Members: I Have A Question For You!
As you may already be aware, the listener side of 7 Cups is a bustling land of opportunity! In addition to listening, listeners can get involved in numerous projects, join various teams, and learn and grow within new roles (like peer support, moderating and mentoring). We're aware that right now, there is a lot less opportunity on the member side and we're feeling a little bit bad about this. 
So far, we've offered members the opportunity to lead discussions and to become Welcome Guides... but at 7 Cups we believe that you are actually the experts on you. With that in mind, it makes sense to just hold our thoughts for a moment and ask the experts themselves!
╰☆╮If you could create a new role or project on 7 Cups for members to get involved in, what would it be?╰☆╮
✦ It must be something that you would like to do as a member.
✦ It's absolutely okay to think outside the box and be creative.
✦ And that's all! :)
Please post your thoughts and ideas below. I'm excited to hear what you come up with!
I wish members could also had the opportunity to be moderators or leading discussions, if possible.
@DarkCoffee we can lead discussions as members (with a mod present or something like that). Just many members don't do that!
@ItsE what is leading discussions
and am just confused, the chat rooms are the group chat or the community?
@Warda971 leading discussions are like when you take a certain time set, go in one of the group rooms and ask questions and others answer! You'll see support sessions a lot! Those are discussions! :) and group chats are the group rooms! Like the rooms you see and can enter to talk others!
@ItsE ooh ok
thank u
@DarkCoffee
I'm not sure about them being moderators. It makes sense for moderators to have gone through listener training AND moderator training. It couldn't be handed out to just anyone. Any member could apply to become a moderator if they have the listener account. I've met some members who admit to wanting to use moderating for the wrong reasons and cause mayhem or the opposite and let everyone do what they want, which defeats the purpose of moderating.
This is a wild idea and of course, it wouldn't work out too well since mods can't even mod rightfully all the time but...
Have trusted members (and I mean, they would have to be trusted. They would have to have a clean record on here, known as a good/helpful member, someone who is trusted and someone who has contributed to the community in the past be able to mod/help out when there's conflict. It would be like Project Member mod or whatever, but basically, when a mod is unavailable to reached, these trusted members can take care of the person trolling or stirring up the drama. I have no clue what I am saying but I know many wish this could happen so it could be like some sort of project I guess :p
@ItsE
That's what i was thinking about too. (in the post above ).
@ItsE I like this idea a lot , especially since I see a LOT of times happen where conflict arises in the rooms and I can't find the mod anywhere even though it shows they're present. I find it very concerning.
@ItsE sounds lie a good idea
@ItsE I think this could be a great idea. There are longtime, trustworthy members who know particular chatrooms far better than most mods, and who can sort out what is really happening far more effectively. In fact... I'm not sure why a mod should also have to be a listener in the first place. There should be some kind of vetting process but listening and moderating are two dfferent activities.
The main worry I would have is that there are disruptive people who would either go for mod powers to cause havoc (though these people tend also to have listener accounts too; they're already working every angle available) or to hint that they have powers that they don't (I've seen this already, when a member claimed they were going to do a guided discussion AND (falsely) that leading a guided discussion would give them mod powers).
@Heather It would be nice if listeners could share their experiences with helping others or some issue that they have been through, for example making a project about a listener daily life or about some memoral event good or bad, their ups and downs and how they overcome it, I think that would be an inspiration in the journey of us who are learning how to manage our conditions :)
Have a group chat for schzophrena, bipolar, ptsd things like that.
I've toyed with this idea in my mind for quite some time but always dismissed it as implausible. Yet maybe it's something that could be worth looking at.
What if instead of having just Members and Listeners accounts, we added a third? A crossing between a member and a listener (memtener? lisber? I don't know). I know a lot of people, including me, would like to be listeners or help out in other ways but are still going through our own share of problems. Personally, I've tried creating a listener account but due to anxiety the conversation didn't go well and I ended up logging out, never to return again. Would it be possible to stay on the same account and chat with someone to guide me through it, preferably someone I know from previous conversations, maybe it would've gone better and I would have stayed.
I'm aware that listeners can message each other and help with conversations, yet when you just become a listener it's hard to get to know people that also happen to be available to help. If by any chance you do find someone, first you'll have to explain your problems. If you could message someone you already know from previous member-listener conversations, you wouldn't need to explain anything and would feel much more comfortable. Being a member/listener also signals to people that you both need and are willing to provide help and emotional support, which makes things more clear.
With the possibility of a member/listener account, you could also set during specific moments if you are available for listening or not. Like, let's call the member/listener a Mediator for now. After the username of said mediator could be a (A/N) box. If the mediator sets the box to available, after the username will show an A, letting people know he/she is available to take chats. If the mediator sets the box to not available, vice versa it will show a N, letting people know he/she isn't available.
Whilst giving people creating a new account the new option of making a mediator account, you could also provide members with the option to become a mediator, without losing their username, stats or anything else. They would have to go through the listening training and then their account would be changed from member to mediator, allowing them to take chats and do other super awesome listener stuff. This would allow mediators to become moderators too, which makes it easier for people who have been a member here for some time. If they wanted to become a moderator now, they'd have to first create a listener account, build up a good reputation and get known once again before they could become a moderator. It's a large investment, whilst if you were to change your member account to a mediator account, you already have a reputation and know people, probably already have been in a lot of group chats and along the way will have your fair share of 1-on-1 chats as well.
Hopes this makes sense!
@Cheeney
I am so behind you on this one. A way for members to support one another, away from the chaos of the chat rooms, not in the public arena of the forums, and without having to profess the wisdom seemingly expected of a listener. I'm sure there are many members who have compassion but not confidence....but it doesn't mean they have nothing to offer other site users.
Yes please @Heather
@BestIcanbe I loved the way you phrased that. Compassion w/o confidence. Pretty much the story of my life. I actually really enjoy listening & helping ppl through specific problems w/o telling them what to do beacuse it makes confidence kinda irrelevant for me. When I'm helping someone they have no reason to judge me. I have no agenda besides helping them. It's a simple world & my escape from the complexity of starting my career. I understand just talking to people in general can be tough. I have those moments where I don't know what to say. The nice thing about being online is it's totally ok to take a minute. Compassion is a real source of confidence for me. It's something about myself I know is good. It's pretty black & white unlike a lot of other traits I need to constantly watch to make sure I harness them as strengths rather than weaknesses. The only issue w/ compassion is ppl taking advantage of you but that doesn't happen on here so another reason listening is awesome.
@Cheeney I think it's so awesome how you want to work to become a listener & I'm sure you're not the only 1. I actually used to be pretty awful at listening a few yrs ago & experience & feelback helps a ton. I took a counselling class which gave me a whole new perspective. It's definitely hard to get feedback while you're helping someone who's going through it. Their responses reflect a lot more about them than about you. I have social anxiety so I totally understand the struggle of wanting to help but getting anxious about how. I'd love to do a mock chat sometime & help you out :)
@igetcha @BestIcanbe Thank you both for the support! Igetcha, I think it's brilliant that even though you have social anxiety you worked up the courage to listen and through experience and feedback you've improved. I think that's very inspiring and it gives me some hope. Thank you for the offer, I would like that.
Another idea that comes to mind is a buddy system. There would be a forum category specifically for the Buddy System and in there you could make threads concerning specific topics. Like, one thread would be 'Depression Buddy System', where members and listeners alike could meet people who are dealing with similar problems and eventually chat with each other. For members, they'd meet on the forum, agree to be each others buddy, then fill out a form. If the request is approved, an option for them to chat with each other opens. If not or one party does not fill out the form saying they consent with the messaging, they get a notification of sorts saying the request was denied.
This gives members the option of chatting with people who are in the same boat as theirs, which is great because often we tend to feel like we're alone in the problems we have. Also, because they both have to sign consent, there's limited options for bullying or trolling. Even if it does happen, each member would at all times have the option to stop the chat.
@Heather
It's not a role or a project I'm afraid, but I would like to see more transparency and equality between guests, members and listeners.
So I get the impression that some listeners think themselves superior in some ways to the people that come on the site for support. And I think that's evidenced by the listener only forums. I've seen some brilliant posts on listener only forums, that would be really useful for ALL users, so why limit them to listeners only? If listeners start a thread in a listener only forum it tends to get a far greater response than threads in the member forums? Why is that? Because some listeners feel they're part of an elite gang maybe? But surely the point of listeners is to be here for the guests and members?
And who are you protecting by having listener only forums? It's not hard to sign up as a listener, and then they can be accessed by all site users anyway. The only thing I can see they create is division and suspicion. A them and us mentality. Get rid!
Hey guys
I've no idea how this could work, perhaps it will spark something in someone else's mind?
I'm not well enough to listen at the moment, I'm not in a strong and stable place. But despite going through a wobble, I've been around this cycle before. I know what I 'should' be doing to get well, even though its hard at the moment. That knowledge is real and valuable if I could find a safe way to share it, especially for people who may just be starting their journeys
For myself, I'd like to be able to link up and share the rollercoaster of recovery with someone. But at all costs I'd want us to have a way to make sure we don't just reinforce our problems and spiral the wrong way.
Maybe I'm asking the impossible? Maybe someone else holds the missing piece?
Hi!
Kind of similar to the post above
I was wondering if it was possible to have some way to learn things toghether with other members.Even non-mental health-related things,like cooking,or how to manage your expenses,for example.The sort of skills people are generally expected to know,or that are considered too simple for people to need a group to learn them with:)
I know there are plenty of places on the internet where you can learn anything,together with anyone,but what's different about 7cups is that here it's implied that people might not be functional all the time,so you wouldn't have to hide or lie,and there would be less shame when you don't succeed.
But I must admit I've tried only a small part of what you can do in here,so maybe those kind of groups already exist and I don't know.
I hope I'm not rude.I find 7cups awesome as it is,and it helps me immensely.So far this is the only thing that I needed and didn't find here.
Um,I wonder if anyone else needs something like that..? :)
@helpfulCat5200 i agree with you, i think people withh problem like cutting or anxiety could find this as a help as it could distract them from doing something harmful or their worry thoughts. It would be great though in context of leisure activities and the functional of daily life :D
@easyLion6538
thanks :D it's good to know I'm not alone.yeah and sometimes you just need to do normal things,but can't do them(yet) around 100% normal people,and you can't be by yourself either.
@helpfulCat5200 I think that's brilliant. I'm actually having a pretty rough time picking up some life skills that come easier for others & I feel like I have nowhere to go besides this site because I'm starting my career & need to build my reputaion & spell out my strengths for others. I'm 21 & I sometimes can't even tell what's a strength vs a weakness. A lotta things are both but it's hard to know if I'm harnessing it right. It's hard to work on yourself w/o admiting to anyone that you have a problem even if you admit it to yourself. You don't know if people's responses to your facade are even relevant to the real you. I've posted the most silly things in the forums on my member account haha. I don't feel comfortable talking to ppl elsewhere about this stuff coz I'm ahead of most ppl my age maturity & drive-wise in a lot of ways & w/ that comes responsibility I'm ready for in some ways & so not ready for in other ways. I have a pretty unbalanced personality & this site is really helpful for that kinda thing.
@igetcha
wow thank you! I am feeling exactly like that right now too
@helpfulCat5200 :) I'm here if you ever wanna talk
@helpfulCat5200
@helpfulCat5200 I like the life skills idea a lot😊
Maybe something artistic that we could all participate in, like a mural?
@AmandaH91 that sounds cool
Yes! That's exactly what I was thinking. So like what? But then I don't get how people are supposed to draw or maybe Im just being weird idk. But yeah I think we're on the same page@AmandaH91
