Judging by the early evidence, Web 2.0 heralds a breakthrough opportunity to empower healthcare consumers of all types, especially those suffering from different forms of chronic illnesses. In this article, I use data gathered from a popular social networking website - MySpace.com - to show that this opportunity may be greatest for heavily stigmatized chronic health issues, such as obesity and mental illness. I also discuss how hospitals and health regions can benefit from and contribute to this fast-growing phenomenon.

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