it's like talking into an empty room. On the other hand, there have been a few posts when I've been brave, let my voice come forth, really worked to make sure the information is compelling and relevant, and those posts always do well and provoke good conversation.
I simply think that the same old tired, "Hey, it's Spring, that's about the Liver! And it's about getting going! And hey! Sometimes people get angry in the Spring, isn't that weird? Wow!" is just... tired. :) I'm bored to death with it.
And the same is true of stuff for patients. YES of course, you have to explain everything - but that's no excuse for bad writing, rehashing the same old concepts, etc...
:D
I'm fired up.
It must be spring!
e
I think that the fu zi articles (I'm picking on them because I just re read them) were more text book like than art like--if that makes sense. It kept me more at a distance. It wasn't that I wasn't interested in the information--it was great information. It was all there in one place. But it was more like a lecture than sitting around with a group of friends having a drink and talking about theory. I had less to contribute as my level of understanding wasn't at the level of the text book writer so I took it in without offering a discussion. I think the ones that get you a lot of comments ask directly for commentary and they are also less researched and so less intimidating if you have another point of view. I mean in those I can say, but I learned and what do you think of... whereas with all that information it starts feeling like I am going to have to go back and look up sources before I can comment--even if you invite me.
Did that make any sense?
But I will leave you with one thing: In my photography classes one thing that the instructor really pushes is that to be a good photographer you need to bring something unique. What is your unique perspective on the world? How did you see this scene differently from everyone else? The better I can stay true to that question, the better my photos will be. So, in those articles that get lots of comments are you bringing your unique perspective of acupuncture and healing to the article? Are you doing that with the ones that aren't commented on? Could that be the difference?