Feed: Building a Web of Support
The feed feature is now live! We are very excited about this! As part of its launch, I wanted to share some important thoughts on the value of this feature and how it can be used to build a stronger, more compassionate community experience for all of us.
I outlined some of our thinking on the feed here in this pain to path post, but am now realizing that it was too long. Here is the short version!
Many of us are in pain because we have people in our lives that can be negative. When we are trying to recover it can be really hard to make progress when people around us - intentionally or unintentionally - are negative.
7 Cups is a safe place where people are positive, kind, and accepting (that is what makes us so different). The challenge for many people is that they come to 7 cups, have a great conversation, feel better, and then sink back into their old relationships and start to struggle again.
Why does this happen?
This happens because, prior to the feed, we didn
Thank you for this..
It's great to know we can use other ways to help spread love, compassion, kindness. I personally will use this feature to post inspirational quotes, I want to see my members visiting my profile and reading something that will change their day or will put a smile on their face. I will try to be as creative as possible and help build more connections..
THIS IS AWESOME!
Thanks @Johnny20! We are going to learn a lot here and I appreciate you reaching out to members in new ways :)
This is a great idea! I am so excited to try out my feed feature!
I don't think I have anyone following me at the moment? So, thus all my cat pictures will be for my enjoyment for right now I suppose!
But I'm excited regardless! Thanks Glen!
I wonder if the feed will get a commenting feature?
we expect to support commenting eventually but didn't want to load down the initial release with too many bells and whistles
Yay! and yeah, I understand! Can't wait for that feature either though :)
I quite like the idea of the commenting feature, but do you think that the commenting feature could lead to hateful comments at some point (due to trolls or something) - just brainstorming here! @OrangeSlices
I'm going to go follow you now!
Yay! I shall follow you back :)
Thanks for laying it out so simply and clearly.
Why do we chat and post to forums? To connect to people. This gives us more ways to connect, and more ways to feel connected.
7 Cups has managed to provide ways to chat and ways to carry on sustained discussions that are positive, uplifting, and helpful to everyone involved. We can do the same thing for self-expression and sharing what's in your heart with people who care about you.
Very interesting update indeed, way to soon to form an opinion on it. My biggest worry is that people will be asking for others to follow them and it becomes like the sites we are all here to escape. If it does become like that from my point of view I will deactivate. I really hope this feature goes down well. I want to say a quick thanks to everyone that actually helped build this update! :)
I'm glad you expressed that concern. I would like us to foster a culture that does not re-create the atmosphere you describe that can be so toxic on social media sites.
I expect it will be like that for the first couple of weeks because its a new feature which is totally fine. After that though I think it will slow down in that regard though, well I hope so anyways! :)
I think we have a rare opportunity to establish some community norm and model the kind of behavior we'd like to see!
Gonna post on my feed now!! Can't wait to see what comes of this!! :)
I honestly doesn't understand the rule saying "do not post things that are advice giving", may we have any example of "advice giving" templates ?! Because it confuse me, it'd be my type of people to write things that can be interpreted as advice but that are not properly advices...
I am down with this. Great idea and follow through! I see this happen in chat all the time where people want to stay in touch but we cannot give out personal contact info. Here's a safe way for people to feel even more connected. Very hopeful that the amount of people helped with this will way outnumber the amount of people who take advantage of systems.
This is exciting! can't wait to post on my feed!!
It is indeed a lovely feature and I think it'll help a lot in the community building process!
I do have one concern though. I agree with @kdog334 with the point that I really hope that this doesnt turn into something of a popularity contest where people compete over who's got the most followers. It'll be nice if everyone knows that the number of followers doesn't really matter as long as you keep posting uplifting and positive updates on your feed. Even if one members sees it and it makes them feel better, I guess the job of this feature is done! It'll also help the member to get to know the listener better before they choose them for a 1-on-1 chat.
I think that's it for my concern for now, but I do have a couple of questions!
Is it okay to post a vocaroo on your feed so everyone can have a nice lovely message to listen to before they talk to you?
Thank you everyone who's worked on this, this is amazing! :)
I was thinking that the number of follower and people you follow does not need to be shown, it really has no purpose and not showing that might mean there would be no such popularity contest
That's quite a good idea! I reckon it could be a personal thing? Like I can see who's following me, and who I'm following, but nobody else can! That way even if no one is following me, I dont really have to feel bad.
I reckon if we're able to see other people's followers too, there might even be a stage where people start wondering "why isnt that person following me too?" or something like that? (sorry if I sound silly, it makes sense in my head)
Exactly it! I've already had some people ask why i'm not following them and it makes me feel like i'm back on social media. making your followers and who you follow only visible to you would really be a good safegard from anything that could become toxic. There is no advantage at all when it comes to showing follow information so I think it should be hidden early :)
Yes, I know right? It might lead some people to thinking a lot more than necessary and I don't think anyone should be pressured into following someone! It's also sometimes an awkward situation when someone is like "Oh I'm following you!" I just feel like it'll be mean if I dont say that I'll follow back!
Also, your point you brought up. Some people may feel bad for having not many followers so I see nothing bad about actually keeping those numbers private. Would love to hear what you think @GlenM and @KrinkTheMellowUnicorn
So I think this popularity contest point is a valid point @kdog334 and @Anushka1. Let me explain my thinking. 7 Cups is a different kind of place. The medium and mechanics of how something works - chat, forums, feed, badges etc. - are very similar to how they work on other sites. What makes them different here is how we individually and collectively use them. Stated another way, our culture uses the tools in a way that furthers our mission. These tools - all of them - can be used for bad, good or indifferent. We have consistently innovated and used our tools for good. One example, chat is routinely used for harassing people and or engaging in sexting on other sites. We have worked together as a culture to minimize or limit those components and instead have used chat as a way to bring light and hope into peoples' lives. The same goes for the forum. The same goes for badges. And the same will go for the feed as well. We are different here, so we have to experiment, work together, and figure out how to use the feed in optimal ways - just like we have done and continue to do for chat, forums, badges etc. Now, to the specific point about hiding follower and following counts. I did a lot of research on this and we had a lot of internal discussions about how to do this. Like with the other tools, there are certain components that make the engine of the tool work. For example, upvotes in forums are relevant here. You could say that upvotes in forums are a way of some people getting more upvotes than others and that could be conceived as a sort of popularity contest (I realize that follower and following accounts are more intense than upvotes, but hang with me). We had concerns and discussions about that when we launched the forum. In the end, the upvotes have been very beneficial to us as a community and I don't think anyone would disagree with that. I think the feed as we have it now has all of the elements that we need in order for it to work like the Web of support we have conceptualized. If we remove pieces here or pieces there, then we run the risk of compromising it and ending up with a tool that falls short of what it could be.
There is an old saying that says don't mistake the finger for the moon. The idea is that sometimes the vehicle of something points to something greater. The feed components are minor here, what we have to keep in mind and look at is the moon. I strongly believe that we can repurpose the feed here on 7 cups to do amazing things for emotional wellness that have not even be conceived yet.
Let me know if this helps. Re the music room below, i'm not sure that has the potential for the same therapuetic benefit, but perhaps i'm wrong! I'll keep an open mind!
@GlenM, I have no issue with what you have said, but you do realize that by essentially overwriting the profile writeup of the listeners and instead putting the follower feed there, you have basically told me as a listener and the member that the community, followers, followees, and such, are more important than the 1 on 1 chat component.
I have over 3000 chats, almost 1500 listener chats. If I am to not play favorites, I am going to be following a LOT of people. It is almost impossible for me to execute fair and unbiased following of my members, and if I choose not to follow at least one, I am picking favorites, and I am just not comfortable doing that.
If you want to have news pages of helpful hints, tips, cat pics, inspirational writings and quotes, I get that. Solicit some people and have these items accessible WITHOUT PREJUDICE to the masses. But in allowing choice, followers, followees, and the like, I think it crosses a line. I really do. I respectfully don't think it provides the service you envision. I feel it's potential to be helpful is overshadowed by it being very distructive, divisive, and in the end, making a member feel unloved. My opinion, that's all.
@Pickles68, thanks for that feedback and for sharing that context with me. Let me address the items you brought up:
1. Profile - we expanded the space for the profile so that it is now 2x bigger and we are working on a solution here where it could work as an overlay. We haven't designed it yet, but we are working on it and I think it'll meet what you want it to meet and look good. We just have to figure it out!
2. Feed as extension of profile - the other piece I'd say here is that the feed, to me, is like an alive portion of your profile. I've looked around at a lot of listener and member profiles in the last 13 hours. I feel like I know these listners and members a lot more than I did before. I feel closer to them and more connected. So, I wouldn't see this as an either/or scenario - either we have a profile OR we have a feed. I'd see it as a both/and scenario - we have a profile AND a feed - and they are both extensions or expressions of you.
3. Follower and following boundaries - this is a very good point. Here are potential scenarios:
a) you follow everyone that follows you
b) you only follow people you want to follow
I think if you choose b) and for the record I think that is a very legitimate option, then I think it is important to say something like - "The way I manage my feed is I just follow people that I'm very close to and have built up a relationship with. I check out other feeds as well, but don't opt to follow everyone because I'm trying to manage my time here wisely."
Personally, in my little sample of experience from 9pm last night until this morning I have followed a lot of people and what I'm finding is that I really like it. I get to see a wide variation of thoughts and thinking. It gets me connected at a deeper level to our community. I'm genuinely interested in everything being posted, so, to me, it is both very encouraging and fascinating. Again, this is a small sample, and nothing to generalize about, but I believe that I'll continue to feel this way moving forward.
4. Distraction - I think this is a fair hypothesis that it'll lead to people being distracted. Again, I did some research on this, and it doesn't seem to be the case in other situations. When people are connected, having a higher number of positive interactions, they tend to be more engaged and helpful not less engaged and unhelpful. So, we'll need to wait and see if this proves out or not.
I admire and respect you Pickles :), so I ask that you give this an opportunity and see how it unfolds. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Hey @GlenM, I understand what you are saying for sure, but I just think there are no downsides to not showing the number of followers on your page. Where as showing that number has made some listeners feel discouraged, i've talked to more then enough to know this is an issue. Also some people will feel like they need there follower count higher but i'm mostly talking about point 1. If you think there are upsides to showing that number on your page, please let me know what they are, and how they outweigh making some listeners (and members) feel discouraged. Thanks for your reply :)
@kdog334, think about the follow + feed system as a car. There are elements in a car that you need in order for the car to work. If you take out some of the elements, then the car no longer works. The following and follow counts are an essential ingredient that make the web of support concept work. So, as outlined above, I believe it is a valid point, but it is up to us to use this medium in the way that we as a culture want to use it. I believe it can be quite transformational - just as chat, forums, and badges have been. We need to make sure that we use it in a helpful way - and current (tho small) evidence suggests we are already using it in very helpful ways.
@GlenM , what would be the downsides if the counts weren't visible anymore? I'm not sure if it changes anything for a member or guest, as they would not choose a listener based how many followers they have, and how many people they follow. I feel like this creates competition again, but that might just be my opinion. 
The question still stands where there are no advantages of having the number shown on your profile and I feel like you are somewhat avoiding my question which is fairly unprofessional. You are in a position where you have to convince many listeners that having that number shown on your page is helpfull and that it validates having all the disadvantages it brings. Could you please make those points clear where having the number shown to everyone is helpfull and an advantage rather then not having them there for the public.
@kdog334, I'm not sure how I'm being unprofessional here, can you help me better understand? What I'm outlining here is that follow and feed features have essential elements that make them work and when you remove those elements they either a) don't work or b) don't work as well. Listing the number of followers and following is a key component that enables the support web/feed idea to work. If you remove that or hide it, then the tool itself doesn't work or doesn't work as well. I'm trying to be crystal clear here. What am I missing?
Are you saying that programming wise, the number has to be shown for the entire feature to work? Because if that is the case then I do get confused because I don't have any background education in I.T.
no it's not that the code depends on it but that it does provide some motivation for people to make connections and this is part of the glue of grease of the system, so to speak.
Ohhhhhhh so the number is there to provide others a motivation to create new connections with others within this site??
Maybe we could then keep the good and cut the bad - you can list who you're following, but not who's following you. Because personally I am finding the 'followers' feature really discouraging. It's difficult to avoid comparing yourself with others (especially as you have to go to someone's profile to follow them and you can see how many followers they have) and it just turns what is otherwise a really cool function into a popularity contest. I've already seen people asking in the Listener rooms for people to follow them, purely to boost stats. Connection is great, but when you turn connectivity into competition it serves no positive purpose. Please get rid of the 'Followers' part. Please.
that's a great idea Honey. I totally support hiding -at least- the "followed" information from the profiles.
I do understand that it can motivate others to get involved, but is that the right and healthy entrance to follow feature community? it kind of reminds me of the story of the father who decided to motivate his son to read more books by rewarding him with a certain amount of money for each book his son reads, I don't think I need to continue the story, I guess my point is clear here.
And have we thought of the expense of that? is motivating 20 users to use the follow feature more important than exposing 3 other users to valid feelings of hurt or loneliness? I hope that is not a price we accept to pay. I want to assure that these are valid and reasonable reasons by the way, it is so judgmental to think that such feelings are immature or just some sort of drama, we're all human beings.. oh and has anyone considered how this exact issue will go for the teen community?
I thought the main logic beyond the new feature is to help build a stronger community where users can feel happy, secured, and supported, I hope we don't forget that.
sort of like the badges and the other reputation elements at the site, they work partly by engaging people in a gamelike experience. this can range in various sites and apps out there from entirely unrelated points for their own sake to rewards and achievements that are deeply and intimately connected with the purpose of the product or service.
past experience here and elsewhere has shown that the motivational benefits of levels, rewards, etc. are valuable and even essential to the knitting together of some of these features.
are there risks of games and points for their own sake (like just wanting more followers without caring who)? Yes. It is up to us to reinforce the ethos and culture of this community.
I understand this is a subtle balancing act and doesn't lend itself readily to either/or yes/no choices. Ultimately we have to decide whether we all trust each other.
I think you'd hit the nail on the head Unicorn - 'a game-like experience' - which clearly implies a competition or at least there is a bar to pass for 'success'. There shouldn't be a standard for a 'successful' listener here. And it definitely shouldn't be 'successful listeners are popular and well followed'.
I agree that some times features, like the badges, can be motivational - but the badge system here underpins a larger system for self improvement. You get a badge for doing a self help guide. Doing a self help guide gives you an opportunity to learn and develop.
What system does publicly displaying how many 'followers' you have denote....Popularity. Because if it was 'friendship' then who you were following would be information enough. Who you are friends with should be enough for other listeners to meet one another; and who you recommend is enough for any member to be encouraged to further reach out.
The 'follower feature' is a system which isn't inclusive and it isn't kind. You don't have to worry if you fit in here any more - you can have your nose rubbed in it. No more wondering if this is an accepting, welcoming, diverse community - we'll give you a number that shows exactly how welcome and accepted you are. it's a system by which people can aggressively and publicly create cliques and show favor. Not to mention all the awkward 'are you my friend? issues', 'I just don't follow anyone because I don't want to show a preference', 'obligatory reciprocation' and 'follower fishing' that is coming out as a result of this change.
The follower part of the feed has got nothing to do with trusting others. It has everything to do with comparison.
actually games can have many levers and motivators in them and competition is only one of them. even something like yoga can be treated as competing with one's own limits and striving for more. not all games create winners, losers, and envy.
consider the board game Pandemic (a friend of mine designed it): unless you all work together to stop the diseases breaking out and spreading all over the globe, everyone dies. The only way to win is by collaborating.
I'm not saying there aren't aspects of all of this (including hearts, cheers, upvotes, etc.) that can provoke competitiveness, comparing to others, envy, feelings of exclusion, etc. These are real concerns and to be guarded against. I just believe that there is a healthy balance we can find.
@GlenM, I do believe we will have to agree to disagree. You like it. I like it too, which is why I follow and am followed in the social media world. I do not bring that approach here, and I do genuinely feel it has no place here. That is my opinion. I respectfully don't agree with your observations, not when it comes to the listeners we are trying to reach. The dangers of, for example, members needing to make thesmelves look like something they are not to be popular. Listeners the same thing. It's just wrong, I really fear it does harm. I won't be an active participant.
PS: Not listeners we are trying to reach meant people we are trying to reach.
@Pickles68, I appreciate your willingness to respectuflly agree to disagree. I think that is okay. I don't believe the feed leads to inauthenticity and I'm not following how you get there. I appreciate the patience and perspectiv. Let's give it some time and see what we learn.
I think @kdog334 has a very good point
@GlenM fair points there! I see the reasoning and my concerns are fairly answered. Thank you for that!
In regard to the point by @Pickle68 about the profile.. do you think we could put the feed in the right hand side? Like if we were to divide the page into three, let's say the left side would be the picture and the rating, and the desired topics. The middle could be the bio and the badges and the reviews. And the right could be the feed? Do you reckon that'll help it?
Just thinking out loud! Do tell me if you think that makes sense!
P.S. About the music room - Do you think we could just do a music thread or something and have people post songs or something that could help others? Music can be quite therapeutic, maybe that helps!
i think we'll get more customization and choices into the profile design as we go, but we have some more basic things to fix first.
The only thing this popularity contest needs now is a leaderboard. That'd be the cherry on the cake _
I see this is a very popular post
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