What I’ve learned . . .

What we’ve learned - Sunday 5/15: Last year, Wendy of Candy Hearts made a suggestion for this year.  She commented “I think Day 7 should be a post about stuff we've learned from other blogs or the experience of coming together online...”  Today, let’s do just that!!  What have you learned from other blogs - either this week or since finding the D-OC?  What has your experience of blogging the DBlog Week topics with other participants been like?  What has finding the D-OC done for you?  If you'd like, you can even look ahead and tell us what you think the future holds!

First, I want to send a huge thank you to everyone who participated in Diabetes Blog Week - the 182 bloggers who signed up, the Twitter users who tweeted about #DBlogWeek, the commenters who left such wonderful feedback on everyone’s posts, the lurkers who took the time to read what we had to say.  Without all of you, Diabetes Blog Week wouldn’t exist.

I’m not really sure how to sum up what I’ve learned this week.  I’ve gotten so much out of the past seven days that it seems impossible to put it all into words.  But here goes:

• Secretly worrying that the participant list will be much much smaller than last year is just silly.  (Last year we had 142 participants, this year we topped that by 40!!)
• Knowing the D-OC is enthusiastic, supportive and extremely creative is one thing.  But actually seeing it in action is quite another!
• Bloggers can Step Outside the Box and be braver than anyone could imagine.  And for better or worse, they will inspire me to step outside the box too.
• Things can go more wrong than I ever could imagine and I will have no control over them.  (Hello, Blogger shutting down and eating posts and comments right in the middle of DBlog Week.)  This is a great lesson in not being so OCD and not stressing about things I can not fix.
• The D-OC is always ready to jump in and help when ever they can.
• There are a lot more diabetes bloggers out there than I ever could’ve imagined.  We are SO not alone!
• Sometimes, I need to learn not to be so sensitive about things.  But on the other hand, being sensitive enough to cry over post after post after post is not a bad thing.
• Reading all of the new posts each day is impossible.  I will get to them all - but it’s going to take me quite a while.  I’m absolutely fine with that!
• It is possible that some people might be interested in doing this all again next year, for a 3rd Annual Diabetes Blog Week.  (Crazy thought, huh?) 

And last, but certainly not least . . .

• SUPPORT IS PRICELESS, THE D-OC ROCKS, AND I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!  (But, of course, I knew that long before Diabetes Blog Week!!)

Don’t forget to add your post to the What we’ve learned-Sunday 5/15 Link List.  Please enter YOUR BLOG’S NAME in the field marked Your Name and the link to YOUR SPECIFIC POST in the field marked Your URL.