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SharecareNow Names the Top 10 Influencers in the Online Diabetes Community

Glucometer, test strips, and diabetes medication.

Atlanta, GA, and San Francisco, CA – November 2, 2011 – SharecareNow, powered by WCG, a new service providing online analytics and insights to facilitate meaningful online conversations about health and wellness, today announced “SharecareNow 10 – Diabetes,” a proprietary list identifying the most influential people currently within the diabetes online community. The SharecareNow 10 – Diabetes list is the first of many disease-specific lists that will be released to identify the most influential people able to reach and impact audiences across multiple online channels – from mainstream news sites and personal blogs to community forums and Facebook.

“The diabetes online community has exploded in the past decade, with people relying on these top influencers for credible and reliable information to help them effectively manage their disease, while also finding support through their online relationships,” said Jeff Arnold, chairman and chief architect of Sharecare. “We believe it is important for healthcare experts in the diabetes field to also influence the online conversation to provide the medical perspectives and advice diabetes patients are seeking. SharecareNow hopes to enable these key influencers and medical professionals to connect and expand the conversation, with the goal of reducing disease rates and improving the health of millions of people.”

The release of SharecareNow 10 – Diabetes coincides with American Diabetes Month®, a nationally recognized month led by the American Diabetes Association dedicated to diabetes awareness. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 26 million Americans (or 8.3% of the U.S. population) are living with diabetes, every 17 seconds someone is diagnosed with the disease, and an additional 79 million are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

“As the diabetes epidemic continues to sweep our nation, it is important that a strong online community exists, so that diabetes patients and families can easily connect with others to learn from their experiences and connect with experts to take action against diabetes to ultimately change the future of the disease,” said Larry Hausner, chief executive officer of the American Diabetes Association. “Therefore, we applaud the efforts of SharecareNow for identifying influential individuals who make a difference in the online community.”

In order to be included in the SharecareNow 10 – Diabetes list, influencers must have demonstrated a consistent impact on diabetes-specific conversations online over the past year. The individuals’ influence is measured and quantified through a proprietary algorithm based on more than 40 individual metrics, including diabetes relevance, syndication, presence and reach. These individuals are then ranked from most to least influential based on a unique scoring structure.

The following top influencers make up SharecareNow 10 – Diabetes:

  1. Amy Tenderich, DiabetesMine™
  2. Kerri Sparling, Six Until Me
  3. Kelly Close, Close Concerns
  4. Manny Hernandez, Tu Diabetes / Ask Manny
  5. Leighann Calentine, D-Mom Blog
  6. Riva Greenberg, The Huffington Post
  7. Kelly Kunik, Diabetesaliciousness™
  8. Elizabeth Woolley, About.com – Type 2 Diabetes / Diabetic Mommy
  9. Kim Vlasnik, Texting My Pancreas / You Can Do This Project
  10. Scott Johnson, Scott’s Diabetes

Additional information on SharecareNow 10 – Diabetes, including bios and the methodology behind the influencer list, is available at https://now.sharecare.com.

About SharecareNow, powered by WCG

SharecareNow, powered by WCG was developed in partnership with Sharecare, an interactive social Q&A platform, and WCG, a market-leading digital communications agency. Sharecare Now, powered by WCG is an online platform developed to access real-time analytics on various health topics, conversations and influencers, and to use these insights to meaningfully impact the conversation through strategic engagement. The platform allows health and wellness professionals, organizations and brands to leverage the most accurate data, solutions and best practices to participate in the social service of expert health and wellness content and communities.

About American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to stop diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.

About Sharecare

Launched in 2010 and based in Atlanta, GA, Sharecare’s mission is to greatly simplify the search for high-quality healthcare information and answer the world’s questions of health. Created by Jeff Arnold and Dr. Mehmet Oz, in partnership with Harpo Studios, HSW International (NASDAQ: HSWI), Sony Pictures Television, and Discovery Communications, the Sharecare interactive social Q & A platform allows people to ask, learn and act upon questions of health and wellness. The company’s innovative approach provides a wide array of expert answers to each question ranging from hospitals to MDs to non-profits to healthcare companies to active health consumers, ultimately creating a community where healthcare knowledge is built, shared and put into practice.

About WCG

Led by Chairman and CEO Jim Weiss, WCG is an independent company focused on integrated corporate and product marketing and communications for some of the world’s leading companies, with offices in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Austin and London. Over the past 10 years, WCG has received numerous industry awards, including “2011 Digital Agency of the Year,” and “2011 Global Healthcare Agency of the Year.” WCG currently works with more than 60 of the top healthcare brands worldwide, from pharmaceuticals and medical devices to overall corporate presence. The company’s seasoned professionals specialize in social media analytics, online strategy, branding, design, digital and traditional marketing, corporate and product PR, media, investor and advocacy relations, clinical trial recruitment and grassroots direct-to-patient communications campaigns.

For more information, please visit https://now.sharecare.com and www.wcgworld.com

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