Last week I was thrilled to host one hour of the 24 Hour Twitter Marathon for World Diabetes Day. It was a bit of a blur, but it was a lot of fun.
I wanted to share some highlights. If this looks like fun, and you’re on Twitter, consider following the hashtag #DSMA. It stands for diabetes social media advocacy and every Wednesday from 9-10am (ET) there’s a chat with a different diabetes focus.
My topic was “Diabetes Connections:”
Q1: Do you have group support or a mentor (in real life) who supports your diabetes management? #WDDchat14
— Stacey Simms (@staceysimms) November 14, 2014
Q1. No. Until the #DOC, I didn't know another T1. But I do have a great family and a couple of friends who give me suppot. #WDDchat14
— Trip (@mydearpancreas) November 14, 2014
Q1. I think it is a definite "no" when it comes to mentor. Nope. #WDDchat14
— Lorraine (@Colcalli) November 14, 2014
Q1: I mentor people w/ diabetes, IRL & online and I have to tell you they mentor me! I also attend an insulinpump support group #WDDchat14
— Kelly / Diabetes (@diabetesalish) November 14, 2014
Q2: If you don't have support or a mentor IRL would you like to? If you do, how did you find that group/person? #WDDchat14
— Stacey Simms (@staceysimms) November 14, 2014
Q2. At my stage in life don't need more support. Just need a cure or better therapies. #wddchat14
— Laddie (@MNAZLaddie) November 14, 2014
https://twitter.com/type1nsons/status/533397848008953856
https://twitter.com/bleedingfinger/status/533398580438921216
Q3: We're all here online, the #DOC is great. Why do you think it's hard to find support in real life? What are the challenges? #WDDchat14
— Stacey Simms (@staceysimms) November 14, 2014
Q3. There's comfort in the separation between online/real life. Online we can share w/o it carrying over into our every day life #wddchat14
— R. Tomato (@Rc_Tomato) November 14, 2014
https://twitter.com/type1nsons/status/533400801398763521
@davidbrucedavis Yeah, I think I like it b/c I am generally wary of the judgments IRL – had quite a bit when I was in school #wddchat14
— R. Tomato (@Rc_Tomato) November 14, 2014
Q4: What would you hope to gain from meeting with a group/mentor IRL? Support, advice, local resources, etc? #WDDchat14
— Stacey Simms (@staceysimms) November 14, 2014
Q4. Whether IRL or online, I look for people who 'get it'. Nothing better than finding others going through similar things. #WDDchat14
— Renza / Diabetogenic (@RenzaS) November 14, 2014
Q4. I also love to meet people for the first time and prove to THEM they are not alone #wddchat14
— StephenS (@StephenSType1) November 14, 2014
Q4. Just knowing that there is someone to ask questions or address a problem without judgement is a huge relief. #WDDChat14
— Trip (@mydearpancreas) November 14, 2014
q4:What do I hope to gain from meeting w/ a group/mentor IRL? Support, laughter, understanding, knowledge #metoos, #cupcakes 🙂 #WDDchat14
— Kelly / Diabetes (@diabetesalish) November 14, 2014
Q5: How can your local diabetes resources (JDRF, ADA, HCP, etc) help PWD better connect? Would you want their help? #WDDchat14
— Stacey Simms (@staceysimms) November 14, 2014
Q5 OMG, how about hold meeting other than an Expo or Walk, that would be a start #WDDchat14
— David Bruce Davis (@davidbrucedavis) November 14, 2014
https://twitter.com/verylightnosuga/status/533405978801500160
Q5. Nearly every JDRF chapter has an outreach coordinator. If you wanna start something up or get on the mailing list, call them #wddchat14
— StephenS (@StephenSType1) November 14, 2014
These are just a few answers and part of the conversation. You can check out the entire day on Twitter by searching the hashtag #WDDchat14. It may take a while to read them all, though. Remember, it was 24 hours!
Looking forward to doing this again next year. Especially because I got some great feedback:
@staceysimms Thank you for your time! Another great hour! #WDDChat14 May the good bg fairy be with you! pic.twitter.com/F2ASICiDoO
— Trip (@mydearpancreas) November 15, 2014
Great summary Stacey! It was an awesome hour and you were a fantastic host. Thanks for everything you do!