Guest Support Update (Adults)
UPDATE: The Guest Support rooms will remain closed.
Hey! Quick update to let you all know that we have temporarily closed the Guest Support room for 24 hours. This is because the room was not functioning as the helpful, welcoming space for guests that it was intended to be.
Please post here if you have any issues/concerns. I will update you all tomorrow on GS plans moving forward!
Thank you :)
@Heather
Oh wow! if it was not being helpful, I guess this is the best move, going forward.
I'm sorry to hear GS is closed, I do visit that room a lot but indeed I do feel sometimes it's not very welcoming for guest because of the immature behaviors of guests and member. Hope this helps in fixing the problem.
Visit not wish *
@Helping2findAway
Fixed it
@HalliwellSister.. wonderful :D
@Heather so there is no longer ANY room for guests ?? is that supportive?
@TortueDesBois They still haven't learned that punishing the guests isn't solving anything.
@Phthalo
While the frustration is evident, temporarily closing a chat room that has become dysfunctional is not punishing anyone. It is actually more productive than allowing it to remain open under those circumstances. Preventing cyber-bullying and other potentially problematic behavior is only prudent.
We are all adults and can support one another during this time.
@Compassionatelistener108
+1
@Compassionatelistener108 Closing a room temporarily only gives people a chance to breathe and then resumes the same mess once it reopens. It's not like the offenders have a conversion or whatever.
@Phthalo
While I appreciate the anxiety and the fears many are expressing in the thread, it is often prudent to take a step back. Giving oneself space to process things is far more productive than "reacting". If you really take in the comments, it is relatively easy to see that "reacting" creates chaos and an unhealthy environment for some.
Granted, some play into the drama and others will continue to promote negative behavior. However, those who took time to process responded in an articulate, genuine manner. This promotes healing, problem solving and builds confidence.
Paying attention to our own and group patterns displayed as a result of the temporary closure is actually a very good opportunity to experience growth.
It is also an opportunity to try to feel a sense of hope. People have been heard and their feelings appropriately acknowledged. We don't exist in a perfect world. This type of acceptance is not something to take lightly.
@TortueDesBois - Right now, I believe that yes, this is the most supportive choice we could make. For the guests, members, listeners who were constantly under attack from others abusing that space and the people in it.
It might be solved by allowing that subcommunity to moderate itself. The concept it simple, give any guest a number of downvotes (or flags) he can give to a message (unsupportive, insulting, etc). Let's say a guest can flag 3 messages every 24 hours based on IP address (combined with session and cookie). When a guest receives 3 flags he gets a warning, after five flags an automatic 24hr mute.
Problem solved! Yeey!
@PoolOfBrokenMemories so, based on the popularity? I don't think it's a fair system.
@TortueDesBois
The downvote, upvote system is used by youtube and reddit with great succes. Chances are that there's no perfect sollution.
@PoolOfBrokenMemories
Not a huge fan of the idea. Too many people would abuse that.
@PoolOfBrokenMemories Yeah I agree with other people, it's easy to abuse, whether that be people ganging up on someone and giving them a mute or even just one person creating multiple accounts to keep flagging a person for fun.
I mean I've been saying for a LONG TIME that 1) adequate moderation and 2) members knowing how to handle a troll are the key. But that's not a quick fix, and the admin are only interested in quick fixes, so...
@PoolOfBrokenMemories that sounds like reddit tho, I get what you are saying but it could cause that certain guests still feel unsupported...I could be wrong
Poor guests always get the short end of the stick with these things. First they were blamed for trolling so they got their rooms cut down to one, now they got nothing.
How's blaming the guests working for ya?
@Phthalo
Hey there,
This has been my experience with the GS room ever since it was first opened and renamed.
If there are 15 participants in the room on an average day, 10 are members,4 are people circumventing mutes and who like being unsupportive and inappropriate, while there is only one person who needs help. Most of the time, there is not even one guest who needs support. In an average week, spam bots attack atleast once. The room has always needed constant 24/7 moderation and we need really thick skin to be able to mod there.
I agree with you that these are all just temporary fixes and what we really to do is educate the people over here. Do you have any ideas regarding this?
@Eunoia Hmm well I admit that I have only been there once since then, since I heard about members getting warnings for just saying hello. I had no idea about how often spamming happens but I guess I can imagine it ending up back to the way things were before ...I remember what type of people were regularly in there...
@Phthalo I don't think it's fair to group the guests in that way, guest support is usually disrupted by two regulars who continuously circumvent mutes, which are definitely in the minority.
@NumberEleven So now that the room is closed they will circumvent the mutes in other rooms with their 2829849th account. Shutting down the guest room isn't gonna make them go "aw snap, guess I'll have to quit trolling on 7cups"
@Phthalo
At the moment, I think it will atleast not let guests who need actuall support to be in an unsupportive environment
@Heather oh sorry to hear that
The prob with closing a Room down, is the Trouble makers just enter the other Rooms. Yes... I realize they'd have to set up a member account- but (unfortunately) that won't stop them / Anyway... I hope a fair and effective solution is found
@ChromeLotus Or they could just go back to their original room where they belong instead of harassing people who are looking for support
@ChromeLotus
Trolling has a charm in it, they will always find ways to accomplish their mission :p devoting their time, energy and creativity to trolling people around.
@ChromeLotus Agreeing... (Clapping) 👏👏👏
Can i write my issues and concersn here?? @whoever is deleting my messages
or you gonna delete them too?
Anyways Heather see my PMs
@gentleCircle9909
Heather has asked to write problems/concerns here
@gentleCircle9909
Still this message not deleted 
, i am waiting for it to be deleted 
@gentleCircle9909
This message is not breaking any of the guidelines therefore it won't be deleted :)
@Heather,
I'm glad. That room was hostile, toxic, noxious and made the site seem terribly unprofessional.
Glad to see you're doing something about it.
@coastalRedwood98
i am really sorry you had face those problems in GS , but sorry that room was purposely made worst bcz of abusive moderators who are harming people without reason with their panicing mutes !!
@gentleCircle9909
If there were abusive mods, you can submit a review form. Or submit screenshots to community@7cups.com
@HalliwellSister
And the community people and Heather are so active in taking action regarding this???????? i mailed thrice to Heather , PMed her many times but no reply and still that moderators are muting people here!! So what does this mean ?
@gentleCircle9909
This community is very involved. It is one of the best communities I have been apart of. They take your complaints seriously. Also, let's not assume that peopel getting muted were muted unfairly. Let's give the mods the benefit of the doubt. They are trained volunteers, and they don't have to be here but they are and they try to keep the room safe. Getting muted of course is not going to feel nice and you're going to feel like you did nothing wrong -- but if you're ever concerned about having been muted unfairly there is a form in the chat room rules that you can fill out. And if you get a warning, no worries, the warning expire after six hours, just don't get three in a row.
@HalliwellSister I got muted when a guest asked if anyone was watching basketball.. and I said I was. Thought it would be a nice sports/icebreaker conversation with a guest. But nope. I guess icebreakers with guest isnt being suppoertive :( Or maybe the mod didnt like sports...
@Figgy50
Sorry to hear that. D: Mod might have misunderstood? I cant speak for that mod.
@Figgy50
If that was in the guest room, you may have already had two outstanding warnings previously and then they warned you for rule #16, in which you're there to support guests, not for chit chat. Three warnings will mute you for 24 hours.
@SilentSerenityy One could argue that chit chatting with guests is supporting them and to not do so would be to leave them all alone. Also that chat chat could be a distraction and distraction could be seen as support if someone is freaking out and needs to take their mind off things. Idk, just something to think about.
The problem with the rules are that they are so open to interpretation. It's bad.
@Phthalo Exactly! If I cant help directly with their issue, maybe a light chit chat might take their mind off of something. (Unless they dont light chit chat) But.. yeah i should just keep my mouth shut from now on. :/
@SilentSerenityy I was only answering a guests question about sports. I did not want them to feel ignored. I apologize for answering their question. I wont do it again.
@Figgy50
Your message might have been deleted by accident?
What happened to the Guest Room 'Meet & Greet' members, they were appointed I think?
As soon as members were effectively banned from the Guest Room, Admin were always asking for trouble, it was just a matter of time.
Admin does too much on a whim, it might seem like a good idea at the time, but Admin needs to be thinking a couple of steps ahead.
@rebel11
Trolling is cancerous. Guest Support was the Chemotherapy which controlled it from spreading. Shut down GS, stop chemotherapy and let the cancer spread. Spread into member rooms and ruin everything.
@LunchTheRealKiwi That's actually a fair analogy, except why was the cancer in GS in the first place? They need to gooooooooo back to thinking spaaaace and let the cancer be contained in there. After all, there's apparently less rules and less moderation in there. Or were they just bored of having their own room and wanted a challenge? Why aren't they happy with just one room?
@Phthalo
TS is for members. GS is used by those who are unwilling to sign up.
@LunchTheRealKiwi
most people in GS were Ts members on guest accounts having "fun"
@rebel11
What we call DESATER in deskys 😈😈😈😈😈😈
