MED-EL has just launched HearPeers, a new social network for the cochlear implant community, including users, parents, and anyone else interested in learning about cochlear implants.
Like Facebook and other online social networks, HearPeers will have features for finding and inviting other members. In addition to searching by name, the search function will include searching via hearing loss history, implant story, and where people live.
Members will be able to engage each other through instant chat, messaging, news feeds, and forming subgroups. They also will be able to share experiences through pictures, videos, music, personal blogs, and public forums.
MED-EL hopes that the HearPeers forum will become not only a social place to virtually meet fellow users, but also a support resource for parents of children with cochlear implants, teen users, and others.
“Within minutes of HearPeers going live, people from as far away as Japan and Australia have begun sharing their stories and posting images. It’s a fun and exciting way to ‘tell the world‘ about first sounds, milestones, and more,” said Darla Franz, MA, CCC-A, director of education and corporate communications at MED-EL Corporation USA.
For an overview of HearPeers and to join, visit www.HearPeers.com. An introductory video about the social network is shown below:
SOURCE: MED-EL
