Administrators
Have you ever wondered who makes decisions to keep our site running? Who decides policy implements new programs keeps the site human and make sure we raise enough money to pay the bills? It is our administrators. We have some great ones. Today as the second part of my series about people who do not get enough credit for what they do for us, I want to focus on a group who traditionally forgo recognition, but who deserve so much, they are the administrators of our site.
First let’s make the number one observation: being an administrator is hard work and no they are not paid. They talk daily about the direction of the site. In a typical day administrators communicate with 40 plus emails about our site. They discuss problems, and opportunities that are presented by the members of the site and chart a course forward. They also plan where we are going and the extent to which policies or procedures need to be amended.
So who are these people who make tough decision and keep out site operational? Well some you know and others perhaps you have not met. Here is a brief admittedly superficial profile.
Lorraine – What you really need to know about Lorraine is Caleb, who is her son. Caleb is a type 1 diabetic and when it comes to a mom’s to sensibility about how the community can help parents, Lorraine offer is in droves. She is expert in school treatment of diabetic children, not because she has especially trained but because she has lived the issue. Look at the pictures of Caleb playing baseball, and you know instantly that she is a perfect administrator for our site. Loraine balances the rigors of life as a mom of a diabetic child, and life as an administrator on this site. That is a big load and she deserves our thanks for doing that balancing act.
http://www.tudiabetes.org/profile/Colcalli
Brian – Is a type 2 diabetic and I hope he won’t mind if I say he is a bit of a diabetic nerd. Brian can often be found commenting on technical discussions and weighing in on discussions of etiquette and common sense on our site. If Brian is around you know the interests of type 2’s will be represented, but so will type 1’s he sees things fairly and we are lucky to have him. Also if you want to know about Brian look at the bottom of the main page and you will see a picture of him and Jrtpup (Barbara) who recently passed. Barbara once told me he is one of the kindest men she had ever met.
http://www.tudiabetes.org/profile/bsc
Gary – is a type 2 and he is one heck of a nice guy. He cares deeply about our community and he works hard to make sure this community is sensitive to all needs of our members. If you want to learn about Gary start with Tennessee and NASCAR. He is a fan of both and when he is in the chat room he offers calm decent guidance. Gary gives great advice about pumps, type 2 diabetes and how to keep your cool in the face of difficult circumstances.
http://www.tudiabetes.org/profile/Stmwndr
David- is our newest administrator and frankly he is one of the funniest. I nominated David this past year for the comedy award. If you need a pun, a movie line, a song lyric, ask David. He can name at random movie lines like few people I have ever seen. David is also a type 2 and he rounds out the team giving us excellent balance which is reflective of our community. While no one I know has ever assessed the exact ratio of type 1 and 2’s in our community I believe his addition makes the administrative team closer to the ratio of type 1 and 2’s in our community.
http://www.tudiabetes.org/profile/DavidSQ
Marie B – no one knows more about this site than Marie. Marie is a type 1 but she is everywhere and helps everybody. When she welcomes new people she gives them direction about where people can find information seek out help or get comfort. Marie is our cheerleader best critic and chief information officer. When Marie talks about our community she talks first about service. We are truly blessed to have her guiding our community.
http://www.tudiabetes.org/profile/MarieB
Bradford - is our lead administrator. Bradford is a type 1 and he is the guiding hand behind the group. If you want to know about Bradford think about Running, Biking, and Swimming. He is one of the most active members in our community. Bradford is a professor Xray technology and he has proudly worn the red jersey in the Tour De Cure events. He plans his life around physical activity and to boot he is a a fellow Eagle Scout, something that resonates with me. He is also one darn good lead administrator.
http://www.tudiabetes.org/profile/Bradford
These administrators guide our site, and keep our community humane. What you like about our community comes from this group and those administrators who have worked so hard in the past to lay the ground work. Today, check out the home pages of our administrators and say thanks for all the hard work they do, they deserve it.
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