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“DailyStrength”:http://www.dailystrength.org is a social network focused on health and life challenges. Doug Hirsch is an Internet geek who has a passion for bringing people together.

What inspired you to start DailyStrength? Did something happen in your own life or the life of a loved one that led you to the concept?

DailyStrength was, in a way, born from the pain of my cousin’s death from liver cancer 15 years ago. It happened before the Internet existed, and I, as a teenager, had neither the resources nor the communication tools to be able to understand both his illness and his emotional state, and I feel that I failed as his friend and relative.

Some years later, I found that I had a passion for online communities, and I began to design and build social tools, first for Yahoo, then for Facebook. Finally, when I decided to strike out on my own, I had the chance to interweave my passion with the experiences of my own life. Everyone has issues – let’s face it – and our quest is to help people overcome their challenges with the support and help of others. It seems so obvious, and yet hadn’t been done in a simple, easy way that everyone could grasp.

I see that there are no ads on your site, which is quite refreshing. But how is it funded? Do you get a lot of inquiries from companies hoping to reach your communities? How do you respond?

I wish we could run forever without ads, but, unfortunately, that won’t be the case. A subscription model would prevent us from serving as many people as possible, so we’re left with paying the bills with ads.

We have the luxury of being able to run for quite a long time without turning on ads, and when we do so, ads will be clearly identified. We’re also planning to return a good portion of our ad revenue to non-profit organizations…more to come on that soon.

What have you learned by putting this supportive site together? What was the biggest obstacle that you faced? Where do you look for support?

he products that ultimately succeed on the Web are ones that satisfy core human wants and needs, and health is certainly one of those. But we’ve learned more about what seems to really affect people and make a difference. For example, the very act of writing is extremely theraputic, and I often see journal entries where someone starts out quite angry and finishes in a much better place. We also find that a response, any response at all, to someone’s journals or questions is like magic. People really respond to anyone at all showing interest in their story and their pain.

The biggest obstacle I faced in building this site was finding partners who I felt would “get it”. I’m the kind of guy who needs to bounce ideas off of others, and work through things to get to the perfect solution. I’ve tried to start many companies, either on my own or with others, and it’s next to impossible to succeed unless you can find folks who complement your energy, your thought process and your skill set. I lucked out this time.

Bonus: Do you have a favorite story from one of your users that inspires you to continue your work?

It’s a lame answer, but we receive 100’s of stories everyday from our users, who write of challenges that I can’t even begin to imagine. We have folks struggling with everything from cancer to substance abuse to divorce and depression. What inspires me is when I get hugs from folks on the site, just letting me know that we’re making a difference.

Today, a member sent me a note that said: “Thank you so much for being here for me. I was beginning to think that true help wasn’t out there until I found this place. You literally brought me tears of joy. It means so much to know that there is somebody there to care for you.”

That’s a pretty good way to start your day.

Copyright © 2006 by Sonia Aggarwal