Things can sometimes go very wrong on Social Media Platforms. I just experienced it first hand. As part of my volunteer work as a board member for the American Diabetes Association (Indiana Market), I am an administrator for the Facebook Fanpage. I recently posted an eZine article I found about natural ways to cure diabetes – namely diet and exercise.
And then things went downhill. And I deserved it. I posted the article with the best of intentions; to help encourage people to exercise and eat healthy and to discuss the difficulties of this life-long journey. Rightly so, some readers took offense as neither the article nor my comments about the article clarified that Type 1 diabetes cannot be cured with diet and exercise alone and that we should’ve clarified sometimes Type 2 can be helped or slowed through life style changes. It is absolutely awful to know that I offended the very people I try to help.
Those who took offense had every right. I didn’t think before posting the article and there is a horrible stigma and blame against Diabetes – that it isour fault for not taking care of our bodies. When I tell people I am insulin dependent, they are usually shocked because I’m not overweight. When I contact people to help me Stop Diabetes by donating, they answer back with “Well, if people would just eat better, they wouldn’t have this disease. But you’re different, you eat very healthy so it’s not your fault.” It’s no one’s fault. No one deserves this horrible disease.
The truth is, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that develops suddenly, cannot be prevented and must be managed with insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that develops more gradually, can sometimes be prevented and can often be managed through diet, exercise and, sometimes, medications or insulin. Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy due to elevated blood glucose levels and can raise a person’s risk for type 2 diabetes later on in life. Diabetes develops when the body either does not produce the insulin it needs or does not produce or use insulin effectively. As a result, blood glucose levels can rise to dangerous levels. Diabetes is a chronic disease with no cure and it must be managed every day to help prevent complications.
OK, lesson in diabetes is over. Back to Social Media. So when I posted this article, several readers voiced how they were offended and attacked me saying I didn’t know what I was talking about, etc. Hundreds of people read these comments and it spread to forums beyond Facebook. I had unintentionally discredited both myself and the American Diabetes Association.
How do you go about fixing this issue?? Remove the article?
The answer is Humility. And not being ashamed to admit I made a mistake. I apologized for not having been more thoughtful to this sensitive issue. I apologized for having discredited the ADA. I assured that I would be more careful next time. No excuses. Just a heartfelt apology. And then the ADA and I discussed processes on how we can avoid such issues in the future, how we can respond faster, and discussed the need to train volunteers more.
Lesson Learned: Negative reactions will appear; you are never immune to it no matter how experienced you are. When the negative reaction is due to a mistake on your part, and not just a difference of opinion, Apologize. The best way to deal with it is not to quickly erase the article, post something new, and pretend it never happened. Accept that we are all human and we make mistakes. Be respectful. Be transparent. Be heartfelt. And work hard to turn the negative experience into a positive one. Fix your processes. Then move forward.
Disclaimer: This blog belongs to Sollé Coaching. The views expressed here belong to Sollé Coaching alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Diabetes Association.
Related posts:
- 6 Things I Want People To Know About Diabetes
- World Diabetes Day
- 6 Things I Want People To Know About Diabetes -By A Husband (Ali Yilmaztuerk)
- I’m Finally On Twitter. Now What?? 10 Steps To Get Started
- 3 Steps To Creating Content for Social Media
In the online world, people don't want hard-selling. They don't want you to go on and on about your services. (excerpt from On Social Media - No One Cares About You)
Thank you for this insightful article. I know the author via different social media channels, and can attest for her honesty and good intentions.
Keep up the good work, and never stop following your goal of supporting the ADA.
Itai – thank you so much! I can’t tell you how timely your kind words are and what a great encouragement they are. Thank you from the bottom of my heart my friend.
Always, Gunes. I can see all the hard work you put into it, and how passionate you are vis-a-vis this topic. If only this country had more people like yourself….
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One suggestion for managing diabetes is to keep your diet under control. Do not eat a lot of unhealthy foods, instead, eat fruits, vegetables, lean cold cuts, oily fish and unsaturated fats. You’ll feel far better and there will be a visible difference.
Hi Type2; the clarification that is necessary (and that got me into trouble initially with that article) is that diet alone is not the answer for Type1 diabetes; but you are right in that eating healthy foods – whether Type 1 or 2 or Gestational diabetic or a healthy person – does make a difference in how we feel. How long have you had diabetes?
Best advice for anyone with an ailment or dis-ease: know your blood type and what foods work best with your blood type; research outside the practicing physician…knowing alternative options are available, read articles or books on the mind and heart; evaluate and recognize the social and environmental factors that create an imbalance (dis-ease in the body). I am a firm believer in one can heal their life or dis-ease as well as maintain balance with alternative solutions with encouraging outcomes. Not only am I am firm believer, I am submersed in a community of people who are living proof (eg, 60 yr old man with diabetes on an unlimited fast-been 8 weeks of liquids, no meds…his levels are fine). Hum!! Know thy body. According to, “You Can Heal Your Life” diabetes probable cause may generate from a similar mindset: “longing for what might have been. A great need to control. Deep sorrow. No sweetness left.” As anything, each day is new journey which means we have the ability to change our destiny at any given time. The body regenerates various part more often than we think. Question is how does one feed their soul? What thoughts! What social environments? What -isms dictate our practices, what mental patterns are projected onto others, etc. Just know every thought is creating our future and when we love ourselves, everything in our life works.