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We're going to test-run a new idea on TuDiabetes:
"Ask Manny"
This mini-program will consist of short video clips of our Founder, Manny Hernandez, answering questions from members of this community. If you have not seen any videos of Manny, check out some of these. He's a fun and engaging speaker who cares deeply about people with diabetes!
So here's what we need: questions for Manny to answer!! Now, he's not a doctor, so no need to ask for medical advice (in fact, please don't ask anyone but your doctor for medical advice). But he knows a LOT about social media, the Diabetes Online Community (DOC), advocacy around the topic of diabetes, world statistic about diabetes, and of course Diabetes Hands Foundation and TuDiabetes. Please post your questions in the thread below.
This is awesome! It's like you read my mind... just yesterday I was looking to see if you had this. Woo!
My question: I still feel very much like there is heavy judgement, misunderstanding and stigma around Type 2 ("you did it to yourself", "why don't you just lose weight", "you deserve it if you don't take care of yourself", etc). I see this even from healthcare professionals - the judgmental looks and the impatience when you say you are struggling. What's the best way to respond to this when it happens?
Emily, that pic of Manny makes him look rather shy! LOL Are you sure he is ready to answer questions?
Just kidding, Manny is an excellent resource for the things mentioned above. I met Manny at the FFL conference in 2013, and he gave me a big hug! Really caught me by surprise. He is a super advocate for PWD's everywhere!!!
Did you start the Diabetes Hands Foundation and can you sum up in (somewhat) short order what it’s purpose is as compared to other diabetes foundations?
How can we, the DOC help in the advocacy around the topic of diabetes? Often the very folks who lead to march in advocacy, research, and well - information are the same ones that the DOC find objectionable in advice. I can only do so many walks, rides, and letters.
Also, I really appreciate you for all of your efforts. I suspect it is fun to travel far and wide, and I know you have an awesome 'gang' to run with. But I also suspect it can be a challenge. So Thank You :)
I'd like to ask about the social dynamics of a community like TuDiabetes. There are about 35,000 members, but how many of them are by some measure active in posting? And I know there are lots of people that just come to TuDiabetes and "lurk" without joining. Do they come from different places than most of our (active) members? How many of them are there? How does that compare with the number of active members? What are your thoughts on this "silent majority." Will some of them become members and be vocal or will they remain hidden.
And one last question. Do I only get one question?
Great questions, Brian. Especially since I remember being here when there were only 800 or 900 members: So few that Manny The Man himself had the time to teach me how to cut and paste! Long before he became the International Hero of the DOC--teehee.
I'm willing to bet you get as many questions as you want---if not, yours are so excellent, I'll cede you mine!....Blessings
when I see "ask manny" I think of Manny's Twitter profile, @askmanny. I always tell people new to Twitter to study how Manny uses it, because I think he uses it very effectively. I also enjoy seeing other interests he has besides diabetes. I'll never forget, once he got a tweet from someone who was doing a #FF (hashtag for Follow Friday, a shout out to someone on Twitter you think is worth following) it was
#FF @askmanny because he has thousands of followers, but makes you feel like you're the only one
Anyway, this week, a lot of TuDiabetes folks have been participating in the viral Tweeting about Miss Idaho wearing her insulin pump out during the swimsuit contest, and joining in the fun using the hashtag #showmeyourpump - it's been great!
I also use it whenever there's a big conference, Like Friends for Life, I follow the action by searching for whatever the hashtag is for the conference. Many PWDs participate in the Wednesday evening #dsma tweet-ups, and of course there's #BigBlueTest
I'd love to hear how Manny uses Twitter for diabetes advocacy, maybe tips, best practices, etiquette, and how to best show our love for our community here. Also, how does he handle following so many people? I check my @ mentions several times a day to make sure I haven't missed someone directly mentioning me, but I also like to look at almost everything the people I follow are tweeting about. I couldn't do this if I followed as many as he does.
I send best wishes daily to members celebrating birthdays, and wondered if we could contemplate a format in which we could make it feasible to re-integrate long "dormant" members. Members who have not commented in 2 years or more. The trickiness rests in the fact that they could still be quiet members....perusing but not actually actively partaking. In my birthday message, along with a note (to all) making them aware of our chat room, I include a comment to those "sleeping members" pertaining to their lapse of active involvement. It's frustrating, as there is no way of knowing if said member is actually perusing! (By the by....this "Ask Manny" is an awesome idea!!)
thanks....linda
