An important guest post by George Pepper of shift.ms:
Shift.ms is an online community where people with Multiple Sclerosis can come together to support each other and share practical advice.
A diagnosis of MS often leaves people scared, anxious and isolated. We believe that the best way to combat these feelings is by helping newly diagnosed MSers talk to the people who know best – other MSers. Our community was founded in 2009 and now has over 11,000 members.
We’re currently bidding for funding from the Aviva Community Fund in order to develop an interactive map on our website. The map will help members of our community find other MSers near them so they can meet up, form new friendships and gain invaluable advice and support.
Map.ms will allow MSers to see that they are not alone. An independent evaluation of Shift.ms showed that although members receive a great deal of support online, they would also like to meet face-to-face. We believe that being able to meet up in person will do even more to reduce the mental health problems that so many MSers experience.
Map.ms will allow MSers to quickly find people like them, near where they live, building a deeper sense of community. By plotting the location of Shift.ms members, meet ups and location-specific groups, Map.ms will put the MS community, literally, on the map. Shift.ms takes online safety extremely seriously and has a clear set of guidelines to ensure people do not reveal their home address.
Please vote for Shift.ms in the Aviva Community Fund to help us get the funding we need to build the map. Voting closes on Friday 18th November at midday (GMT), so please take two minutes to follow the link, register, search for “Shift.ms” and cast your ten votes. We think it’s an amazing opportunity for the MS community and we’d really appreciate your help in making it a reality.
Please vote for Shift.ms now.