A couple of weeks after Medicine X, this poll was posed to the ePatient scholars:

Relative to your status as an ePatient:

• I’m all in. Just trying to figure out how ot dedicate more time and energy.
• I see myself as an expert, on par with highly paid consultants and speakers
• I’ve been inspired by others, it’s helping me think of next steps
• I have a lot to contribute, but not full time
• I’m inspired to explore being an ePatient more, but still not sure what to do
• I’m still on my own journey
• The idea of being seen as an expert is foreign or intimidating
• I’m new to all of this

If you could only choose one, which one would you choose?

I’ve commented on the thought that being an expert or thought-leader within the diabetes community terrifies me, and despite all outward appearances, I still have no idea what I’m doing here. But every now and then I come a little closer to refining and defining my role, as I see it, within the diabetes community.

I know there’s a broader conversation about how we can take the diabetes online community “offline”, and there are fine people working to that end. But I still think there’s more that can be done online.

I think that’s why I created this tumblr, this tumblr, that tumblr, and this tumblr. I’m trying to find ways to improve and increase online interactions among people with diabetes. Every one of these silly blogs is another experiment to see what will work. If I can put enough pieces together, maybe this puzzle will make a little more sense down the road.