DSMA: A Belated Valentine

Rather than a good book, fall in love with a good blog or at
least thank you for stopping by and making me think you are!  

The prompt for this month's Diabetes for Social Media Advocacy Blog Carnival is to let your readers, commenters, and lurkers know just how much you care about them.  I delayed writing this Valentine until the end of the month, because I thought it would be great to thank you before I begin this year's Slice of Life Challenge in which I will attempt to blog every day during the month of March and comment on at least three other bloggers.  I did accomplish this last year, but I also have to encourage my graduate students to make it through the month, so it may be a little hard as I resolve to read and comment on their blogs daily, not just the three required by the challenge.  

I do know that people stop by my blog and I know that they read it when they tell me face to face, write comments on Facebook or share the link on Twitter.  Until I participated in last year's SOLC, I didn't think that I cared about a readership until people actually started reading my blog and commenting on it. I especially value those who take the time to comment on my blog because I know that is not easy to do.  Sometimes when I read I blog, I don't know what to say, but I always try to leave a comment just to let the writer know about the impact of their words.  

Readers, commenters, and lurkers thanks for stopping by, you let me know that my words mattered on some level.  Writing digitally is different from writing on paper in that I can control who sees my words, but with digital writing the possible audience adds a layer of excitement.  I learned this last year too.  I do know that words have power too.  

I don't just blog about diabetes here and I don't just blog about teaching here, but I do blog about my life and what matters to me in hopes to make a little more sense of it. I blog to think, to share and to educate. My hopes are that you understand a little more about the world of teaching and diabetes, because stories matter. 

I'll be writing more than ever in March after all it is the Slice of Life Writing Challenge. Maybe you'll join me!  If not, Happy Belated Valentines!  Thanks for taking the time from your busy sojourn around the planet to make a brief stop here!