More details are filtering to the surface after yesterday's "sort-of" launch of Google Health. The health.google domain may not be active yet but the consensus is that the prototype of the new service is alive and kicking on Google's new Co-Op service. The initial response appears to be positive but there are a few dissenters. LeeAnn Prescott of Hitwise wonders if Google is overextending itself, noting that many of the search giant's recent offering have yet to catch on with surfers. Its always a possibility given how busy the search engine company has been of late, but Google's move to add user ratings to health care information to improve their reliability--one of the biggest problems on facing surfers--looks like a potential winner to us.
- see this article [1] from Search Engine Journal
PLUS: The reaction within the healthcare community appears to be generally enthusiastic, given Google's recent dominance in healthcare search. Medblogger Enoch Choi turns out to be a early participant. If you're a specialist, or a practice looking to gain some attention, you may want to set up a profile and establish yourself early on. Blog [2]
ALSO: Shares of WebMD Health fell as the markets took note of Google's move. Article [3]
Links:
[1] http://www.searchenginejournal.com/?p=3405
[2] http://www.enochchoi.com/thoughts/archives/002164.html
[3] http://finance.google.com/finance?cid=700772