I want to create a new forum
I have determined that the crop of forums available cannot express or highlight the problems that many, many listeners bring to this site. At the risk of being labeled as "rude", I will simply ask what the process is for creating a forum specifically for those who are frustrated with the way management refuses to acknowledge listener issues. We need solutions to these problems and not the usual "we are making strides" nonsense.
I'm tired of words and no proof that things are improving. A forum dedicated speficially to this problem may help.
Quote of the day: "Don't confused extreme frustration with rudeness."
There's a feedback section https://www.7cups.com/forum/SiteUpdates_100/Feedback_37/
The Safety & Knowledge SC is also appropriate for some issues.
@Ranmusic They do seem to offer only the standard, " Oh I'm sorry you had that happen" . Try again and try to narrow your search. When you are lucky enough to find a decent listener, usually end up so abused by the trolls of the site that they soon stop taking chats from newer chatters. I won't get into the experiences that have been dealt with on my end. It's just made it harder to reach out to anyone on the 1-1 level.
I understand it's strictly voluntary and I'm sure a lot pf people come in with good intentions but some of these people with ulterior motives cause harm with their actions or words. They come with the intention to hurt people.
@mytwistedsoul That's often true.
The person apologizing in those cases almost always has no responsibility at all for what happened, and no ability to fix it.
It would not be very difficult, technically, to improve the chat system to protect listeners, so that good listeners continue to take chats from new members, and also to protect new members from listeners with inappropriate intentions. But there has always been resistance to any changes that would take us in that direction.
Charlie
@RarelyCharlie You're right. The apologies do come from people who had nothing to do with it. They're looking to smooth the ruffled feathers of the wounded members. While good intentioned, it often left me feeling as though I'm being treated as a child. And given a band aid and some salve for my boo boo.
Is there a reason they're so resistant to making the experience better for everyone? It seems as though most things here started with the intention to have someone to listen to your troubles, hence the 1-1 chats. It seems as though that was the first building block on which Cups was built. Wouldn't making the experience better and safer build a better foundation for Cups as a whole?
@mytwistedsoul Is there a reason? That's difficult to answer. Yes and no, I would say.
Yes, logically there must be reasons for it. But here in the context of a public forum, no, the reasons cannot be discussed. So, in the context of this discussion it's as if there is no reason for it.
Wouldn't making the 1-to-1 chat experience better build a better foundation? Again yes and no, I would say.
Yes, it would certainly be better in a narrow sense. But in the broader context of operating 7 Cups of Tea as a company there are, no doubt, trade-offs we in the community don't know about, making it not such a simple thing to achieve.
Charlie
@RarelyCharlie- just happened on this thread. I am intrigued by your comment that it would not be technically difficult to keep both members and listeners safe. Lately I have chosen to follow forums- instead of 1:1 chats- found more consistent positive support from other members. Never had the experience of a negative listener chat- but was often dropped almost after a few sentances. It was unsettling to say the least- sitting at my laptop waiting for a reply. Never dropped into chatrooms until covid- and also have been pleasantly heartened by the compassion shown at times.
@barncat I agree with you—there is a lot of very good support from members in the forum, and also in the rooms, I'm told.
Listeners abandoning chats is another problem that has been mentioned many times in the forum, and again it would not be technically difficult to prevent it happening in the great majority of cases, but there has always been resistance to the changes that would be required.
Charlie
@Ranmusic The existing Feedback and Suggestions and Problem Solving seem like good enough places to me.
Personally, I don't think a new category in the forum really does anything to address the underlying issues.
I think the recently announced plan to strengthen "servant leadership" as the preferred leadership style at 7 Cups is an encouraging sign. If successful, it will help to address one of the underlying issues, which is that when a problem becomes apparent, it is often the case that no one is prepared to put their hand up and publicly take ownership of it.
Charlie
@RarelyCharlie Edited your 2nd link, you had it go back to this thread initially.
I agree with you on the forums it's enough. Plenty of ideas have been made in the past, it just depends what changes are actually implemented at this point.
Most of us on the forum team will respond so that 1) threads don't stay unresponded to and 2) so that those who are unaware can find out how to browse listeners, leave feedback, etc. After that though all what we can do is pass on ideas and keep asking for changes to be made.
@AffyAvo Thank you 
Charlie
@RarelyCharlie this has nothing to do with the listener issues. These "solutions" have nothing to do with better qualifications for listeners and common sense communication that are absent in listener training.
There is NO forum addressing the core issue at hand! The thing I keep hearing over and over is that we have some key provisions in place and other nonsensical talk that does not address the issue I've been bringing up for YEARS!
No one gets it. I'm just getting the corporate runaround with no viable solutions at all. And my continuing frustration continues to mound. The 7cups placebo effect is in full swing as always. Nothing every gets done!
@RarelyCharlie Servant Leadership is an oxymoron. Oxymorons, by their natures, cancel each other out. No one in management is serving those like myself who has been pointing out flaws for years yet the leadership lacks courage because they don't want to disrupt the status quo.
7cups motto: "Hey, it's just business!"
@Ranmusic You're right, of course, but I think only in one sense.
The way the concept of "servant leadership" works is by changing the way leaders think about their roles, so that they develop the courage to disrupt the status quo and serve the people they lead. It normalizes desired behaviours like fixing problems when people point them out.
You're correct that, in a narrow logical sense, servant leadership is an oxymoron. In fact, I would go further and say that in a narrow sense it's a hoax. But in another sense it has proved itself as a beneficial meme that has enabled many authoritarian and ineffective leaders in many organizations to grow their understanding of what leadership is, and to overcome their resistance to change. That's why I am cautiously optimistic about it.
Charlie