# DiDkA  Diet drinks awareness campaign UPDATE



## am64 (Feb 10, 2010)

Ok folks I have been threatening an update on the campaign

Firstly for all you newbie’s or members who have missed this campaign this is brief synopsis as to WHAT is going on.
On the 1st of February our member SugarBum started a thread about how she had got caught out on the dreaded  sugar free/sugar full problem that many Diabetics encounter on a day to day basis. This lead to a discussion about how dangerous this can be and we were reminded of the case of another member who worked in a ‘fast food outlet’ where the staff had switched the hoses for a joke. But as we all know this is not a joke! So the idea of the Diet Drink Awareness campaign surfaced!

And it went pretty quickly......within 24hrs it was out to the world on the internet with our own face book group being created( now 385 members.) 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=316737847666&ref=nf
“Going out to pubs, bars and restaurants is difficult at the best of times when you're dealing with diabetes. 
What makes it even more difficult is the extremely limited choice of diet drinks that are available. Usually there's just the one:
Diet Coke.
Now this would be all very well and good if you always got what you ordered. But so many people out there who are dealing with diabetes find that they are actually being served regular, full sugar drinks. 
This is not only poor service, but can be extremely dangerous!”

Thanks to our resident bloggers face bookers and twits (?)

And more of you started to tell your stories.....thank you. 
This has now become SERIOUS !

Well to date we have started to get organised. Sacred Heart and myself (with the backing from Northerner) have put our heads together and devised a cunning plan...
The first part was to get a name and so we had the poll.
The overall winner of the poll was DiDkA pronounced  ‘did...car’ However the thread brought up more excellent ideas ...
DD4D, DRENCH, DAB  were great except because we already have the face book site called 'diet drink awareness', we considered changing the title would be confusing. 
We then looked at the other contenders suggested by the site
DiDA, DDAC, DiDaC  as well as DiDkA as voted by you.  Thanks to a hot tip from Salmonpuff, we checked out the potential web addresses available
DiDA, DDAC DiDaC   are available on me.uk Which i would be suspicious of ...never heard of it...
Whereas DiDkA.... ....it’s the only one that let us buy the good web address ie a .net .org .co.uk
So finally we are  known as DiDkA !! hooray 

Now for the logo ...but I will explain in a new thread because its quite exciting....and also DiDkA needs help!! New thread regarding volunteers!! Coming soon!!
Thank you for all your work DiDkA supporters!!


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## rossi_mac (Feb 10, 2010)

Brilliant work you people, DiDkA is brilliant, buy that webspace (wo)man!


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## Northerner (Feb 10, 2010)

rossi_mac said:


> Brilliant work you people, DiDkA is brilliant, buy that webspace (wo)man!



Thanks for the update and all your hard work! (we're 'tweeters' who 'tweet' on Twitter - I think!)


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## Steff (Feb 10, 2010)

WOW well done to al involved it is amazing what can come from a thread x ty for the update am
p.s great choice of name as well


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## squidge63 (Feb 10, 2010)

Just joined the facebook page...


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## Viki (Feb 10, 2010)

I like the hidden "DKA" - a reminder that messing with a diabetics sugar intake can have serious consequences!


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## Northerner (Feb 10, 2010)

Viki said:


> I like the hidden "DKA" - a reminder that messing with a diabetics sugar intake can have serious consequences!



Really clever!


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## ypauly (Feb 10, 2010)

Well done and keep up the good work


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## SilentAssassin1642 (Feb 10, 2010)

you know full well i'll join in with a bit of writtens tuff


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## HelenP (Feb 10, 2010)

I think it's fab that you organisers hve become some, um, well, organised, and got the ball rolling.   From little acorns etc etc.

Brill idea to have the facebook group - I won't be joining, though, as I have family members among my 'friends' and the word's not spread yet about me being diabetic.

But I'll be following the campaign with great interest.  

xx


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## am64 (Feb 10, 2010)

Northerner said:


> Thanks for the update and all your hard work! (we're 'tweeters' who 'tweet' on Twitter - I think!)



i prefer twits
thank you all for your kind comments!!


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## SacredHeart (Feb 10, 2010)

I thought you all might like to know that we've now broken 400 members on Facebook! And we're not even half way through the month. Let's see if we can get 1,000 members before the end of the month!


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## smile4loubie (Feb 10, 2010)

I send the link out to my profile/friend regularly. I want to volunteer when and where possible. xx


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## am64 (Feb 10, 2010)

smile4loubie said:


> I send the link out to my profile/friend regularly. I want to volunteer when and where possible. xx



thanks loubie i will post details soon !


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## Sugarbum (Feb 10, 2010)

This is great am64, thanks for the update. How exciting!!  I am so impressed of everyones really hard work. I would love to take a photo of the fashion victim useless twit that made the fatal error serving me a "normal" coke in the first to inc somehow into the logo- but perhaps not! 

Viki- GENIUS, YOU GENIUS! 

Im hanging to hear what I can do to help. Offically I am signing on the dotted line.....!


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## Adrienne (Feb 10, 2010)

This is fabulous, you have done great.   I sent the fb link out last week to about 200 odd and lots have joined already, I hope more do as well.

I love the name, I voted for this one as my fav.


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## SacredHeart (Feb 10, 2010)

Glad you guys are liking the name. 

News is that the campaign now has an email address - contact.didka(at)mail.com (Obviously turn (at) into @ !) 

You can also follow us on twitter! We're didkanews


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## SilentAssassin1642 (Feb 10, 2010)

follow @didkanews all you tweetaholics


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## Northerner (Feb 10, 2010)

salmonpuff said:


> follow @didkanews all you tweetaholics



twitter says it can't find it?


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## shiv (Feb 10, 2010)

yay! love it. i'm twitterphobic, but i'm still keen to support/be involved where you need people!


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## SacredHeart (Feb 10, 2010)

No worries about the twitter thing. We'll still be updating in other ways too!


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## katie (Feb 10, 2010)

here it is: http://twitter.com/didkanews

the search thing is rubbish!


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## Northerner (Feb 10, 2010)

katie said:


> here it is: http://twitter.com/didkanews
> 
> the search thing is rubbish!



Ah! Thanks katie - I was just getting some Bulgarian girl (Ditka is a diminutive of Diana over there). She's cute, but knows nothing about diet drinks!


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## HelenP (Feb 10, 2010)

Just an idea, not sure if anyone else has suggested it yet, but some of the BIG names on Twitter, like Jonathan Ross, Phillip Schofield, Stephen Fry, and various others, will often 'retweet' (I think that's the term) a worthy cause if you ask (I'm sure they get many many more requests than they actually follow up), just think how many thousands of people the DiDkA message would get out to .......................

To use my sister's favourite phrase..........."what's the WORST that could happen.......?"

Praps someone out there who's a twitter expert could do the honours......?

xx


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## SacredHeart (Feb 10, 2010)

That's a really good idea, Helen!


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## SilentAssassin1642 (Feb 10, 2010)

indeed a good idea! I'm not sure how we would grab their attention though?

well done SH and AM for getting this up and running. Pints in the pub right now!


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## SacredHeart (Feb 10, 2010)

WooHoo! 

I imagine that it might be worth waiting a bit till the website is up and running, but this is definitely something to look into


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## am64 (Feb 10, 2010)

HelenP said:


> Just an idea, not sure if anyone else has suggested it yet, but some of the BIG names on Twitter, like Jonathan Ross, Phillip Schofield, Stephen Fry, and various others, will often 'retweet' (I think that's the term) a worthy cause if you ask (I'm sure they get many many more requests than they actually follow up), just think how many thousands of people the DiDkA message would get out to .......................
> 
> To use my sister's favourite phrase..........."what's the WORST that could happen.......?"
> 
> ...



Brillaint idea..famous D who twitter might come on board...i have found dom littlewood but he hasnt tweeted for ages ....put it on the list Sacred Heart!!


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## SacredHeart (Feb 10, 2010)

Duly noted!


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## HelenP (Feb 10, 2010)

am64 said:


> Brillaint idea..famous D who twitter might come on board...



Oooh, is he a diabetic?  In that case, why not drop him a line, I'm sure it's something that might interest him?  I'm sure it might be worth a little featurette on one of his many shows - let's face it, they cover REALLY random things on The One Show - or maybe a little article in a column that he might write in some publication or other.  A quick 3 or 4 minute feature/couple of paragraphs on something like that would bring it to the attention of lots of people. 

Again.......................what's the worst that could happen? 

xx


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## am64 (Feb 10, 2010)

HelenP said:


> Oooh, is he a diabetic?  In that case, why not drop him a line, I'm sure it's something that might interest him?  I'm sure it might be worth a little featurette on one of his many shows - let's face it, they cover REALLY random things on The One Show - or maybe a little article in a column that he might write in some publication or other.  A quick 3 or 4 minute feature/couple of paragraphs on something like that would bring it to the attention of lots of people.
> 
> Again.......................what's the worst that could happen?
> 
> ...


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## Northerner (Feb 11, 2010)

am64 said:


> Brillaint idea..famous D who twitter might come on board...i have found dom littlewood but he hasnt tweeted for ages ....put it on the list Sacred Heart!!



I'm now following him - if he suddenly starts getting lots of followers on Twitter it might be another way he takes notice, so get following tweeters!

I had an idea, not sure if anyone's already thought of it. Does anyone have contacts with a University film and media/television department? Perhaps we could get some students to do a short video re-enacting some scenarios in pub/fast food place to dramatise the possibilities in a visual way? Then we could put it on Youtube and maybe reach a wider public.

Or, a photo story - perhaps Becky you and could get your actor friends could get together and take stills of a story? Pictures would help keep the Facebook group 'busy' and people always like to see some visual element in FB.


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## NiVZ (Feb 11, 2010)

What about Steve Redgrave?  Is he on Twitter?  As a diabetic (type 2 I think) I expect he might be interested also.

NiVZ

P.S Like the new group name, although is it bad I think it sounds like a DIabetic voDKA?


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## squidge63 (Feb 11, 2010)

Halle Berry, Liz Taylor, Sharon Stone, Jimmy Tarbuck, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Steve Redgrave and Vanessa Williams, Ann Rice

*Musicians*

Ray Anderson, jazz trombonist

Carol Channing, Tony Award-winning singer/actress in ?Hello Dolly?

Mark Collie, contemporary country star

David Crosby, member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Phife Dawg, rapper, (?A Tribe Called Quest?)

Mick Fleetwood, singer in rock band Fleetwood Mac

Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul

Shirley Horn, Grammy-winning jazz singer

Marvin Isley, singer, The Isley Brothers

Waylon Jennings, country singer

Nick Jonas, lead singer, the Jonas Brothers

B.B. King, rhythm and blues star

Patti LaBelle, pop singer

Tommy Lee, of heavy metal band Motley Crue

Meat Loaf, singer

Bret Michaels, lead singer of the rock group Poison

The Pump Girls

Jessica Stone, actress and singer

Elliott Yamin, singer

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Broadway composer

Neil Young, rock singer and guitarist

Norman Whitfield, Grammy-winning R&B producer and songwriter

although most of these are probably American


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## SacredHeart (Feb 11, 2010)

That's really incredibly helpful, Squidge. Tweeters, can we find any of these on Twitter?


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## Patricia (Feb 11, 2010)

Northerner, I know folks in a Uni drama/film department...AND one of the filmmakers' children are both T1 -- Adrienne, it's the Doubles.

I need all the ducks in a row before going to them... Becky or someone, can you send me an actual list of links (website, facebook, twitter address etc, with the blurb) -- if you think it's a good idea, I can then email it all through to a) head of arts b) head of drama and film and c) the good friend I have in Drama and d) Olly Double (filmmaker/stand up comedian).

The students are very active, and it's possibly a good time of year to get them doing a project outside of their usual performance projects...

You may want to wait though until we have a proper publicity plan: eg what kind of film do we want, how long? For what purposes?

Anyway, I'm here and more than happy to do what I can!

xxoo


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## Northerner (Feb 11, 2010)

Patricia said:


> Northerner, I know folks in a Uni drama/film department...AND one of the filmmakers' children are both T1 -- Adrienne, it's the Doubles.
> 
> I need all the ducks in a row before going to them... ...xxoo



I'd certainly agree with that Patricia, don't want to run before we can walk! But some excellent contacts by the sounds of it!


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## am64 (Feb 11, 2010)

Northerner said:


> I'd certainly agree with that Patricia, don't want to run before we can walk! But some excellent contacts by the sounds of it!


i have put up the help needed thread now ...so we can get a team on board to  plan out how/what/where and when 
thank you everyone x xxx


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## Northerner (Feb 11, 2010)

There's something new called 'Google Buzz' which appears to be some kind of Facebook/Twitter type thing. I'll try and work out how it works, might be another avenue of promotion.

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/introducing-google-buzz.html


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## Shelb1uk (Feb 11, 2010)

Hi all, am just about to be on hols for a week, but wanna get involved in helping with this great campaign 

I can use all my circle d contacts in anyway you need...just let me know what I can do, I sent an email to didka too to register my interest in helping...I know people with diabetes all over the uk and I'm sure some will be willing to help...just keep me updated...

woohoo


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## Becca (Feb 11, 2010)

It's Olly Double, he's a university lecturer as well as a comedian.  Here's his link to his DVD (which is very funny)  http://oliverdouble.com/page12.htm  He does have 2 sons with T1.  Here is the link to his facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=o...#!/group.php?v=info&ref=search&gid=8263766630

Also, Ian Botham has a child with T1.


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## Becca (Feb 11, 2010)

And also Justin Webb (not sure if he's been mentioned?) he used to be the BBC correspondent in America - he was on a lot when Obama got in.  He has a recently diagnosed child.


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## Adrienne (Feb 11, 2010)

Hiya

Philip Schofield's brother or mother is type 1, think brother.

I'm more than happy to email the Doubles, know Jacqui really well and met Olly last year and actually spoke to him on the phone last week !!

Patricia, up to you, happy for you to do that.

Not sure what I am supposed to be asking though?


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## am64 (Feb 11, 2010)

hold on for a little while so we can distribute an introduction press release to send ....but thank you for all your thoughts ideas and contacts 
amxx


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## Patricia (Feb 11, 2010)

Hiya

I think we wait and see what overall plans are. I only know 'of' Doubles tho have been in touch with jaqui... We can both try to approach, but necessarily from diff angles, which is probably v productive! I would be speaking as colleague wanting to venture upon project (my students may want to help write, for instance); whereas you would be approaching as friend and advocate. In uni terms, it's potentially interesting for daft reasons like r
research impact etc.... Really not a worthwhile reason on own to do anything, but the combination of that and 'righteousness' may swing it....!


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## am64 (Mar 11, 2010)

I am bumping this so newbies can find out about the campaign DiDkA


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## katie (Aug 23, 2010)

am64 said:


> Brillaint idea..famous D who twitter might come on board...i have found dom littlewood but he hasnt tweeted for ages ....put it on the list Sacred Heart!!



Looks like Dom Littlewood is back on twitter, might be worth a tweet. Is the Didka campaign still going?


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## SacredHeart (Aug 23, 2010)

It is still going. The problem is that I'm just really REALLY busy at the moment. I'm hoping to add more resources to the website, so that it's a really good source of information


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## am64 (Aug 23, 2010)

ha i mentioned it the other day in the pub i think ...yes its still going but im very busy re getting kids on to next stage ..gcseS out tomoorow then wales at weekend ....


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## Marc (Aug 23, 2010)

Thanks for the bump I tweeted on this about a week ago as several times I've been to gigs with a normal evening meal blood sugar reading to come home from the gig with a reading of 11 or so, having only drunk diet coke and not eaten anything. I think you could really do with getting a well written press release send it out to all press, radio and TV, machine gun it everywhere with contact details for someone they can interview, get quotes off etc.  Maybe see if Diabetes UK will come on board. 

Also maybe approach major pub chains make sure they are aware of the danger.

Marc


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## katie (Aug 23, 2010)

Let me know if you want me to do anything Becky, I'm free at the moment, just looking for a job!


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