Sheer Madness

Well, folks. It's up.

The Official Diabetes O.C. website is up and ready for a new year in our little corner of the blogosphere.

What's new? You might ask.

Uh, how about everything?

Brand-spanking-newly redesigned directory with a ton of new categories. You are all categorized in several different ways. You are now listed under your: age, location, type of treatment, gender, and also alphabetically. This is to help make it easier for people who are looking for those who are dealing with similar issues, like "I'm going on the pump. Who else is a pumper?" or "I'm from the Northeast. Who else is from the Northeast?"

I wanted to make it searchable by multiple fields, but that was a long and complicated database creation that would have taken about 100 hours of my unavailable time. So you're stuck with this. Maybe someday I will create a more detailed, searchable database, but right now, categories are what you're gonna get. I think if the O.C. reaches 1,000 blogs, I'll hire someone to put in the man hours to create a database. As it is, I have to enter everyone into five different areas, but ya'll are worth it.

The 2nd Annual Diabetes O.C. Awards page is also up. Woohoo! So go and read about it and vote for your nominees. Remember to pick at least 5 people. If too many people vote for the same blog, then we don't get enough nominees. Though I really don't think that will be a problem, because we have so many people you can nominate. Pretty much everyone is listed.

Ha, except for me.

I completely forgot to include myself in the nomination for Best Blog. I'm listed under Best Adult with Type 1 and Best Female Blogger, but not Best Blog. I actually was not listed in the O.C. after I switched back to Lemonade Life (why I kept neglecting myself with the number of hours I spend on this project, I will never know) but that's why I wasn't included in the initial list of Best Blogs. Oh well. I probably wouldn't have won anyway.

If you have any questions or concerns or problems with the O.C. Awards, please email me. It's kind of tricky if you are unfamiliar with how we do things, so don't feel embarassed or silly if you ask.

I would love to hear what you think about the new O.C. design. I really like that bridge. I stole it from the whole blogging beyond borders theme that came up a few weeks ago. I think a bridge is really representative of this whole group. Blogs building bridges between men and women, young and old, type 1 and type 2.

I hope you like it, so let me know if you do.

And if you don't like it, I don't want to hear it.

I spent dozens of hours on planning, designing, and producing this website, so if you don't like it, you better either find a really nice way of saying it or just don't say anything.

This is the perfect opportunity to heed your mother's advice, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

Edit 10:51 p.m.: Okay, okay, I'm not that completely inept at handling criticism. I don't want to sound like an uber-bee-yotch, so if you really do have an suggestion or concern about the new site, please let me know. I like feedback. Really, I do. I'm just... a little sore... from sitting in a hard, wood chair... typing for five hours straight...

I'm pretty sure I have about half the biographies of the O.C. memorized now.