Haven't we already got this all now? And it is called Psych Cafe and it already has the features in 1 way or another ????

If we have a problem we can all send a PM to a moderator and discuss it or ask for mediation away from the boards. Currently moderators are around constantly and answer queries quickly - questions now can be posted publicly or privately.

we already have an open forum and a closed forum - well for specific issues.

I think it is a duplication.
Somedays

JD I think a community feedback forum is a great idea, in principle anyway. I'm all for transparency, there's nothing feeds fear and paranoia and defensive aggression more than half glimpsed things going on behind the scenes.

However I agree with you about the potential pitfalls, that such a forum might become a breeding ground for slanging matches and attacks on mods. I have no idea how you could pre-empt that, except to say that at the moment the majority, if not ALL of the members here, are pretty courteous and considerate and could be trusted to keep such a forum going in the spirit of the forum itself (supportive and empathic). It would be a risk that bad feelings could spill over into such a forum, but maybe that's a risk worth taking?

I'd be all for such a forum, and see how it works out.

LL

If I may say, I don't necessarily think that it would be a good idea. I think the potential for it turning into something quite negative is a real possibility.

If there is a problem between members or with a moderator, the pm is a great way to work things out or express differences. It just may end up pulling down the morale of the site.

I hope I have not overstated or offended anyone by the above. What is great about this site was that it was created to uplift, encourage and inspire. To share the journey of therapy and offer insights into the process.

Just my thoughts. T.

I'm gonna err on the side of optimism and say I think we could handle having a community feedback forum without destroying each other-- especially if there were clear guidelines and it was well moderated. It may even prove useful. Like Lamplighter, I am biased towards transparency.

On the other hand, I think the current system works adequately and have no real complaints.

I think that a forum like that could result in the very same thing that has been happening here lately. Just my opinion. It's good to be transparent, but with a forum like this with lots of people with lots of different triggers, other measures need to be taken to make sure that the forum remains a safe place, and that might mean concealing some information for the protection of members.

Speaking as someone who gets easily triggered by incredibly mundane things, I appreciate a certain amount of discretion. Anyway, again..that's just my opinion, and I'm flexible so if it's decided that a forum of that nature should be included, then that's fine. I'll just avoid it.

I don't think we need another "open"forum. There are so many threads and forums here now it's hard to keep up. I don't believe you can have this many people with so many opinions and not have some kind of triggers or problems. Hopefully we are all adult enough to realize this and respect the other's opinions. I have to say, and this is just my opinion, that there has been alot of upheaval on this site and it disturbs me. We are very good at answering people and trying to be helpful, why can't we see that when we don't agree with something? I don't want to have to walk on eggshells everytime I say something. How is that therapeutic and helpful? Just my opinion.

Interesting to read the replies advocating that we don’t have such a forum.

quote:

that might mean concealing some information for the protection of members.

This comment from Kashley made me think twice I have to admit. I suspect that I probably don’t actually want to know everything that goes on, ignorance being genuine bliss in this sort of case and what Kashley says here makes a lot of sense (though there’s a fine line between ‘need to know’ and being controlling). I also think that too many people knowing everything that is going on can make the job of moderator next to impossible, despite that we’re a small enough forum to be reasonably successful with a democratic approach to moderating.

I think on balance I’m not fussed one way or the other – whether we have such a feedback forum or not, I’m ok with either outcome.

LL

You all have some great thoughts. Thanks for the input! It really helps to see this in different ways.

I have a lot of the same concerns as expressed here. I also think it could be a good idea, if done well - which could be very hard to do. I'm not sure.

To clarify, it would not be a forum just for conflict resolution, but feedback, working out technical issues, positive feedback, in addition to a place to solve problems with the forum and specific members.

I think we are looking for an alternative option to solving issues by PM. I agree that most of the time, resolving a issue via PM works very well. Sometimes it does not. As respectful and kind of a community that we are, conflict and people stepping on each others toes is inevitable, and PM is not always the best medium for some. Moderators have long had to deal with complaints, as long as there have been any moderators of the forum. (It's part of the role of being a mod, and making decisions not everyone likes, and/or being a perceived authoruty figure.) Sometimes, it is harder to deal with complaints about mods or the forum on PM, and sometimes it gets really complicated to try to involved other mods or outside input via PM. Sometimes it is also hard for the mod contacted to respond in a timely way (we all have packed schedules), or to get the right mod involved.

I want to protect members from having to deal with conflict that spills over onto the forum from PMs. Maybe having a private forum would help add another layer of proetction? Then those that want to steer clear can, and those who have an issue to address can have temporary access, and then not go to the forum when the matter is resolved. I'm not sure. Any thoughts?

Yet I am extremely hesistant because it has a lot of drawbacks. A lot of forums do this, but it could possibly bring out too much in the open. It could attract more conflict. It could attract more negative feedback to the mods than they get on PM.

I fully agree that in general, we are a very respectful community. I also think that as we grow, we need a system or way of handling issues that come up, something more than we have now, so that fewer mods and members are not as burned.

Conlifct and giving feedback is scary, especially for people who have been through bad conflict, or have been abused in the past. It's a hard skill to learn, and sometimes having a structure or process or place for it, helps it be less scary, and, maybe even something that escalates less. Sometimes maybe not. I don't know.

Is there any thoughts on how to help encourage healthy conflict resolution or support feedback in healthy ways on PM or on the forum as a community? Any alternative ideas? Any thoughts? I'm just thinking through different ideas... (along with other mods.) We may just keep things as is, we might try changes, we might just have some open discussions like this about how to handle things here on the forum as a community, and we might not do anything.

Thanks everyone for the input! It really helps.

~jane

*edited to fix some of my typos - sorry about that*

quote:

I think the potential for it turning into something quite negative is a real possibility.

I pretty much agree with TAS here. I think if there is a real conflict it should be dealt with privately and mediated by shrinklady or the mods.

However if it's something that's gone public on the OF, we should be advised it's being dealt with and the parties involved are being helped through the problem.

just my 2 cents worth and quick gut reaction !