Group Support Room Updates
In a continued effort to increase safety and ensure that each Group Support Room is adequately moderated, we will be making some changes to some of the rooms.
As of this Friday, January 4th, at 12:00 pm ET, the following changes will be made:
- Depression Support (adult room) will be closed and become a pop-up room to be used for scheduled discussions and sessions.
- Depression Chat will remain open 24/7 and will be available for anyone needing support for depression.
- LGBTQ+/MOGII Support (adult room) will be closed and become a pop-up room to be used for scheduled discussions and sessions.
- LGBTQ+/MOGII Community will remain open 24/7 and will be available for anyone needing support for LGBTQ+/MOGII issues
- Family Support will be closed and become a pop-up room to be used for scheduled discussions and sessions.
- Disability Support will be closed and become a pop-up room to be used for scheduled discussions and sessions.
Please let me know if you have any questions about these upcoming changes.
Can someone also please explain why on the group support chat page list - where the list is the main page - why is disability support 3rd from the bottom?
If this is due to 'personalization' of the order it's not working. Disability support is the room where I tend to spend the most time and it consistently stays under rooms I rarely go to. It's also not alphabetical.
35+ had it's named changed to thirty-five and over so it wasn't at the top of the list as being close to the top brings in more traffic. It seems like disability support is not really getting a fair shake as it can be difficult to find the correct room, especially for people who deal with certain disabilities.
Again, this is something that I have brought up before but with no change.
@AffyAvo Im hearing your point. However 35+ is at the bottom, yet it is on of our busier rooms so I'm not sure how muh of an effect it has had.
@Lorraine234 When it was moved to the bottom it actually became less active. It also got the benefit at being at the top of the list for quite a while to build up a good group right off the bat. The regulars knew it was moving to the bottom when that happened. Disability Support is difficult to find, as it's thrown into the list randomly, near the bottom. When quickly looking at the list things at first appear alphabetical, one would expect disability support to follow depression support, but it's not even close.
I disagree with what was "explained for clarification" -- It is explained on the assumption that what was currently the system in place, was not working, for some reason or another --
Can you explain to us why you felt that how these rooms were operating already in the first place, was not acceptable or okay? For example, why is it suddenly a neccessity to the point of closure, does a room that never has any mod reports suddenly demand the need for 24/7 supervision from a volunteer? And that if this does not happen almost immediately with very short notice, this room will close? And that if the room itself doesn't have as many regulars as the other rooms, that it is taking up too much bandwidth?
@RedMeeko
Please can the members or regulars of the disability support room, respond to this post, and answer me this and honestly as well:
How often do you go to the room and find it empty? And how does it make you feel when this has happened? And would you rather a) Have the situation continue as it is currently, meaning you would go to the room x amount of times per week, and out of those visits find it empty x amount of times... Or do you feel that this situation makes you feel more unsupported, than having the room close (or alternatively become a pop-up for certain scheduled discussion times a week only, which I imagine would kill the room altogether)?
Also what I do not understand and ask if you can clarify, is you say, we can open these rooms any time we like -- What do you mean by that? How would one want to get some support so decide to open the room again and have everyone come back?
Cheers,
Red Meeko
With all the respect, but closing chat rooms is not a solution to make them moderated, safer etc.
I think that moderators should spend more time in chat rooms. I remember from the time i used to spend a lot of time in chat rooms that i barely saw any moderators. I think they spend too little time in chat rooms.
Many people have friends in certain chat rooms that you closed/want to close and it ruins everything
7cups has become A LOT less appealing and nice since you closed Member Community room, it was a room full of life and very peaceful, no reason to close it. I lost touch with many of my friends because of this, dfficult to try other chat room where you don;t feel welcome and people ignore you. I really hoped you would take into consideration all those many suggestions to reopen Member community room -many people have made this suggestion, but to my disappointment, they were all ignored.
So, what i want to say is that there are other solutions than closing rooms, how about encouraging moderators to spend more time in chat room, doing more discussions in those rooms or just make them be more positive/peaceful.
@DarkCoffee having more discussions and having moderators in the chatrooms would be lovely. However, our moderators are all volunteers. They spend many hours on site in not only these roles but others too. I wouldnt want to take away for the time and effort someone puts in out of the goodness of their heart
We indeed need to encourage moderators to be in the rooms. Here's are some things that would help:
1) Finding people to volunteer- We simply need coverage. So if you or anyone else know of anyone who would like to apply that would be fantastic!
2) Create a space people want to volunteer in - The amount of mod hate that our moderators get is astonishing. Especially when you think of times like these where there efforts mean we get to keep our rooms or not. So as a community I feel like we should be making this a welcomig soace where new people in the community would love to get involved.
3) Participation - Some of the rooms that have been closed in the past have been due to lack of activity. So get in there, and use the space. Lets ensure that if someone comes in, there will actually be members and listeners to support them.
I hope this makes sense. Just some thoughts.
Basically the point that I'm trying to highlight here is that, a few of the reasons given for this decision, do not seem to be substantiated by any evidence -- And the constructiveness in this point that I am making, is that, I don't understand why if there was no problem in the first place, why there needs to be dramatic changes?
And, I also feel, as a member, that due to the tone of the response from you as the admin, that none of our concerns or points prior in the forum (or very few of them) have been addressed; And that the post implies with its tone, much to the confirmation of previous posts would imagine it would be, that you are still 150,000% going ahead with the decision and that our input is not really considered in the first place.
And I do believe it is very relevant that I express this point now and I would be offended if you were to say it is irrelevant.
@RedMeeko
Ill try to see if I can help with my own thoughts (thoughts are my own not admins etc). I think youre seeing this as an issue with the rooms. Like, why remove if theyre fine and nit a problem? The problem isnt the rooms, as far as I understand. The problem is there arent enough mods, or rooms arent being used enough to justify having them open.
Why dont they get more mods? Is a common question.
people need to volunteer and maybe they just arent volunteering. In order to be effective, mods have to be around 24/7 INCASE a situation occurs. There just arent enough mods to cover all the hours. People have their own lives etc.
From a perspective of usage, I often go into rooms and theyre dead. How can admin know that people want something around if often people arent there?
People need to use the rooms more, or there needs to be mods around more. A good system to solve modding issues would be mods scheduled out. But again, there just arent enough to cover all the rooms. Add in burn out, and theres a lot of factors to consider.
(on a side note: hi again!)
@EvelyneRose Burn out, mod hate, harassment, etc.
@EvelyneRose
like @AiluraBlaze said there's a problem with mod hate, but also trying to find the information to becoming a mod is like a needle in a haystack on this site, and then there's the problem of actually applying for it. it's time consuming for both these steps, to the point that listeners often forgoe it.
@raspberryBanana8328 Just for the information, any Listener who needs to apply for a specific role can ask about it in the Listener Support Room, it's one of the reasons why that chatroom exsists.
But I agree with you. However, becoming a mod isn't the issue, remaining a mod is much more difficult. If one doesn't grow thick skin fast enough to deal with the insatisfaction from the behalf of the users (regardless of their account type), it can become a real problem.
@AiluraBlaze
Well a thick skin is great and all, but the users are mainly mad at those above the mods, who keep changing things without asking for users' opinions, and even if they have users' opinions, go ahead and change it anyway. But most of the users' can't get in touch with those above the mods, so the mods are an easy target/have a target painted on their back.
It's a vicious cycle that never stops.
@raspberryBanana8328
Mods are just teen and adult volunteers they shouldn't be targets. they are members of the community as well
This just goes to show how out of touch the people who run the website are with their users. It has been this way for a while, and I'm thinking of just quitting allotgether, since nobody here wants to actually make a positive improvement in the areas that actually matter.
@alyxairene21
they have reversed their decision based on feedback.
I understand how upsetting this decision is... but please, do not single out one indivual for this choice.
The decision has been made to move forward with this, SO lets ride this out. I frequently jump from room to room and have seen the disability room with questions from over an hour ago just left there. By the time they are answered, the member is long gone. Perhaps this is where the problem lies... there is so many rooms that they arent all being utilized.
So, if that room were to be a 24/7 room, it should be utilized 24/7 and that doesnt seem to be the case.
Dont get me wrong, I am sad to see this room in particular go because it is SUCH an important room. Having the support rooms be a pop up is a good idea to me as I dont see 2 rooms with similar concepts necessary 24/7... but there is no second option room for the disability room.
I think what Im trying to say is that if you want this a 24/7 room, show it! Ask for an open chat as often as you need it. If its asked for a lot, maybe itll be reconsidered.
@Ele
I genuinely could debate this with you til the cows come home and be quite happy to, but to be honest, I'm also quite happy that this entire thread and all its upvotes -- in addition to the other two developing threads too -- have spoken quite alot for me. Most of these posts have gone unanswered. I wish someone would formally address poor Avocado, one-to-one face-to-face cam chat, in particular. And please publish it so we can see clearly.
A fellow member has just announced they've left the site as a result of this update and its reminding me of my own calling, so as I'm feeling sick of this anyway, I'm gonna go leave this thread now. I sincerely hope that the majority of people (especially those who need the help the most) on the site end up happier as a result of this decision, like improvements are meant to do. And I hope that the impact of the people who are helped by whatever decision takes place, ends up outweighing the amount of people left broken or distraught or hopeless, unsupported, alone and vulnerable. I hope the "cost saved"/"profit gained" of this improvement, whatever that may be worth, in mods or bandwidth or whatever the purpose is, is worth the cost done to those that it impacts. Or if its for "extra control" or "improvement" or whatever, hope that its worth it. I'm done caring so its not on my conscience, its on the people who have the power and responsibility to make a difference. Karma has its own strange way of playing itself out, if not immediately then in the longer term, and the hope is that people are aware to take note of its lessons with humility and use it to grow.
And with that, I am out, so for those who would rebuttle to take cheap shots at a turned back fine idc, unsubscribe me from getting updates on the thread please thanks and best of luck xxx
The way they have threatened to close Disability Support multiple times over the years is paramount to threatening us with the equivalent of eviction and homelessness. How can we feel safe on this site where we are constantly threatened?
Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts with us. Each person is certainly entitled to an opinion and we respect all the views shared in this forum. As a community, we are constantly learning and growing from our experiences.
For many people, change comes with some level of discomfort and how we deal with it, differs from person to person. I understand that for some, it has brought about disappointment, frustration and anger. Your feelings are valid.
Our community team and volunteers care immensely for our members and we want to make sure that when people participate in rooms, they feel safe, welcomed, heard and supported and that requires teamwork. As several others suggested, be more active in the room and we can work together to find more moderators to help out.
The room may be active for a short period (depending on time zones etc.), but that does not necessarily mean it is always active. If a member who enters a room and needs support at the time, and finds that room inactive, that will just leave them feeling less hopeful. We certainly do not want that to happen to anyone.
A lot of thought is put in, before reaching a decision such as this one. Its not an easy decision to make. In addition, it is not for the betterment of one or two individuals but for the community as a whole. Our volunteers also offer support in forums (This avenue of support can be utilized when the room is not open – just a thought.) Perhaps, when the room is open for discussions, we can embrace the opportunity and make the best use of it.
Thank you!
@Tazzie very well put.
@Tazzie I understand this but somehow this thing just feels a bit backwards.
I mean, what is making me really hard to support this decision is not the intent of it but the way it was presented I guess. I can imagine that those threats and inappropriate reactions happened and I am sorry for @Laura or @Kate or whoever was targeted by it but I have also seen just so many people come together and immediately providing ideas or even offering their help with this issue, which, I think, shows that it would probably be worth a try to first present a problem to the community and give them a chance to act upon instead of just announcing rather radical changes like that without any proper discussion about them.
This, as well, I feel like can really bring up a lot of bad feelings and memories of people by not feeling in control at all and they probably do not know how to properly process these feelings causing hurt and upset and things to escalate as they did.
I still kind of feel like that this site has an amazing community, which can be really productive and helpful in resolution of even more complex issues and one that may feel unheard at times like this.
I still feel like it would be probably worth a shot to give this communities a bit more time instead of shutting these rooms down so quickly and hastily and see if this dedication may be able to help with these problems and give that feeling of control and a bit of power to those people who have that place as their home even.
This sucks! That LGBT chatroom was great! They helped me so much when all the listeners wouldn't help... I'm so sad to see that it'll be close. This was a main reason why I was on the site. PLEASE KEEP THE LGBT CHAT ROOM OPEN!
@LovingScout there will be a 24/7 LGBT chatroom open. Its just called LGBT Community now. You can still get support in it anytime you go in. 
I want to apologize if some of my replies were a bit unsupportive or unconstructive. I am passionate about the ability for users to support one another without relying on mods. I am open to seeing this through as long as admins promise to reverse it if it doesnt help and if we can open the rooms without having discussions in it
@SouthernFlame I think the best thing we can do, is encourage new people to apply to be room support and moderators so these teams can get built back up. It takes a village to run a room.
@MrJacob
true
@MrJacob
Good one. Can members also be taken to help in crowded rooms? In case we don't have many volunteers from listeners
@KristieKay Members can become listeners and become group mods that way. Member accounts are meant to receive support, Listener accounts are meant to offer support. 
@AiluraBlaze
My query was related to the Room Supporter role extended to members now, whether that helps as well with mod-ing to a certain extent
@KristieKay it helps with support. It would not count as modding because there are not any tools such as delete/warn. However, members should join as room support to have a say in team meetings and to help with providing a good atmosphere and continued support to those in the room. When things become out of hand, they can use de-escalation techniques and put in for a mod if need be. If they want to do more, they can flip over to the listener side.
@KristieKay Here is the application for Member Room Supporters!
