Follow-up & some thoughts on this week!
I wanted to make a post in response to a view-only doc that has been circulating. Id first like say thank you to the individuals who have shared their perspective on the site. As a matter of protocol, I do want to mention that we do not condone creating multiple accounts for any reason. And any post that is a duplicate is considered spam per our newly organized forum guidelines. For more clarity, you can review our community guidelines here.
Additionally, for those interested, I have created some threads on more specific matters here & here. Check them out & join the conversation! I will be hosting an open Town Hall for adults on Friday (today). You are invited to submit your questions or topics. Learn more & submit topics for the town hall here.
The Community management team manages the behavior reports on the site. We have been very generous in giving second chances and we will continue to be (while still maintaining a safe environment). We work hard to not play favorites, but we do work more closely with ambassadors, as this is part of their role description. If you would like to report an instance of favoritism or perceived favoritism, please message me or Kate to let us know, share it in the L-L report form or in my personal performance feedback form here (anonymous submissions welcome). If there is something we could change about our communication with you all, we gladly will hear it and try to improve. We review all reports and enact the guidelines in accordance with the site policies, terms of service and community guidelines.
7 Cups is a free site. The vast majority of our users are not customers. They are users, they are here to get support. The mission of 7 Cups is to provide free support to anyone around the world. If you see something, say something. Please continue to report behaviors that violate our guidelines. 7 Cups is not a court of law. We have guidelines and a behavior point system, we do not hold trials like a government. But we do want to hear all sides of the story to get the best idea of what may have happened in a given situation. Everyone is able to share their side of the story or file a report as needed.
Lastly, lets keep our members in mind here. Sharing language that causes fear ends up preventing a lot of people in need from getting support. This is not to say, we cant and shouldnt have challenging conversations, but there is a way to do that in a way that does not harm or prevent those in need from getting support.
I look forward to hearing more feedback at the Adult Open house today at 5:00 PM.
Here are some more specific Q & As:
Who makes the decisions?
The community management team reviews reports and makes decisions aligned with the community guidelines.
What are the processes behind the decisions?
1) report(s) made
2) Investigation
3) review guidelines of community
4) Take action
When do we ban people?
There are a few reasons why we would ban someone. In short - these include: sexting or engaging in relationships with other users, Harassing/ graphic language, repeatedly trying to invite users off of 7 Cups to connect, creating multiple accts for the purpose of causing harm, any kind of misbehaviors with minors, repeated violations of community guidelines with no improvements in behavior after feedback is given.
Why do we not discuss specific cases openly?
We do this out of respect to the individuals involved and to ensure their privacy. I started a thread on this topic here.
What will happen if I speak up? Should I be scared?
Please speak up! Your voices matter. This is your community and we want you to share your ideas in a professional, helpful way that advances our community and mission.
What kind of speaking up is not okay?
Large generalizations that do not reflect the truth or facts, When you lack professionalism or are intentionally hurting another person. Trying to harm the community generally.
It's true that sometimes people think action won't be taken if they report, other times they see action taken and start to worry that the community management team has been over zealous. I get that it's hard to see the full picture without having all the pieces of the puzzle. Please know that we don't enjoy banning people, and especially in cases where we need to remove a members of the community who have shown a lot of dedication to 7 Cups, it's difficult for us too.
Seeing someone who you respect get banned can be scary and confusing. I understand that. As a community management team, we have tough calls to make. Its never easy to make those calls, just as it isn't easy to lose somebody you care about. Life is messy. Humans are imperfect. Lets be messy together.
As always, we are listening. We are doing our best. Share your feedback for me or 7 Cups directly here (anonymously if you choose).
We are so thankful for listeners and all of the volunteers who help around the site. We couldnt help as many people as we do without the team effort that happens on 7 Cups everyday.
