FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What is EmpowHer?

EmpowHer.com is a Web site and company dedicated to transforming healthcare through patient advocacy by tapping into the strength of women.

Q. Who founded EmpowHer?

Michelle King Robson (pronounced robe-son) is the founder and President of Empowher.com and is committed to helping American women have access to the most current, leading edge health information they need to make the wisest choices for their health and the health of their families. The national outreach program on the agenda will be one of the most ambitious and creative efforts ever seen in the United States.

Q: How did EmpowHer get started?

After a devastating health experience, Michelle decided to make her life’s work empowering women to take charge of their health care. At 42, Michelle underwent a hysterectomy and as it turned out, it wasn’t even necessary. After the surgery, she was instantly transformed from a very active and highly functioning woman to one who struggled to get out of bed in the morning. In her words, “life was reduced to a bedridden blur of severe joint pain, fatigue, night sweats, insomnia, mental fogginess, depression and gastrointestinal issues.”

After a year filled with countless doctor appointments with a dozen specialists and nine different prescribed medications, a friend referred her to the book, “Screaming to be Heard,” by Dr. Elizabeth Vliet. Michelle says that book saved her life and her experiences led her to develop www.EmpowHer.com. Through EmpowHer.com, she hopes to reach out to all women, sharing access to the latest in medical information, news and health events, but most importantly, a safe place to share our health stories and support each another.

Q. What’s with the crazy spelling?

EmpowHer is a combination of two words – empower and her – which is at the core of Michelle’s vision which is to empower women to advocate for their own health care.

Q: Why did EmpowHer pick those colors?

Michelle chose the colors from a small palette presented to her during the early stages of the site.

Q: Why did EmpowHer start with Heart Disease as the first health care issue covered?

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women over all cancers including breast cancer. With February designated as Heart Disease Awareness month, empowHer.com felt it would be a good time to call attention to a condition that adversely affects so many women. Future topics will include thyroid and breast cancer.

Q: Do I have to signup to get the secret questions I need to ask my doctor? And if so, why?

Yes. Patient advocacy sheets are available on a number of topics through membership on EmpowHer.com.

Q: Can I post your audio or video on my web site? What type of permission do I need?

Remember our mission: Together we’re transforming healthcare patient advocacy by taping into the strength of women. So take it. Use it and spread the message. But please link back to EmpowHer.com by adding this little line of code to your site <a href=http://www.empowher.com TARGET=”newwin”>www.empowher.com</A>.

Q: Why is a man the host of your podcasts?

The man you hear in the podcast is Todd Hartley, a former Phoenix, AZ talk show host, who clearly has a foot (and many other body parts) in the new media world. Prior to joining the team he led internet projects for Donald Trump, Rush Limbaugh, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rick Dees and Jim Rome. Another insight into Todd is he was raised in a family of all women and admits to being an honorary woman. Who were we to disagree?

Q: How can I recommend a doctor?

Talk about your doctor in your blog or post to our forums. Remember, women are always seeking the best and the brightest when it comes to health care, so if you are lucky enough to know a rock star doctor, by all means, share with the world.

Q: How can I write my story?

You can share your story by signing up for our blogs. Here you can create a profile and a blog, which you can update and edit at any time.

Q: If I’m a better speaker than writer, how can I tell my story?

One option is through our podcasting tool, which allows you to call a phone number and essentially leave a very important message -- your story. Don’t worry about it from here. We handle the rest.

Membership

Have a few questions about EmpowHer membership? Read the answers to our most frequently asked questions and if your question is not answered, please feel free to e-mail us at any time.

Getting Started

Q. How do I become a member of the EmpowHer.com community?

Go to our registration page (link) and sign up! It's free and easy!

After you register with EmpowHer.com, you will receive an e-mail at the address you provided on the registration form asking you to activate your account. Just click on the link in the email and your account will be active.

Q. Why should I become a member?

Only EmpowHer.com members get the “Health Questions You Must Ask Your Doctor,” print outs. And if you want to help us transform healthcare patient advocacy, become a member and together we’ll tap into the strength of women.

Q. Do I have to be a member to access EmpowHer.com content?

No. While membership certainly has its benefits, our articles, audios and videos are available to both members and non-members.

Q. What if my username is already taken?

Consider it some serious kismet. There is a slight chance that a username may be taken so please have a couple of usernames in mind when signing up.

Q. What if I forget my password?

If you forget your EmpowHer.com member password, click on the log in pages that says 'Forgot your password?' Enter your e-mail address and we’ll send you the username we have on file for your specific e-mail address and a link to reset/change your password. Please remember that your password should be between ******* characters.

Q. Help! I'm having issues with logging in. What should I do?

Make sure that you are entering your password correctly. Also, make sure your browser supports cookies and please check the security level you are using. High levels of security in some browsers automatically reject cookies (and who likes rejection?) In order to use the key features of these forums, you'll need to accept cookies. Logout by hitting the logout link on the page. Log back in again. After logging back in, you may have to hit the reload/refresh button on your Web browser to speed up logging in.

Q: Are men allowed to become members of this site?

Absolutely.

Forums

Q. Why is a post's subject so important?

It’s important because you and women like you are sharing and seeking stories and resources and we want to make sure your voice to be heard.

So a friendly tip for posting …

Be specific: Once there's been a reply, the topic can’t be changed, so try to make your topic as specific and descriptive as possible. For example, “PPD treatment question,” will engage folks more than 'New mom needs help.'

Q. Where do I report inappropriate postings?

As soon as you come across a forum posting that you think may violate our terms of use, (link) please e-mail us as soon as possible at abuse@empowher.com. We make every effort to remove inappropriate postings in a timely manner.

Q. How do I add an image to my message?

In order to add an image to your message or your signature, you must have the image already available.

And please, keep it small.

As a rule, please do not exceed 150 x 150. Also, it’s recommended that you do not exceed 10k for your image size. This will keep our load time for pages relatively painless.

Q. I still have questions about the Message Boards.

Please e-mail your questions to community@empowher.com

Q. How do I disable my account?

Not that you would want to, but to disable your account, click here.(link) Note that you will no longer have access to profiles, forums or blogs.