The Web Warren

I am personally involved, to one degree or another, in several online diabetes communities and social networks. Each has a different
set of features and a different communal attitude -- but what they all have in common is that they provide a level of psychological support for their members. In each, I find members who credit these communities for their continued quality of life.

Today, many of us work crazy hours, or we're single parents who can't drop off the children to head to a traditional support-group
meeting, or we're transportation-limited in some way or another. Online communities are in many ways the evolution of traditional support
groups into the digital space, providing support that transcends time zones and physical distance.

It is from these two premises -- the "any time, any where" support group and the testimonials of individuals -- that I am motivated
to actively support online diabetes communities -- both to be active in those communities and to spread awareness of their existence
and the positive results they produce.

For 34 years, a coalition of major computer user groups in the area I live have combined with The College
of New Jersey and the Princeton chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
to produce the annual Trenton Computer Festival (TCF). This festival is a grass-roots,
hobbyist-user event that includes presentations on anything and everything related
to the computerist hobby. The speakers are all "amateurs" in the original sense of the word: we speak because we enjoy what we are doing,
because we have something to tell the world (or at least, something to tell other hobbyists), and because we're foolish confident
enough to get up before a group of unknown size and composition and say it.

This year, my topic was "The Role of Online Communities in Diabetes Management" . My Saturday slide show ended up a bit too pedantic, aimed more towards a general-medical audience than a computer-geek audience -- but since I had about a half dozen people besides
my three "ringers",
I have to consider this a "qualified success".

For Sunday, I had to condense everything down into a "poster session". I had a tabletop display and a bunch of flyers, business cards, and other swag. This turned
out great! I was able to engage people as they passed by and examined the display and talk to them about online diabetes communities. I was able to suggest appropriate communities and resources. I was able to
give information to people to pass on to friends and family, to patients, and to other people they knew. And I now have a ready-made display to use at health fairs, street fairs, and other places where I can engage still more people...

I still have a bunch of "boothie" observations I need to postmortem, plus "thank yous" to write. I'm still on that emotional high that comes from making connections and helping people. Outreach can be a wonderful thing...