Online Communities for Cancer Support

Lunch with friends. And you DO NOT want the topic of conversation every single week to be YOUR cancer. And even if you wanted the world to rotate around YOU– because hello, let’s get real, most days your mortality is more important to you than your friend’s dishing of professional workplace dirt–often your friends try as they may, don’t always GET IT.

Who does get it? Someone who has been there. Someone who IS THERE RIGHT NOW.

Which is why a social community is such a great source of support, information and yes, FUN.

Some communities remain chat rooms and bulletin boards, while others have evolved into true multi-feature dynamic communities.

General Requisites for Most Social Communities:

• Create a password
• Submit your email address
• Choose a user name-your name in the community
• Decide how much or how little about yourself you want to share
• Picture time-your smiling face or not

Stumbling along in the user community I’ve discovered a few things that are helpful.

Use an alternative email address for your community messages. It’s much easier and tidier to keep all facets of your world separate.

Do share about yourself. Chances are there is someone out there who does get you, right where you are in your journey. Cancer battlers have more things in common than you might think.

Visit often and comment. You are an important part of the community.

Put up a picture. It makes everything more personal. Or how about an avatar?

Places to get an avatar:

Yahoo Avatars

Meez

Many social communities also give you free, create your own blog options and/or create your own page options.

The best way to find your way around these communities is to just, (sorry) DO IT.

Wander around, make friends, invite friends and remember, when all else fails, try the HELP icon.

Great Online Communities for Cancer:

My Crazy Sexy Life, author Kris Carr’s site. I love this site and if you visit stop by and say hi to me.

My Planet Cancer. This site has so much going on you will keep going back to check it all out.

BreastCancer.org provides chat and bulletin board options.

Teens Living With Cancer, a project that keeps growing.

The Cancer Compass Message Boards cover many types of cancers.

OncoChat, cancer support on the internet.

The American Cancer Society’s virtual community is a vast network of many cancer topics.

Susan G.Komen For the Cure, Message Boards.

Facebook, a social utility connects groups of people. You must join first and then search for communities OR create your own.

Have an online community you’d like to share? A message board you’ve found helpful? Be sure to send a link in the comments and I’ll feature it in the Friday News.

A final word. This is the internet and you should always follow safe guidelines. There are posers out there.

For more information on safety on the internet: National Cyber Security Alliance.