Kudos to Darren Rowse for urging the Science and Health Blogger community to develop ethics standards. A transparent code of honor is critical to establishing credibility of the new medical media.

Here is HealthVoices response to NIH/NCCAM questionnaire, used by Hsien Hsien Lei of Genetics and Health Blog, and brought to our attention by Enoch Choi of medmusings. Quote and link me on this:

1. Who runs this site?

The site is owned and operated by Dmitriy Kruglyak. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, I have been living and working in Silicon Valley since 1998, in the Health IT field since 2001 and on this project since early 2005.

2. Who pays for the site?

I personally cover all technology and hosting expenses. No sponsors, advertisers or affiliates have decision-making authority over the editorial content. None of the collected data is used for any commercial purpose without member or visitor permission.

3. What is the purpose of the site?

The medical media transformation is in the wings. Open Medicine will follow in the footsteps of Open Media. HealthVoices is the first and so far the only blog network, dedicated solely to health & wellness issues. We are currently recruiting medical bloggers to write feature columns that will ultimately cover every major area of healthcare thought and practice. Our longer-term goal is to develop a broader online health community, built on the principles of Open Medicine.

4. Where does the information come from?

Everywhere! The scope of our intent is vast and the specific sources vary blog by blog. In general we write commentary & opinion on health-related stories published in "mainstream media" with a mix of unique blogger's perspective and experience, within the blog's topical focus.

5. What is the basis of the information?

The facts are referenced by URL or other citation format, as appropriate. Opinions of network bloggers and third parties are clearly attributed. Bloggers are encouraged to adopt "neutral" view to present, analyze and compare competing arguments. We have no scientific, political or religious agenda to push, except Open Medicine.

6. How is the information selected?

The blog topics and entries are chosen based on their relevance to the intended audience: healthcare consumers, practitioners and executives. Sources are selected to highlight the key aspects of an issue. Readers ARE strongly encouraged to tell us where we are right or wrong, and we believe this reflects the spirit of Open Medicine.

7. How current is the information?

Much of the information comes from the commentary on fresh news. Some entries take a longer-term historic perspective. Whenever appropriate, we return to correct ourselves to reflect the recent developments, typically in the comments section or when warranted in the body of a post. Here is a recent example: "Credibility Spat: Blogs vs. Peer-Reviewed Pubs".

8. How does the site choose links to other sites?

Links in content are selected by authors, based on their view of relevance to a topic at hand. They do not represent an endorsement by the Network. Sponsored links and advertisements appear in designated site sections, providing for easy attribution by readers. Advertising served by context-driven ad systems (including Google AdSense) is chosen automatically, based on the relevant page content.

9. What information about you does the site collect, and why?

Commenters are asked to leave contact email, which we promise to keep in confidence, absent a permission to disclose. Readers are encouraged to register for a community membership account. Over time, we expect to create full-featured membership profiles (OPTIONAL) the use of which will always remain permission-based. Detailed policies are coming.

10. How does the site manage interactions with visitors?

Visitors are encouraged to comment on content and become registered and active community members. We believe it is in the spirit of Open Medicine to encourage broad culture of participation, yet we are aware of the potential pitfalls and responsibilities that come with the territory. We promise to air any and all concerns publically and resolve them promptly.

To prospective bloggers who want to join the network: Use feedback form to send a summary of what you consider the topics you feel most passionate about in ProBlogger's format.

Our redesigned look and feel is nearing launch and we expect to roll it out with a few featured blog columns ready to go.