Hmm… well now, this is an odd predicament I’ve found myself in. I got an email today from a fairly well known candy producer (one of which I happen to love to reach for when my blood sugars are low) suggesting I join their online community.
Apparently they produce no-sugar added products and have partnered with the Canadian Diabetes Association to create this networking community of like-minded diabetics such as myself. If I join, they will publish the title of my blog posts, as well as the first few sentences of each post. And if their readers want to see the full article, they will then be pushed to my site.
The obvious benefits are increased exposure, increased traffic to my blog, and a forum to connect with other diabetics. Seems win-win, especially given that I set out this year to double my blog traffic by the end of the year.
However, here’s where I shy away. Unlike several other diabetic bloggers, I’ve kind of snubbed the diabetic community. I am not a member of DOC, or D-Life, or Tudiabetes, or any other diabetic specific forums. The reason: sometimes I feel like people see me only as diabetes, and I feel that if I attach myself to these communities, that will further ignite those thoughts. But the thing is, I am more than just diabetes, this disease does not define me, and I have spent years fighting against that typecast. And yes, I know my blog largely has to do with diabetic related stuff, but it also has to do with running, cycling, aqua jogging, hiking, etc., etc.. And I know it’s silly, because I have met some incredible diabetics through this blog, and I am sure the benefits of even larger diabetic communities are huge, but I don’t know, the fear of succumbing to that one perceived identity holds me back.
And then, there’s the whole no-sugar added business. I’ll be honest, I am not generally a fan of no-sugar added products. I have lived three quarters of my life with people telling me I can’t eat this and I can’t eat that, and there were several years where I tried to listen, and opted for things like sugar-free chocolates. However, these were in the days when I did not have self control, and did not look closely at warning labels, or ingredients, and would just mow down on the first thing I desired. Let me just say, mowing down on a box of sugar-free chocolates is NOT a smart idea. There was one Christmas where I was sure I had the norwalk, but nope, it was just that good, old-fashioned, sugar-free laxative effect!
I have since gained an appreciation for self-control, but I have also gained an appreciation for what exercising my body can do for me. I do not have to avoid sugar as long as I take care of my body. If I want a piece a chocolate, or a piece of cheese cake, or a scoop of ice cream, I just got to work a little harder for it – and I’m okay with that.
Trying out the new Leonidas in Vancouver… first discovered the beauty of this place and its wonderful chocolates while visiting Ghent, Belgium last year.
So what do I do? Do I accept the offer and risk increasing traffic to my site, or do I continue to snub the online diabetic community and continue to average the same decent, but not super fantastic, site visits day in and day out?
What would you do?