One of the things we often discuss in the Diabetes Online Community is finding ways to extend our reach offline so that the support we feel can help people who can’t or don’t use the Internet. My experiences with Simonpalooza have given me some thoughts about this.

See, to the best of my knowledge, nobody was enticed to come to Simonpalooza by promises of ‘support’. I don’t think anybody crossed the country — or the globe — for ‘support’. instead, people came to meet friends, to laugh and to share stories, to gently tease each other and to eat barbecue. Yet, most if not all attendees left feeling a tremendous amount of support. The support happened, but it was the result of the stories,teasing, and barbecue rather than the reason for it.

To me, ‘support groups’ suggest uncomfortable gatherings in musty church basements or sterile hospital meeting rooms. I’ve attended support groups that were genuinely meaningful, but more that were pretty pointless. Support groups are probably worth doing, or at least trying, for many organizations. But I’m thinking, as we as the DOC seek to extend our reach into our non-virtual communities, it might be more effective to focus on getting people together socially than trying to form support groups. Once people start forming relationships, they’re more likely to find ways to better meet their joint needs.