What is a blog and why does AADE have one?
Apr 16, 2010, 01:00 AM
When I was asked to be an AADE “blogger,” I was excited! But first, I had to figure out what that meant. I am pretty good with a computer, and I can put together a good PowerPoint presentation, but I have never blogged… Well, it’s time to catch up to 2010! So, to find out what this was all about, I looked at the Wikipedia entry for “blog.” This is what I learned.
The term blog was coined in 1997. It came from a combo of “web log” when the term “weblog” was split to “we blog.” A blog is a noun meaning a type of website with commentaries, news, online diaries, descriptions of events, etc. A blog can have words, images, and links to other web pages or blogs. Blog can also be a verb meaning “to maintain or add content to a blog.” And, those who participate in a blog are called “bloggers.” I am just one of three bloggers who will be contributing for AADE’s new Association Blog.
Why does AADE need a blog? We are a group of 12,000 multidisciplinary healthcare professionals. We are dedicated to the care of people with diabetes and related chronic conditions. But we are also men and women; we are parents, grandparents, children, aunts and uncles; we have spouses, partners, friends, and colleagues; we work with people with diabetes and other conditions (some related and some not); we work in every setting imaginable; we have outside interests and hobbies; we do recreational and sport activities; and, we come from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We have so much to offer and learn from each other. This blog is a great way to celebrate our community, ask questions, and share our perspectives.
So, we want you to be a blogger, too! Blogs are meant to be interactive. To have a great blog, we would like to find out what you want to blog about.
Iris started our blog with a professional topic about making the most of group classes. Carla joined in with a blog about balancing professional and personal life. I would like to find out what you want to blog about.
What questions, comments, inquiries, challenges, and successes have you had? We can “talk” about the practice of diabetes education and/or being a diabetes educator. Do we want to blog about getting credentialed? Or how we balance work with the rest of our lives? Or, how to market or increase participation in diabetes education programs? Do you have something unique and interesting you are doing? We want to know.
So, come to the Blogosphere! Join us as we blog, interact, and share ideas, thoughts, and questions. I look forward to hearing from many of you as we kick off this wonderful, interactive AADE blog!