Ask Me Anything (AMA#1): Safety and 7 Cups

@ASilentObserver

Thank you so very much for asking me Obs! 😊 ❤️ It really does mean a lot to me that you would ask, as well as, feel as if my contributions might be of help. Only since you asked, these are some of the things that have been on my mind as of late.....

I love this platform! ❤️ I care about 7 cups and all of us as human beings that come here and see it as a safe haven, a home away from home.

Historically, I have spent years on the listener side. I have always felt that our members are our teammates too and that sometimes, our members can be our very best teachers...we just need to listen to them 😊, and truly listen. ❤️

In an effort to explore more of 7 cups that I hadn't done previously, I engaged in the "immersion" technique. Each human is allowed to have 1 Listener account and 1 Member account and I love the fact that 7 cups encourages us to have a member account, to create it at the same time we become listeners, as listeners need help and support also. And that while being in the Listener role, having that member account already created could prove to be most helpful in that, through our Listening journey here, we just might end up learning a lot about ourselves, become overwhelmed and need support also. ❤️

As a listener, I stepped over to the member side to see what it is that they see, what "we" see. It's been an exploratory journey to learn more about 7 cups as well as how a member might be feeling, how it is that a member might perceive things and I wanted to see it all first hand. I have invested many months in the member role up to this point.

I have loved the experience. Much more than I thought I would at first "blush".

Standing in the space of being a listener, a member and someone on the safety patrol team, all in one feel swoop, I wish we had more education for our members of how to be safe here on the platform.

I think it's worthy to discuss the possibility of not providing your true likeness (pfp) in an effort to be safe. This is the internet and so there will be trolls. Yes, I said the word troll and Glen has used the word too publicly in a forum post. When it's to this degree, you call an Ace an Ace and Spade a Spade and there is no need to "sugar coat it".

I have seen others images being taken and false member accounts being created with their pfp in an effort to have fun with it and demean others. I have seen others images being taken and using it on the internet to find members social media accounts by finding a match for it and then to be trolled off site as well as continually here. They will find additional information about a member and broadcast it publicly in rooms or in pm's with others. For member and listener alike, it could be a wise choice to not share your true likeness.

You may even be antagonized to share your true likeness here through a variety of different tactics, a pfp, a picture of you because that is what they seek to stalk you. You have nothing to prove to anyone. A picture of you is not required here.

I also think it's worthy to discuss what links we provide in rooms or pm's, as well as, what links we should never click on. 7 cups sponsored links are fine. They are clean, we are safe. Youtube links, as I have been told, are safe to provide. What is truly questionable is what we click on as for links.

As for me, if a Community Mod provides a link, I'm happy and I feel safe. I adore our Community Mods and I see them as here to never harm and only to help. If a member of Administration provides a link for me, it's gold. For the rest, I call it "swim at your own risk".

I would suggest, prior to clicking on any other link provided, to consider the source and meaning the person providing it. How long have you worked with this person? How well do you truly know them? How long have you interacted with them and to what level?

Clicking on random links can do damage to your device as well as find a worm hole into your personal information that is kept on that device.

Lastly, if you find someone that is cyberbullying you here on the platform, please try to not to take it personally. I know it hurts. I know it hurts a lot. I send you big big *hugs* ❤️ Certain tactics may be used to bait and goad you, antagonize you in an effort to elicit a response. This is their "pay off". This is how they "win" by seeing the reaction from you. Feel free to ignore them, give them nothing to work with, use your personal mute button as well as blocking function.

You belong here. They do not. ❤️

Thank you again Obs for asking for me to contribute. I wouldn't have written this otherwise. I'm simply hoping this will be helpful as well as bring comfort to any and all here in our community.

*high fives* 😊 and big *hugs* ❤️ Cuppers!