I view DietHobby as a personal, digital, online “scrapbook”.

“Scrapbooking” is a method, an art for preserving, presenting, and arranging personal information, such as pictures, articles or other material, in a book or other storage facility.

When I post here at DietHobby, I am sharing my digital scrapbook.

By “sharing”, I mean that I am allowing others to use or have something of mine, something I possess. 

That something that I “possess” is various information, my own opinions, or selected opinions of others that I find to be personally helpful or interesting.

Sometimes when discussing DietHobby with others, I’ve been asked: “Who is your target audience?”

A "target audience" is particular group of people, identified as the intended recipient of a message. This is a marketing concept.

Marketing involves the transfer of goods or information from a seller to buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.

Content marketing is the process of developing and sharing relevant, valuable, and engaging content to a target audience with the goal of acquiring new customers or increasing business from existing customers. 

It is also about creating interesting information that your customers are passionate about so they will actually pay attention to you.

Selling vs. Sharing

There is a difference between
sharing and selling.
Selling is good.
Sharing is good.
They’re not actually the same, though.

Example 1:

When Luke goes to childcare, he receives two cookies as a snack.
If he says to another child:
          “Hey, wanna share my cookies?”
…he means,
          “I have something to give to you, and I expect nothing in return.”

It's a matter of: This is mine, and I would like to GIVE you some of it.
That’s “sharing”.

Example 2:

Sarah is aware that if she wants to move into a new house, first she will need to do something with her old one.
If she says to someone:
         “I’m thinking of selling my house.”
… she means,
          “I have something, and I would like to exchange it for money.”

It's a matter of: This is mine, and I would like money for it.
That’s “selling”.

Example 3:

Tim goes to the store to buy a new shirt.
If the clerk at the store says:
          “I’m so excited to share this shirt with you.”
… she means,
          “I’m really uncomfortable with SELLING so I’ll call it SHARING, and maybe you won’t notice it’s not free.”

It's a matter of: "This is mine and I would like money for it, but I don’t want to draw your attention to that".

Lesson:

Be aware of sellers who don’t use selling words.
Sharing is free.

“Sharing” means I’m allowing others to use or have something that I possess.

“Selling” means I’m willing to exchange or deliver something for money or some equivalent value, or to persuade others to buy things.

 

There is no marketing, no customers,
no buying or selling here at DietHobby.
No "targeted audience". 
I post my information online where it can be accessed
by the others who choose to do so. For me, it’s a matter of:

“Here it is.  Look or don’t look.
Take what you like and leave the rest”.

DietHobby was created for my own personal, recreational enjoyment, and to further my own interest in Dieting as a Hobby. Although I am pleased to share it with others, and I hope it will prove to be helpful to those who share my interests, this is not a primary goal of mine.  Everyone, including me, talks inside their head. Here at DietHobby, I'm choosing to visually record some of my own thoughts, so I can easily access them at future times, and share them with those who are interested.

Note: My "Ask Grandma" videos, are a bit of an exception in that they were prepared for a specific YouTube population during a time when YouTube was an ongoing community.   The original videos were deleted by a hacker. Deleted with each of them were the many thousands of views earned, and the many hundreds of comments posted by viewers, along with ratings, and the original detailed descriptions and annotations posted by me, Dr. Collins, the YouTube Grandma on my first YouTube channel, DietHobby. All 50 of these videos are now posted here at DietHobby in GRANDMA'S HOUSE.

I totally agree with the
great article below.
I wish everyone could read & understand this.

If You’re Concerned About
Your Fat-Loved-One’s Health
                 by Ragen Chastain,
                     @ danceswithfat

This is a question I get a lot, and I got it five times yesterday so it seems like it’s time to blog about it. It goes something like this:

“We love our fat [loved one], but we’re concerned about their health.
We think they need to lose [insert number of pounds.]  
How do we tell them that we love them as they are,
but we are afraid for their health,
and we want them to be around for a long time?”

I know that people dealing with this have the best of intentions, and I know that they are living in a society that encourages them to do this. Still, I think it’s something to think over very, very carefully.

First, consider that there is not a single study of any weight loss method where more than a tiny fraction of people actually lose weight, and the weight they lose is typically a few pounds.

The odds of actually losing a lot of weight and maintaining that are basically lottery odds, gaining back the weight is a near certainty, and a majority of people gain back more than they lost,
so if you’re worried about the person’s weight now, suggesting that they attempt weight loss might actually be the worst possible advice that you can give.


To take that a step farther, I would suggest that everyone who wants to be involved in this intervention ask themselves the following:

"Why do I think that this adult isn’t capable of making decisions for their own health?  Have they asked that folks comment on their body size/health/choices? Do I think they haven’t heard the (highly questionable) messages that thinner is better? Do I feel that I have some accurate expert information that they haven’t heard before?"

Hint:  The answer to this last question is almost certainly “no.”
And, If you’re planning to quote Dr. Oz, you’re making a horrible mistake.


How are you going to bring this up?  Say your intended script out loud – have someone say it to you.

I think you’ll find that there is really no way to say “We think you’re going to die if you don’t do something that nobody has proven is possible, for a reason that nobody has proven is valid, and that would really be a bummer for us” that isn’t offensive or hurtful.

If you are still thinking about speaking with with this person, I would think long and hard about what information/options you think you can actually offer that they haven’t already heard, and if  your unsolicited advice in this matter is really likely to do anything other than rack them with guilt and shame that may be with them for the rest of their lives, or lead them to do something truly dangerous (and possibly deadly) like drugs, stomach amputation surgery, or medical contraptions, or worse. If your discussion drives this person to dangerous or self-harming behaviors, how will you feel about that?

Are you really prepared to accept the consequences, and your responsibility for them? Remember that you can’t take this conversation back.

Once you tell someone that you have a problem with their size (even if it’s “just about their health”), you’ve let them know that you are judging them for the body they live in 100% of the time, and for what you perceive their habits, behaviors, and health to be.

It’s possible that, no matter how good your intentions, this may drive a wedge between you as they now assume that every time they see you,  you are judging their body/health/behaviors, and it may create a situation where they are no longer comfortable being around you. That’s a completely valid response on their part to you choosing to share your judgment, unsolicited opinions, and inexpert advice with them.

Be aware that you may ruin your relationship with this person, and if that happens it’s on you, for busting out the unsolicited, unwanted judgment and advice.  

From a personal perspective, I am “Type 3 – Super Obese” It’s as fat as you can get on the BMI chart, a category above “Morbidly Obese” and if my family members came at me to tell me that they had made up a number of pounds they thought I needed to lose to be healthy, so I didn’t bum them out by dying, suggesting the same things that I’ve heard and tried already, I would be pissed off, and it might ruin those relationships completely.

Basically, I assume that if someone actually wants my opinion about their size, health, habits, or anything else, I will be among the very first people to know. Until them, I don’t make it my business.

No amount of time is ever guaranteed with any loved one. 
I would recommend enjoying the time you have with someone,
and not jeopardizing your relationship for a conversation
that’s not likely to have any benefit,
and could do some serious harm.