“It seems the most popular thing about Diabetes Blog Week is that it helps us find blogs we weren’t reading yet and connect with some new blog friends.  With that in mind, let’s kick off Diabetes Blog Week by making some new connections.  Think about the d-blogs you read that you think we may not know about and introduce us to one that you love!!  Let’s all find a new friend today!”

There are a great number of posts detailing blogs you know and blogs you may not know right here. The fun part of this exercise is that everyone has their own unique take on this prompt. So it’s not a question of where there is overlap, but how each person spins it. Me? I’m going for the n00b approach. It seems like there’s an introduction happening on Twitter or Facebook of a new member of the diabetes online community. This is exciting. But for people who are literally just getting started after searching ‘diabetes’ on Twitter, here are a few places to get you started. Follow these people and you’ll be instantly connected to the rest of the online community.

It’s magic. Or is it science?

First up, Kerri. I call her “patient zero” for the online community. I’m sure there are other diabetes blogs that pre-date hers, but she was the first person I found (and the third overall person I followed on Twitter). I don’t even remember how I found Six Until Me, but I’m glad I did. Read her blog, follow her on Twitter, (follow her husband too, he’s kind of a big deal) and prepare for conversations about birds, disco boobs, and real talk about life with diabetes. Any time I hype the online community to someone looking for more information I send them to Kerri’s blog. Go there and you’ll agree with my recommendation.

Then there’s Cherise. If you want to get an idea of what the online community is capable of, follow the hashtag #dsma on Twitter each Wednesday night. Cherise is responsible for that madness. People rearrange their schedules for that hour because of the constant flow of information, laughs, tears and shared enjoyment of that Twitter chat. Follow her and you may be overwhelmed with retweets and discussion topics but the point is that they are in one central location. Indulge at your discretion and be amazed at the level of participation that occurs – all because of her.

Finally. Scott Johnson and George Simmons. It was too difficult to pick one of these two, and quite frankly, they are a bit inseparable. Simply stated, there are no two better people I know than Scott and George. Genuine good souls. The phrase “he’s good people” was created with them in mind. Keep up with these two guys and you will experience unmistakable joy, and you’ll never want to give that up.

So there you have it. No longer should you be afraid of the diabetes online community. If you’re just getting started, I can’t think of a better group of people to be your ambassadors into this madness…I mean…family of strangers.