This method of information gathering employed here is different from traditional library research. This project uses several of the enumerated advantages of networked computers. Immediacy, perhaps the greatest advantage of e-mail, is the key to facilitating this type of dialog. The accumulated practice knowledge of hundreds of networked specialists is focused as a collaborative effort on discussing the treatment of specific diseases. This resource is intended to serve as a freely accessible reference for practitioners.
Access is easy with on-line search and retrieval.
The process of revision occurs continuously within the context of an on-line discussion group. Information harvested by this method tends to be much more anecdotal than that found in Journals and Texts. It is subject to the biases of a multitude of authors writing under minimal editorial restraint. As such it is best interpreted by the physicians who are already trained in this specialty. Nevertheless, it appears to provide a useful resource for practicing dermatologists.