There is a lot of method to my madness, but it all comes down to Divide and Conquer.

Any group of doctors tend to automatically have a "veto" rule. If one says "no", they all will say "no". The personalities of these doctors range from the nicest guys on Earth to real jerks. I fear that if I make contact with all of them at once, the jerk will say "no", and then will pressure the others to not participate.

Some of these doctors know me quite well, but would undoubtedly be suspicious of you and your motives. They know I will not put them in harm's way and I'm more than glad to put my credibility on the line to help you.

I've contacted two doctors and will wait for their response. Whatever happens, I will be able to tailor my approach to the next doctor from what I learn from the two first, who know me and will give me the benefit of the doubt. By the time we get to the jerks, we will know what objections to expect and how to handle them.

Also, if one or two doctors allow you to publish a response, all the others will want the same...even the jerks.

To be honest, some of the doctors up there I would like to not contact because I believe that a warning - even an unfair warning - is appropriate. I do think, however, that everyone should be treated the same and at least offered the opportunity to provide a response.

This is really a wise move on your part. You will become the de facto standard by which all other websites that publish public records will be measured. By allowing surgeon participation in a controlled manner, you will be seen as fair, gain credibility on both sides of the issue, but will not let surgeon comments take over your website.

Glenn