Would you be interested in "ask an expert" sessions/ events hosted on AM?

Maybe. I realize you're probably joking, but that could actually be a good one.

Not really joking!

Thanks for the feedback. :)

I'm using the term event rather loosely. It would not be a live event, but rather an event in the sense that it's a short-term engagement. You've essentially summed up how it would work.

As far as the physician thing goes, yes. Doctors cannot diagnose without performing an exam and knowing the patient's full history. If we have doctors, they'd be geared towards providing general insights. Even though they can't diagnose, they can still talk about how different treatments work, what standard treatments are, physiology, which specialists handle what, and a whole lot more. People who have medical issues should always get talk to their personal physician when they're seeking treatment. 

At the same time, I hope to work with various "experts." So, we won't just have doctors. We may also have lawyers, florists, massage therapists, financial advisors, educators, and so on. The goal is to bring in a wide variety of people and, in most cases, the ethical concerns won't be as great, but we'll certainly find a way to make sure that people are aware of potential issues when they're dealing with something like health, versus how to grow roses.

That would be great as long as people know where to post their questions. Creating specialized groups with one specialist being in charge of their group would be good. If you could sub-group all of them into one group, that would probably be even better. You could title it, Expert Corner, consult-a-Mug, Ask-A-pro....etc. It's a great idea  if it's implemented correctly. It may even get people who are reluctant to join groups interested enough to join in on this. I guess I got hung up on the word 'doctor' and developed a bit of tunnel vision. Sorry. Thinking it over, I guess a holistic doctor could give good advice on preventing a few things vs how to treat a current condition without a physical involved. I'd like to volunteer to help with this in any capacity needed.    

The sub-group idea is a good one. I also considered creating a general group category for "Ask an Expert," so it's easier for members to find them to review later and it differentiates them from other general groups. While the "event" is going on, there will be a link on the home page, kind of like there is now for the question diversity thing, so it should be easy for people to tell when we have an expert here and find the active group. These experts will only be here for a limited time, so I'm a little leery of doing anything that makes it look permanent. The expert groups will become dormant after the expert leaves, kind of like our Last Mugger Standing group, but will be revived if/when an expert in that field visits again.

I may do up a general "Ask an Expert Category" and then subgroup out similar professions- like all expert medical groups together, all expert food groups together, etc.

I appreciate the offer to help. If you happen to know anyone who might be a good expert to feature or have suggestions on the types of specialists we should seek out, that would be great.

 

 

Re:  massage therapists?  I shutter to think who that "expert" might be.       Lol

As far as doctors giving advice without an examination, they do it all the time with radio talk shows, television programs, etc. That's why they invented disclaimers so their butts are covered. And it's not just the medical community, how about giving legal advice. There has to be disclaimers for just about everything these days, especially when it's health related or of a legal nature.  It's not just online medical advice that's only worth the paper it's printed on, it's ALL advice.  It's given by people who don't know you or the minute details of your situation, including any legal implications relating to the specific area in which you live. And sometimes it's just plain bad advice. It's surprising some people take it as gospel, when they should be leaning more towards entertainment.  

Very true, that's why I'd never seek medical/legal advice from anyone on the computer, but if I had a fix-it issue, I'd probably do it. The pilot light went out on my mom's stove once, I went to YouTube to figure out how to relight it. If the holistic doctor can keep it to preventative measures, it might be ok, but that could still be a little risky. Like Thrifty said in her answer, there could be liabilities. I'm not real fond of the idea of medical advice being given. This idea has to be approached and implemented very carefully, or it could backfire on the site and on JA. 

We probably won't do e-mail based ones at first because the goal is to share information with the group. It might be something we consider later though.