askjoel

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A few people have noticed that the AskJoel board has been pretty inactive. Actually, most people who have questions do not join up for the board and try to post questions, but rather, they send me emails at [email protected]. Generally, I get a few emails every day this route. I also get a few emails every day directly to my regular email. I actually prefer email questions being sent to the [email protected] address for those emails get sent to both John and I, so if one of us are busy the other one of us can send off an answer. This results in quicker responses to people with questions.

In the beginning of the AskJoel board here we put up questions and answers that were sent via email. After a while though, there were not very many new issues being raised--questions being posed were asked earlier and we have given pretty detailed answers and links to related reading materials to common questions. We really are trying to avoid clutter on the board, of having the same questions asked and answered over and over again.

Back in October I produced a series of videos, many of them covering issues in more detail than I had covered previously by written articles. I am in the process now of attaching links to some of these videos to previous strings we have going at the AskJoel board. In the future when I get emails asking specific questions, I will be kicking up some of our older responses to similar questions and attaching links to videos relevant to the questions.

People can still try to post questions on the board, but just know there is a time delay for those questions to be seen and there is no guarantee that the questions will be posted on the board. If they are asking questions that have already been asked, or have any content that we deem inappropriated for the board they will not get accepted for posting. The fastest and best route for getting questions answered is to go through email to [email protected].

Joel

I had the following comment written in a previous string I had with this title:

I actually had two questions sitting in the queue that were posted last week and I just didn't see till this morning. As this string discusses, most questions are emailed directly to [email protected] and answered via email. That method is the best way to insure quickest response time.

Both questions that were in pending were from people who were experiencing specific symptoms and wanting to know if they were normal. I am going to attach a few links below that explain why we can't answer these kind of specific questions.

One of the people who tried to post gave an email address when registering--the other did not. I emailed an answer to the first person but could not to the other. This message is going to have to suffice for this individual because I have no way of contacting him or her directly.

Joel

Giving and getting medical advice online

"Is anyone else experiencing the symptom of...?"

Life goes on without smoking.

Video Title	Dial Up	HS/BB	Audio	Length	Added
"Is this a symptom of quitting smoking?"	1.91mb	18.9mb	0.77mb	05:13	09/27/06
Does smoking cause my headaches?	2.69mb	7.4mb		08:32	03/21/07

Medical Disclaimer

Joel Spitzer is a professional smoking cessation counselor not a physician. Although knowledgeable, almost all of the ex-smokers assisting Joel are ex-smokers and not professional smoking cessation counselors.

Ask Joel is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a site visitor and his/her physician. Do not rely upon any information at this site to replace individual consultations with your doctor or other qualified health care provider.

The information provided here at Ask Joel is intended as smoking cessation eduation and counseling and it should NEVER be construed as medical advice. If you have any question in your mind regarding any lingering health concern, including depression or mental health, IMMEDIATELY seek medical assistance. If you are not satisfied with the advice being rendered by a physician, you always have the right to obtain a second medical opinion.

No volunteer at this site shall render any medical, medication, herb, or dieting advice other than advice to seek the assistance of trained and qualified health care professionals.

There are organizations and individuals whose sites have disclaimers such as this to simply protect themselves legally. We have this policy because we believe it's right for every individual reading here. We do all we can to make sure that any information or concepts acquired here do not pose medical risks to readers.

When it comes to the treatment or management of any medical condition we sincerely believe that it is best for every person to deal with a qualified medical professional in their real world. The materials, concepts and information shared here allow readers to improve their health, and likely extend the productive years of their lives, by simply making and sticking to a personal commitment to Never Take Another Puff.

Email sent out this morning to twelve people who were sitting in a pending membership queue at the AskJoel site:

I am not sure when you wrote your question to the AskJoel board. There seems to have been a problem with getting notification that a person has applied for membership. Most people don’t apply for membership and simply write directly to me at [email protected]. Those email notifications have been coming to me regularly, but somehow the message that a person actually applied for membership have not come through for quite some time now. This morning I found 12 people waiting in pending.<o:p> </o:p>

To quickly answer all 12 people, I am creating this email that explains how the AskJoel board is set up. Most people applying were explaining that they were looking for support, some were looking for specific information. For people looking for online support, I am referring all to the page http://www.whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksKBB.html. There are links to numerous free groups there supporting people who are quitting by many different approaches. AskJoel is not really set up as a support site but as a place for people to find answers to specific questions regarding smoking and quitting.<o:p> </o:p>

I am going to individually send emails to people who had posed questions, although it may take me a day or two to get every question answered. If after you get the answer, you have more specific questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get back in touch with me by sending an email to [email protected].<o:p> </o:p>

Sorry about the delay in response here.<o:p> </o:p>

Joel<o:p></o:p>

AskJoel is not really set up as a support site but as a place for people to find answers to specific questions regarding smoking and quitting. For people looking for online support, I am referring all to the page http://www.whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksKBB.html. There are links to numerous free groups there supporting people who are quitting by many different approaches. The best way to get specific questions addressed though is to email them to [email protected].

When we first started the AskJoel board we put up questions and answers that were sent via email. After a while though, there were not very many new issues being raised--questions being posed were asked earlier and we have given pretty detailed answers and links to related reading materials to common questions. We really are trying to avoid clutter on the board, of having the same questions asked and answered over and over again.

Back in October we produced a series of videos, many of them covering issues in more detail than I had covered previously by written articles. I am in the process now of attaching links to some of these videos to previous strings we have going at the AskJoel board. In the future when I get emails asking specific questions, I will be kicking up some of our older responses to similar questions and attaching links to videos and articles relevant to the questions.

Again, if you have questions that you cannot find answers to on the AskJoel board or at www.whyquit.com/joel, write back to [email protected] and we will get back to you promptly.

Joel<o:p></o:p>

Important Announcement The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
askjoel	[email protected]