This document discusses the benefits and cautions of using social media related to diabetes. It provides examples of social media platforms and blogs for connecting with others about diabetes experiences and education. Key benefits highlighted include accessing real-time support, educational content, and humor from others dealing with diabetes. However, cautions mentioned include varying treatment needs between individuals, relying too heavily on social media, and potential online safety issues.

1. Diabetes and Social Media
Kevin McMahon
type 1 technology ventures, llc
Marisa Hilliard PhD
Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital
Houston, TX

2. Support
● Real-time access at your fingertips
● Blogs, community forums, online groups:
● www.childrenwithdiabetes.com
● www.SixUntilMe.com
● www.BigFootChildHaveDiabetes.com
● Check out their links to other blogs
● Twitter, tweet-chats
● Diabetes social media advocacy @DiabetesSocMed
● Wednesdays 9:00 pm Eastern
● Follow #dsma to observe, answer questions, join
conversation

3. Learning
● Lots of access to educational content about diabetes
● Quality depends on source – be cautious
● Read disclosures, be aware of bias
● Look for Health on the Net logo (healthonthenet.org)
● Determine your trusted resources:
● Ask your diabetes team what sites they trust
● www.diabetes.org (ADA)
● www.ndep.nih.gov (NDEP)
● Talk about what you learn online with your care team!

4. Giving Back and Helping Others
● Share your story, it might help someone else!
● Take care to know your limits – sharing your
experiences is better than giving advice
● Share links to resources you know, like, and trust

5. Humor
● Everyone needs comic relief from diabetes sometimes
● Share a funny story online, laugh with someone else
● Humor websites:
● http://type1diabetesmemes.tumblr.com/
● http://www.diabetesmine.com/tag/sunday-funny
● http://www.textingmypancreas.com/search/label/cartoons
● http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/people/tidbits.htm

6. Cautions and Considerations
● Social media is a tool, careful not to make it your life!
● Your diabetes may vary (#ydmv):
● Personal opinions are not personal attacks
● Online information is not personal health advice
● What works for me may not work for you
● Bullies happen: ignore, block, and report.
● Safety first:
● Decide how much personal information to disclose
● An anonymous handle for you/your child is safer

7. Pick your favorite platform(s)