The Importance of Communities for People Touched By Diabetes
The Importance of Communities for People Touched By Diabetes from Tu Diabetes on Vimeo. Earlier in 2008 we saw how new online communities such as DiabetesFriends.net and DiabetesSisters.com made their appearance. Also we saw how more established spaces like DiabetesDaily.com continued to grow and expand into broader health territory. More recently, we learned about the upcoming community venture Amy Tenderich is embarking on.
With all these events and keeping in mind comments posted by the likes of Scott Strumello and David Edelman, I have been giving careful thought to what this all means for TuDiabetes and the diabetic community at large. These are my conclusions:
1) As long as the driver behind the communities is a passion for helping people with diabetes connect with others living with this condition, help raise awareness about diabetes and allow diabetics to live a healthier life, I feel this is a great thing.
2) I believe in people like David and Elizabeth, Amy and Jens, among others (all of whom are also members of TuDiabetes.com). I believe they are passionate and driven from within. Otherwise, they wouldn't be doing what they do because we all know running communities or large blogs is no easy task.
3) The corollary of (1) and (2) is that what's happening is a great thing. The driver behind all these initiatives is (and should continue to be) offering people with diabetes the option to do things they couldn't do before, to enhance their lives. Therefore we applaud these efforts and link to every one of them in at least one way.
4) Like Scott put it in an exchange we had over email, the new mantra is working together, because joining forces, with our hearts in the right place, we can win over more attention towards diabetes and bring on board to any of our communities more people with diabetes so they may no longer feel alone. That is my biggest goal and, as long as it is accomplished somehow, I don't care if it's not through TuDiabetes.com.
Our first step in this direction was to partner with Gina and Jon from DiabetesTalkFest, who are now THE chat we recommend for members of TuDiabetes.com and all others beyond our community.
We hope 2008 continues to be a year of partnerships and joint efforts with the goals of growing the diabetes community at large (bringing more diabetics out of the diabetes closet), raising awareness about diabetes even more and helping many more people with diabetes lead a healthier life.
Tags: communities, networks, social
Comment
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Comment by Linda Gauvin-Miller on July 10, 2008 at 5:42pm - I belong to a "live" support group, in fact I facilitate it....but this is different. Yes, it's bigger...much bigger, but that doesn't seem to be a deterrent, because we can connect to one another, world wide as often as we need..."my" support group only meets once a month....THIS support group meets 24/7.
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Comment by Shawn on July 10, 2008 at 2:30pm - Thats cool that there is a site for people that have diabetes to come and share their experiences and advice. I've been diabetic for 21 years. I didn't always take the best care of my diabetes, especially when I was a teenager. I am grateful that I haven't had any complications and would only say one thing to the people who are newly diabetic. Test your Blood sugar often, eat well, and don't drink and smoke. We'll I guess I can't count cause that's three things.
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Comment by Jon Schlaman on May 6, 2008 at 10:12pm
- I couldn't agree more. Working together makes us all stronger. It gives us a louder voice and helps us to get the attention we deserve.
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Comment by Dan Preecs on May 6, 2008 at 6:59pm - I thought I would join a group to share my success story, but I am also impatient. If I do not find where I want to go quickly, I am gone.>>>>>>>>>This is me going, going, gone!!!
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Comment by Dana Clark on April 24, 2008 at 5:43pm - Thanks Manny. It's a pleasure to join you all. I've felt on my own with this disease for so long ... and don't know anyone else with diabetes in my daily life. So it's a THRILL for me to find this site.
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Comment by lgp171188 on March 26, 2008 at 7:38am - Hats off for a such a great thing! My best wishes! :-)
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Comment by Bonnie Buck on March 26, 2008 at 7:12am - This group of people have helped me more than anyone else. I am glad to have joined even though it was only a little over a month. I never knew so many caring people were out there. I am doing better with my diabetes just reaching out to all the wonderful people on this website and I try and visit it each time I get on line. Well done Manny for all of us who are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. I have recommended TuDiabetes to a few of us out here in Md. Thanks again...
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Comment by Khürt Williams on March 25, 2008 at 4:50am - Awesome video. Each time I come across someone with diabetes or someone just curious I send them to TuDiabetes. I want them to feel the same sense of community I feel whenever I read the and post parts of my life here.
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- You said it well Manny! Being involved in an online community of people who understand each other is the best therapy I have found. I strongly recommend that those who live with diabetes find a community where they feel comfortable and welcome and participate as much as possible. And it is nice to see the different groups working together. We are all in this together and we all want the same things: support, friendship, better treatments and ultimately a cure!
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Comment by Travis Grubbs on March 24, 2008 at 6:20pm -
I was not aware of the other communities. Let me know if they have one for Red Neck Deer Hunters with Type 2. I will have to join that one.
TuDiabetes has opened a whole new world for me, Thanks Manny!
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