New Website!!!

Crohn's Disease Forum

Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:

Joined
Sep 17, 2008
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I started a new website/blog located at http://www.gihelp.com

For those who are looking for hope and answers to alternatives for crohn's, ulcerative colitis, proctitis, irritable bowel syndrome (ibs), and inflammable bowel disease (ibd).

I would love some feedback from people in this forum.

Thank you,
George Akel (Founder, gihelp.com)
 
Gihelp

I personally feel it was inappropriate of you to embed a link to your website here in our forum without asking permission and getting the consent of the members. I have looked at your site, and I find no flaws with it (at this specific point in time)... BUT I'm adverse to anyone proclaiming to hold forth 'expert' info on these topics without the credentials to back up those claims. None of us in the forum put forth ourselves as being expert in anything other than our own particular cases. As a result, this forum has garnered a strong membership and a highly valued reputation as being warm, welcoming, AND informative without being 'authoritive'. I see a distinct difference... but thats just my 2 cents worth.
 
I don't have a problem with people sharing their links to their sites, I think freedom of information is healthy. We should examine various sources and come to our own conclusions. That being said, this would be different than someone coming here and responding to every post simply to promote their blog. That would be annoying, so please continue to use the forum and just use the blog link in your signature.

Thanks for creating a blog about IBD.
 
Kev said:
Gihelp

I personally feel it was inappropriate of you to embed a link to your website here in our forum without asking permission and getting the consent of the members. I have looked at your site, and I find no flaws with it (at this specific point in time)... BUT I'm adverse to anyone proclaiming to hold forth 'expert' info on these topics without the credentials to back up those claims. None of us in the forum put forth ourselves as being expert in anything other than our own particular cases. As a result, this forum has garnered a strong membership and a highly valued reputation as being warm, welcoming, AND informative without being 'authoritive'. I see a distinct difference... but thats just my 2 cents worth.


i agree. i did not think about it in that sense. i just thought that posting the link would help others, but also inform members that there is a new site that could possibly help them out as well. by no means am i an expert. i basically include articles and videos that i find interesting and relating to the theme of the blog. i also include things that have personally helped me out with my problem. i've had proctitis since 2005.
 
hippie4lyfe said:
I don't have a problem with people sharing their links to their sites, I think freedom of information is healthy. We should examine various sources and come to our own conclusions. That being said, this would be different than someone coming here and responding to every post simply to promote their blog. That would be annoying, so please continue to use the forum and just use the blog link in your signature.

Thanks for creating a blog about IBD.

thank you. that's what i planned on doing.
 
kimberlie said:
hippie, this person has ONLY come on here to promote if I am not mistaken. I agree with you kev. This should not become a forum of free advertising.

there are 2 reasons why i joined this forum. one reason is to read other people's stories to see how they cope with their problem and the second was to inform others about the website i created. i guess you could call it free advertising, but i only posted one thread about it. i didn't spam it like most people do. also, google hasn't picked up the site in the search results, so this was the next best thing to do to let people know that there are resources out there. what good is a website if nobody knows about it? also, next time i get a chance, i would like to create a links area on my page that has other resources listed such as this forum.
 
I agree with Kim and Kev. New members shouln't be using this forum as a link to there own new forum. Run your forum on a google search engine and come to this forum to be a part of THIS forum.
 
kimberlie said:
I am sure you believe in what you are doing, and it may be a wonderful thing. But most of us on here felt it was important to get to know each other, inform, and support each other. I dont care about google. And maybe your intentions are good. But if you read all the posts, there is alot of research on here. People on here are using there resources. Alot of people use this forum as a way of coping. Did you help anyone cope besides giving them another website to look at? Just curious.

hmm.. i still battle proctitis to this day. if someone gave me a website for help or to help cope with things, i would definitely check it out. it might give me some inspiration or tips to help with my problem.
 
ladyB said:
I agree with Kim and Kev. New members shouln't be using this forum as a link to there own new forum. Run your forum on a google search engine and come to this forum to be a part of THIS forum.

it's not a forum. it's a blog. use it if you like. i'm not saying you have to visit. it's just thrown out there if you want to take a look. :)
 
I agree with Kimberlie, we help each other here. Having someone read your blog isn't giving them support just your opinions, which is fine but it is nice when you can get other peoples views on topics, and support from people who might be going through the samething as you. If you have a question you might get ten twenty different solutions, you can't get that from a blog.
 
I don't know, I think if someone has a site they feel is beneficial for people with IBD, where better a place than to try to get some hits than this site?

That's why I think one post about it is no problem, and a signature about it is cool.

GiHelp this is a wonderful community, I do hope you get involved, to learn more for yourself and for others who you seem to want to help.
 
Maybe if it was done differently like here's my story and oh by the way I have been keeping a blog if you want to check it out here it is, but in the beginning he just talked about his blog. I guess people just get on the defense because of others who have posted on this site
 
yeah, we get grumpy about that.

but hi anyways! sorry to hear your pooper doesnt work so well either!
 
kimberlie said:
gihelp, i feel bad for the pain you are going through with what you have. But we have all eased into this forum, . It is a very kind and understanding place. I will not go further why I feel you came across as a salesman, I think you know. If you truly want to be involved with this forum, get to know the good people. If you are selling your own space, well, go on.

thanks kim. :)
 
hippie4lyfe said:
I don't know, I think if someone has a site they feel is beneficial for people with IBD, where better a place than to try to get some hits than this site?

That's why I think one post about it is no problem, and a signature about it is cool.

GiHelp this is a wonderful community, I do hope you get involved, to learn more for yourself and for others who you seem to want to help.

thanks hippie. i look forward to reading and learning some new things about what we all face.
 
mommy1st said:
Maybe if it was done differently like here's my story and oh by the way I have been keeping a blog if you want to check it out here it is, but in the beginning he just talked about his blog. I guess people just get on the defense because of others who have posted on this site

i understand where you are coming from.
 
I haven't visited your website, but the name of the site alone, "gihelp", sounds like you're trying to play doctor. That being said, there is a place on this forum for Sites Suggestions/Questions/Announcements, perhaps you should have placed your information there.
 
Welcome to the site, sorry your tummy has the rumblies.
We just don't know you yet and aren't into what sounded like a sales pitch.
 
i agree the name is a little odd, i mean do you have credentials? i have crohn's as does everyone else here and we all bring a little peice of info and love to the table but I don't think any of us here claim to be experts or know exactly how to help, we suggest, and we support as we know how.
 
hippie4lyfe said:
i agree the name is a little odd, i mean do you have credentials? i have crohn's as does everyone else here and we all bring a little peice of info and love to the table but I don't think any of us here claim to be experts or know exactly how to help, we suggest, and we support as we know how.

no expert here. i just named the site that because it is easy to remember and it's supposed to provide insight and guidance for those who are new to crohn's, ulcerative colitis, proctitis, ibs, ibd, etc. i don't have any credentials.
 
Yeah.. I may have come across a little heavy handed.. but I sort of see all of the young folks who come to our site as my unofficial 'foster' children, and I'm one very over protective parent.. and I make no apologies for that. The 'adults' on here.. well, they're big enuff to watch out for themselves.. but the children? thats when I jump in with both feet.. and make sure anyone who possibly might not be on the up N up knows upfront that we watch out for our kids here.. and each other. Anyway, welcome, and tell us about your battles.
 
i don't really see a problem with what he's trying to do. there are lots of people i'm sure that come onto this site but don't actively participate with the online community here. I mean, if I found a site (or made one) that tried to help people like me on here, I would hope I wouldn't hesitate to throw it on here because people think there's something fishy with it.

The more information, the better. I'd rather have more information that I could decide for myself was beneficial than no option of deciding for myself at all.
 
I see a problem with it when the main page is plastered with adware and things of the likes, I found this forum shortly ago to have a venue to share my life and crohn's, in my life. Then now we have Trolls running through saying hey come this way, the information is here!!!!

I have a slight dis-taste with that mentallity, I have my own blog I write on and never once share it here....

....because it is not ABOUT ME, it is about US.......


We are dealing with this, we are effected by this, we are the ones that suffer. Then we look to each-other for support and then we get people who have no clue what its like to run to the bathroom 20 times in 3 hours, telling me he has understanding of my situation???

WTF? Seriously.....Strike a NERVE!!!!

unless you have, or deal with someone who lives the sword of crohn's, IBS or the likes, don't offer me a single thing of information, the only information you have is freaking BS.......
 
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theability said:
I see a problem with it when the main page is plastered with adware and things of the likes, I found this forum shortly ago to have a venue to share my life and crohn's, in my life. Then now we have Trolls running through saying hey come this way, the information is here!!!!

I have a slight dis-taste with that mentallity, I have my own blog I write on and never once share it here....

....because it is not ABOUT ME, it is about US.......


We are dealing with this, we are effected by this, we are the ones that suffer. Then we look to each-other for support and then we get people who have no clue what its like to run to the bathroom 20 times in 3 hours, telling me he has understanding of my situation???

WTF? Seriously.....Strike a NERVE!!!!

unless you have, or deal with someone who lives the sword of crohn's, IBS or the likes, don't offer me a single thing of information, the only information you have is freaking BS.......

i find this amusing because if you know how to read, then you would've known that i have proctitis. and YES, i do know how it is to run to the bathroom constantly. matter of fact it was part of the reason why i lost my last job.

i bet you feel dumb now. know your facts before you speak. also, the website doesn't have adware. it goes to show you how much you know about the internet as well.
 
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hippie4lyfe said:
I don't have a problem with people sharing their links to their sites, I think freedom of information is healthy. We should examine various sources and come to our own conclusions. That being said, this would be different than someone coming here and responding to every post simply to promote their blog. That would be annoying, so please continue to use the forum and just use the blog link in your signature.

Thanks for creating a blog about IBD.

Hippie - framing it as a "freedom of information" issues is misrepresenting what's really a marketing attempt.

I agree that it is an inappropriate promotion of gihelp's own web site.
 
gihelp said:
i find this amusing because if you know how to read, then you would've known that i have proctitis. and YES, i do know how it is to run to the bathroom constantly. matter of fact it was part of the reason why i lost my last job.

i bet you feel dumb now. know your facts before you speak. also, the website doesn't have adware. it goes to show you how much you know about the internet as well.

The last guy who came around here advertising then attacking members of the community got his ass thoroughly handed to him then banned.

Just saying.
 
I did that on purpose, just to see the reaction of you, and look at how you attack me, acting like your some-kind of savior and in fact your a troll in wolves clothing.....

I think you have been outted.......I love being the pawn....


Again proctitis, effecting the LAST SIX inches of the rectum, wow, I have crohn's in my mouth, my esophagus, small intestines and Colon.

And you still think you can say that I don't have a clue......

Next you have ADWARE BY GOOGLE on the eright hand side of the main page,

and last for insulting me vigorusouly on here I'll make sure that there is enough meta-tags out there about your-in-ept to sour the day.

I need an ignore key for this jack-ass......
 
I am against advertising on here... but geez you guys! Who are we to tell someone that their disease isn't as bad as ours? Who are we to judge him and say he doesn't suffer enough to be a part of this group? Thats very wrong I think. Would you ever go and tell a cancer patient that their disease isn't anything to worry about because they don't know what its like to run to the bathroom 20 times a day in 3 hours? No... I don't think you would. Everybody on here has their own level of pain and suffering, your may be higher or lower than mine... but it affects us all the same.

The emotional pain is something that can't be overlooked. I would have thought that after dealing with Crohn's Disease for a while, you would understand this and understand compassion for others suffering or in pain, but apparently not.

Yes he advertised his site here... he made a mistake and he knows that now. But attacking him as a person and telling him he doesn't know what suffering is like is completely wrong.

People can be so callous sometimes. I'm not trying to stick up for his actions I'm just trying to defend another fellow person suffering in this world of some form of IBD/IBS... I would say proctitis counts.
 
Katie I would agree with you if two things didn't happen first...

1.) The Advertising of the website came first. (selfishness)

2.) Anyone who thinks they can use a forum to insult defame of otherwise misdirect the content of such medium for the majority of the users, which is support from eachother!

All this guy wants is misdirection, and this is what hew is accomplishing. If it had to do with Proctitis it always would have been about that first, not what he can get from us, misdirect us, insult us and do to us at anytime.

AS he stated
"By no means am I an expert. I basically include articles and videos that I find interesting and relating to the theme of the blog. I also include things that have personally helped me out with my problem. I've had proctitis since 2005.

Funny I thought that we shared what helps out for each of us here on this site, not every single on of us coming here promoting our own sites of misdirection and insult those that don't agree with the NON-EXPERTS.......

Still loads of bs in my book.....if he had been here with the proctitis first and acted in this manner I'd given a benefit of the doubt, but, it was all advertising to begin with.

Plus is you do any research the asshole has done this in every major IBS CROHNS and the like forum I can find, sick sick sick way to advertise........
 
I really don't want to involve myself in this, but this forum has "Google ads" at the top of it too (some can't even spell "CROHN'S" correctly!), what's the difference?

Area of affliction may or may not dictate the severity of suffering. Rectal inflammation is exactly why urgency is my biggest issue, urgency is usually governed by problems in the rectum.

I'm nuetral in this, but what I just saw was someone provoke someone, then that someone provoked back, and now both people seem to be acting like they did no wrong. I saw two provocations, neither would be "innocent". I don't see someone who became offended as "a troll in wolf's clothing"....they were offended, and took offense, just like any other human would. If you "did that on purpose to see a reaction" then how does that "unmask" someone as a troll or bad person, they were insulted just like anybody would be, right?

Let's all calm down, I don't see this guy's blog as making him money, he's sharing info, but perhaps he used the wrong method of introduction for it (and belittled another member after being insulted, be that as it may, insulting back is no better). What's he advertising? Is my avatar advertising MacGyver? What about Drew with his website in his signiture? What about Dan with his links to his friends band? What about Hippie posting his new found use for a certain supplement? Where does "advertising" end, and sharing info begin?

I think people are jumping the gun.
 
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sorry to be late to this thread..

it seems it has got a little heated in here, which is a shame. as mentioned above, we've had enough of that kind of battle going on in another recent thread to last us a long time, and this is a very gentle, caring and supportive forum - not one we log into to see who has won the latest argument.

ok.. that said.. here is my opinion: i think gihelp did a double blunder - firstly with his username. i apologise gi, but yeah that name does insinuate that you are, or have inside information from, a GI - a specialist. secondly, i absolutely agree with previous statements in here that coming straight in with "New Website" and purely seeming to join just to promote that, is also a bit annoying, to say the least.

HOWEVER - i believe you are a genuine sufferer of proctitis, which i am sure is not a pleasant condition to live with at all, and that you have spent a lot of hours and effort seeking out information for yourself, which you now want to share with others. that is commendable. sooooo... i guess maybe a lesson to be learned for all of us, and new members too, is that IF we think we have found something which could help our fellow members, we should mention it.. and see if anyone wants further information, but not just jump straight in promoting it.

we welcome new members with open arms, and i'd like to think that anyone who suffers with any form of IBD feels they can come here and give/receive friendship & support.

and i end my sermon (lol) with a welcome to gihelp - i hope you stick around and become part of the group, & prove that you didn't just come here to promote your own website.
 
wow I seem to have come to a peer site that would rather support someone who runs around all sites promoting his nee website....you can have him


this isn't the only forum with crohns issues...I think maybe its time to find one that actually supports the people involved.


later.....have the advertiser....
 
how bout some group hugs, lockage and movin on?

stick around theability, this is no biggie.
 
It may not be the only Crohn's site - but it sure is the BEST one!!
Remember that tone of voice can't be heard in writing.
Someone here pissed me off too, I just ignored them for a while and then got over it.
 
well said Jed!

theability - this is most supporting and caring forum i have ever had the pleasure to find.. no kidding. & there is no question of us supporting spammers/advertisers - we have a strict policy on that issue, and a lot of heavy modding goes on behind the scenes to remove such users.
 
That's not the issue here... I'm not supporting him whatsoever.

I just think that if he is suffering from proctitis there's no reason for us to demean his disease and say its not as bad as Crohn's

Sure he advertised here... sure that's not allowed... but attacking him through his disease and telling him that his suffering means nothing to you is a low low shot. I'm not so sure why the need was felt to say that you know better the suffering of a disease than he does. Its SO not fair... and SUCH a horrible thing to say to someone else. It almost hurt me to hear "Again proctitis, effecting the LAST SIX inches of the rectum, wow, I have crohn's in my mouth, my esophagus, small intestines and Colon." Is this a suffering pissing contest? Let's see whose worse!

That's dumb, people come here for support. If he had come on here and advertised without any ailment, it'd be different. But he is one of us... you kicked one of your own kind. Yes he wants to promote his site... I'm sure it wasn't mailicious in intent. He even said he realized he did it in the wrong manner.

If this incident is the only reason you find this site no longer valuable... then perhaps you weren't using it for the right reasons yourself.
 
I agree with Jed.

I just read through this whole thread, and while I don't like that it appeared that GIhelp was just marketing his blog, I don't like seeing someone be rude to someone else, especially when they tell someone that their suffering from their disease isn't as bad. There's no need for it.
 
I feel very similar to what Dingbat said after my shorter post to Jed, I saw nobody supporting an advertiser. I posted as unbiased as I could as a "spectator". But again, I have no clue where GIhelp is making money in this or "using" us, he just presented things in a bad way. As far as support systems go, this site trumps anything I've ever laid eyes on, Crohns or otherwise.

Lets all relax, enjoy our diarrhea and constipation in peace.
 
as the following has unfolded, I find it that sure I am wrong and have made a mistake, being judgemental and lashing out and becoming something that I try not to be and expect others not to, be.

I have been under so much stress lately, been hospitalized 26 days in two months, become insulin dependant diabetic from chronic steroid use, have a DVT in my right arm, amoung the major facts that i haven't worked a day in months, lost my place to live and usually find that home is the hospital.

Not that this is reason to have acted like I did.....

so with all that on the table, I'll admit I am sorry to have been the bilgerant fool I was and that I attacked gihelp like I did.

I was wrong, in every shape form and possibility.

I just find it hard for others to realise that levels of suffering are amazing in this forum.....

I am just trying my best to have friends to confide within.......

I apologoze to all that i have offended.....
 
Hey, roid rage we've all been there. Nice of you to admit it. You missed us didn't ya, just say it, you did, we know it. I'm sorry that you are having such a hard time right now, I hope everything starts to get better soon. Best of Luck.
 
Yeah 'roid rage is the worst. I understand that... when I was on steroids I yelled at EVERYONE. I'm sorry to hear you are going through so much, hopefully things start looking up.
 
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