Reflections

It was just under 3 months ago that I started this blog, and it's definitely exceeded my expectations in terms of popularity and interest. My original vision for the blog was to incorporate it into the Diabetes Clinic where I work, as a lot of patients have asked for more information about current diabetes research - this was my inspiration. However, after some thought, I realized that perhaps I could use this project to make an impact through my circle of friends and my social networks instead.

Stats
Shakira's hips might not lie, but nor do view counts. My goal was to hit 1000 views by the end of the semester. At the time that I'm writing this post, I'm at 1002 views and counting! What's more is that these views come from an international audience from Canada, USA, Australia, and Germany (hurray for the World Wide Web). Finally, I've had the opportunity to partner with a former classmate of mine through sharing each other's blogs

Feedback
Besides numbers, I've also received a lot of feedback from my friends about the blog. Since my primary advertising platform was Facebook, many people have commented about the quality of the research studies and their own ideas on the topics. Also, some have messaged me about their thoughts on probiotic use as well as their own experiences with ketogenic diets. This is certainly a sign that my posts have helped to raise awareness of the importance of diet and exercise.

Learning Opportunities
I definitely learned a lot of valuable skills through this project. Not only did I get to practice finding and evaluating research evidence, but I also learned how to put it in simple terms - something that's too often forgotten in the "science bubble" where jargon is the norm.

Next Steps
Moving forwards, I plan to continue this project, as diet, exercise, and diabetes care are some of my main interests. If the opportunity presents, I'm hoping to approach the Diabetes Clinic to see if anyone would be interested in helping with the blog or if it could be an appropriate resource for patients. Also, I'll be looking into ways to broaden my audience through advertising, collaborating with other blogs, and word-of-mouth.