Submitting Articles

Submitting Articles and Other Content

Get noticed. Stand out. Be heard. Look at me.
Beginning in 2017, Modern Health Talk will no longer accept byline articles. With well over 800 articles posted already, this site has become bloated just as it needs more focus. That’s why my plan in retirement is to publish fewer articles and purge half of what’s already here, keeping only the best and most consequential.

I hope to increase my impact on society without adding more work, and this new direction is influenced by several observations:

  • Labor of Love. Modern Health Talk was founded March 2011, and some of its content has become stale. Hence the cleanup.
  • Non-Profit. This altruistic project is only possible because I have a modest lifestyle, full IBM pension and Social Security. I’ve so far avoided advertising, subscriptions, and e-commerce affiliations, because I want to avoid conflicts of interest.
  • New Media & Fake News. Traditional news outlets are struggling to compete with smaller outlets, blogs, and social media. It seems that all media profits these days from sensationalism and controversy. I don’t intend to follow that trend, because the loser is the consumer due to the loss of rigorous investigative journalism that separates truth from hype and deception.
  • My Unique Value. What I bring that’s unique is my IBM experience and perspective as a retired technologist, market strategist, futurist and consumer advocate, along with my interest and awareness of healthcare issues from serving hospital accounts and being married to an RN (now retired too). I have seen relatively little value from the byline articles I used to publish, so I’m not accepting them.
  • Mainstream Press. My value has evolved to the point where most of it now comes from responding to important articles in the mainstream press. I then share those articles on social media, along with my responses, which may reference supporting blog articles if appropriate. Sometimes I turn my responses into blog articles so I can refer to them again and again. This is how most people seem to find me, so I’ll keep writing the articles that share my own perspective, even as I spend less time posting to Modern Health Talk blog and more time sharing perspectives elsewhere.
  • Trust. I see blogs as an important independent source of information to counter-balance the Concentration of Media Ownership, which Wikipedia describes as having progressively fewer organizations controlling more of the news mass media (print, radio, TV and online). But, blogs have also been the source of “fake news” lately; and the logical result has been a loss of trust – of media on all sides really. The priority of my own posts is to maintain trust.
  • Insight & Depth. Closer examination of my website analytics has given me new insight into what readers find most valuable. Articles with important insights and depth have proven to be more popular than shorter byline articles. So the fluff will have to go.
  • New Focus. I’ll be sharing less about independent living and more about healthcare policy and the politics that affect it, because that’s where I see the greatest need.

The Politics of Healthcare, and Modern Health Talk

It didn’t start that way, but my writing here has become more political, and more progressive, over time. I founded Modern Health Talk in 2010 to share my unique perspectives as an IBM technologist, market strategist, futurist, and digital home consultant, with the idea of helping people find tech solutions that help them or their loved ones live independently at home, avoiding the higher cost of nursing home care.

I quickly learned that to fix our broken healthcare system, we must fix our politics. And to fix our politics, we must fix campaign finance and the widening wealth gap that contributes to it. And I learned about the hidden agendas of Republican politicians and that policies of Democrats were more in line with my own progressive views and consumer advocacy. One of my most recent articles suggests that 2020 could be our first trillion dollar election.

Using My Content

For all non-commercial uses of mHealthTalk.com content, such as blogs, Web sites and the like, I rely on the parameters of “Fair Use” as set forth in the Copyright Act. Users may copy, transfer or reproduce up to 200 words of an article or story and then insert a hyperlink back to the original mHealthTalk.com content. By following these steps, no prior written or oral permission is required. If, however, you want to repost the entire article, I generally allow that with prior approval and full attribution. 

Becoming a Partner or Advertiser

I welcome proposals for business partner relationships that can vary from a very loose agreements to cooperate toward some mutual goal, or more formal contractual bonds where both entities agree not to ally with third parties. At this point, I have no formal process defined for becoming a partner but encourage you to send your idea or proposal to Founding Editor.

Modern Health Talk prides itself for its unbiased and ad-free content, and I have not sought advertisers or posted Google ads so far. But I would consider proposals that are informational and consistent with my message and purpose. Of course ad rates are always negotiable. Here are some past ideas for ad placement:

  • Small Ad in Side Bar – The side bar appears on EVERY page and article, giving advertisers the widest possible exposure. I can add a “Featured Product or Service” with pricing that varies by duration (month, year), how far up the ad is placed, and if there’s any animation.
    • After “Search by Keyword, Phrase” ensures that your (225×130 pixel) ad is seen without scrolling down. ($1,000/month, $7,50000/year).
    • After “Scroll through our Tweets” would cost less but puts the ad at the bottom of the page. ($350/month, $2,500/year)
    • Paid Links are possible, but I’ve not explored or priced that and would want to ensure they add value to the article, are consistent with my purpose, and do not present a conflict of interest. ($1,000/year)