Table 2.
Participant characteristics (N=19).
| Forum and participant (pseudonym) | Age range of person with illness | Gender | Interviewee | Length of time since diagnosis | Period/time of joining the forum | Current level of activity on the forum | |||||||
| Breast Cancer Care forum |
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Anne | 50-59 | Female | User | ~15 months | Joined before formal diagnosis | Posting daily and checking posts | ||||||
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Beth | 40-49 | Female | User | 3 years | At biopsy | Less frequent contact with forum; moved onto Facebook group with friends | ||||||
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Christine | 50-59 | Female | User | ~13 months | 1 year ago (joined chemo thread) | Checking posts and posting daily | ||||||
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Danielle | 40-49 | Female | User | ~4 months | ~4 months ago | Checking post every 3-4 days | ||||||
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Eleanor | 50-59 | Female | User | ~2.5 years | 2 years ago | Checking posts 2-3 times a week | ||||||
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Frances | 50-59 | Female | User | ~16 months | Started using the forum at chemo | Checking posts twice weekly | ||||||
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Gayle | 50-59 | Female | User | ~18 months | Started using the forum at chemo | Checks posts once or twice a week | ||||||
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Hazel | 60-69 | Female | User | ~3 years | Joined ~19 months ago | Accessing forum at points of worry | ||||||
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Isobel | 40-49 | Female | User | ~15 months | Joined chemo group ~15 months ago | Regularly checks posts | ||||||
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Janice | 60-69 | Female | User | ~13.5 months | Joined chemo group (~13 months ago) | Regularly checks posts | ||||||
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Kathryn | 50-59 | Female | User | First diagnosis: 23 years; second diagnosis: 4.5 months | ~4 months ago | Checks posts daily | ||||||
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Libby | 40-49 | Female | User | ~10 months | Since chemo (~8 months ago) | Checks posts twice a day | ||||||
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Nancy | 40-49 | Female | User | ~7 months | Since diagnosis (~7 months ago) | Lurker (reading posts twice daily) | ||||||
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Olivia | 50-59 | Female | User | ~5 years | Since diagnosis (~5 years ago) | Checks forum every 6-8 weeks | ||||||
| Motor neuron disease forum |
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Pippa & Michael | 60-69 | Female | User and partner | 10 months | First went on forum 3 months before formal diagnosis | Daily user | ||||||
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Robert & Meg | 60-69 | Male | User and partner | ~19 months | Joined forum at unidentified point and become active user 3 months ago when realized the disease was becoming more aggressive | Daily user | ||||||
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Sue | 70-79 | Female | User | 5 years | Joined forum 4.5 years ago | Daily user | ||||||
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Terry | 70-79 | Male | User | ~4 months | Joined forum soon after diagnosis | On the forum most days | ||||||
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Vincent | 60-69 | Male | User | ~3 years | Forum member for 3 years | Very active—checking posts 2-3 times a day | ||||||