Man Health

Mashable is one of my favorite sites. In addition to ehealth, I have a deep interest in the evolution of the "social Web" and its use to bridge the differences that keep people apart (though to be fair, I also have a deep interest - and fear - of the Web's ability to isolate people and monopolize time better spent on "real" things).When I saw the headline PeopleJam gets Funded for Health Social Network on my RSS feed this afternoon, I was excited as I assumed I'd find a post from Pete Cashmore shoring up my argument from yesterday that health-related social networking sites are the Next Big Thing.How wrong I was!
PeopleJam, an LA-based social network for health and lifestyle, has been funded by Bob Pittman’s fund and TiVo CEO Tom Rogers. It’s a place to share life experiences and goals, and will add unique video content from experts in topics like relationships and spirituality. Sounds like every women-focused health social network out there, but we’ll give it time.Excuse me, but I have to cry foul over this characterization - it sounds like every social network out there, period.Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo!360 - all of them have members of both genders who are all about their health, their relationships, and their spirituality, not to mention their careers, politics, hobbies, partying and sex. Some might emphasize more of these things over others, but there's nothing about healthy living, goal setting, and nurturing relationships that's unique to women any more than being career-focused (LinkedIn) or a camera buff (Flickr), or a music enthusiast (the original purpose behind MySpace) is strictly a "man's game."That Pete apparently thinks an emphasis on balanced living makes this new online community the anti-He-Man Woman Haters Club says more about him than it does about PeopleJam, in my opinion.