Gout Forum Topic

This is to announce improvements to the gout forum.

It has been my intention for some months to replace the gout forum software with something new. Recently, I have been experimenting with a Question & Answer format, which I have found to be more reliable, less resource-hungry, and easier to manage than the existing software. There may be some features, such as private messaging, that are not available yet, but these will be easy to implement soon.

We have known for some time that the old software is not compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) version 9. Other versions of MSIE, and all versions Firefox and Chrome work OK. However, with the increased number of MSIE v9 users, I am aware that the current service is failing rapidly, and will be replaced very soon.

More importantly, I feel the new software gives a better focus to answering questions from gout sufferers.

The current gout forum allows discussion, but often the original question remains unanswered and gets lost in the debate. With the new software, discussion is by way of threaded comments, and answers are shown separately. This allows the asker to select the best answer, and allows all participants to vote for their preferred answer. Answers that are not clear can be commented on, or you can ask additional questions that are directly related to any answer.
Continue reading about more Gout Forum Improvements and when you can expect to see them

I have revamped the Question & Answer features on GoutPal Interactive (aka Gout-Pal.com).

The main reason is to provide a better alternative to the current gout forum. The software that runs it is very resource hungry and over-complicated for the job it is supposed to do.

GoutPal Interactive is first and foremost a resource to improve the information on GoutPal.com. This website is the main source of gout help and explanations. Using the feedback from GoutPal Interactive, I improve this site month by month to give gout sufferers a reliable source of unbiased well-researched gout information. The forum has provided many opportunities and prompts for me to improve pages here.

However, the secondary purpose of Gout-Pal.com is to give gout sufferers a service where they can get fast help to gout problems. This is important for the gout sufferer who needs immediate advice on how and where to get help. It is also important for me, as it highlights where information on this site is not as good as it should be. Unfortunately, the forum tends to promote wide-reaching discussion, and the answers can get lost in the discussion.

The new Question & Answer service is tightly focused on answering specific questions. I will keep the forums open for general discussion during the transition period, but the forums will eventually be replaced.
Continue reading how to use the Gout-Pal.com Question & Answer Service

Like any good website owner, I review statistics about topics that visitors are most interested in. I have listed some of these below, but they are far from the whole story.

The list of gout topics to improve is a fallback for me, if nothing more immediate needs doing. Quite often, I break from this list to investigate and summarize a gout news story. More often, I prioritize gout topics that arise in the gout forums. However, the topics that always get top priority are the ones that you ask me to write about.

More about your involvement in a moment, after the list.

Gout Topic Improvements

My current “hitlist” is in alphabetical order:

• alkaline foods
• arthritis facts
• causes of gout
• diet for gout
• febuxostat
• foods to avoid with gout
• gout
• gout cause
• gout diet
• gout pain
• gout pictures
• gout remedies
• gout symptoms
• gout treatment
• gouty arthritis
• high uric acid
• hyperuricemia
• indocin
• indomethacin
• joint inflammation
• low purine diet
• natural gout remedies
• protein rich foods
• pseudogout
• purine
• purine rich foods
• purines
• uloric
• uric acid crystals
• uric acid reduction

I tend to work on this list in the order that my statistics say is most important. But the overriding factor is what is most important to you.

I want you to feel that GoutPal gives you all the answers you need to give you your Gout Freedom. This can only happen if you tell me which gouty topics you want me to improve next.

It can be something on the list above, or a different gouty topic that means something to you. Either way, together we will continue to improve this unique gout support service.