Can we have another feature?
Suggestion: introducing a call or voice-note feature on 7 Cups could add deeper emotional connection by allowing members to express feelings more naturally than text alone.
It may reduce miscommunication, increase empathy, and support members during moments when typing feels difficult.
With proper safety guidelines, this feature could strengthen trust, engagement, and overall support quality on the platform.
What do you all think about it?
@Heather225 @GlenM @Hope
@Dorothy27
Hi! I get that tone can definitely be lost in text-based communication. The issue with call or voice note feature is that it would be almost impossible to moderate and it could be very hard to enforce the guidelines on them. With text-based communication, there are certain filters in place to stop certain messages from coming through. In theory, being able to call or verbally talk to someone sounds like a cool idea but there are a lot more cons to adding it here than pro. 7cups is anonymous. It is one of the only websites where you can truly be anonymous.
With tone in text it helps to use text-tones or emojis, and also misunderstandings are going to happen with text or voice. It helps to step back, breathe, and take accountability if we accidentally offend someone, and redirect.
There is also the fact that 7cups is an international community where we have people who speak all sorts of languages. It is easier for a non native English speaker to read English and communicate versus communicating in verbal messages. In the end, it could end up being more dividing to have the ability to send voice messages.
I am going to tag some people to see what they have add or say.
@Ruben470 @AffyAvo @AuroraAstral
@Remina @Dorothy27
I agree with what Remina said regarding the difficulty in moderating such a feature. If a listener (or member) behaves inappropriately, we can report them and add a screenshot of the chat as "proof". This would not be possible via voice call, which would make harassment much harder to moderate. Additionally, some people on 7 Cups use browser translation tools to overcome the language barrier. This would also not be possible in voice call.
A voice call feature is something I thought about before, but part of the strengths of 7 Cups are the anonymity and safety measures it has. I think voice calls would eliminate too many of these features for it to be viable. Even though I can see the advantages too. Sometimes a voice can be more personal, calming or comforting than a text. However, I agree with Remina that the cons outweigh the pros here.
@Remina Thank you for sharing these valid points. While moderation and anonymity are essential, a strictly optional, limited, and well-structured voice feature (such as short, non-downloadable voice notes with consent on both sides) could complement—not replace—text support for members who struggle to express distress through typing. Text filters are effective, but advanced reporting, consent prompts, and time-limited audio could address safety concerns. As for accessibility, offering voice as an opt-in tool would preserve inclusivity while giving members another regulated way to feel heard, without compromising anonymity or the platform’s core values.
@Dorothy27
With all due respect, Dorothy, as someone who has been part of this community for 10 years, I can tell you voice call is not something that would benefit the community, and I will also just inform you, that it is very unlikely to be implemented as it would cost the site way too much money. If someone wants voice chatting, there are other websites who do offer this and there is voice/video chatting with therapy. I know you believe that voice calls would benefit the community but there is no way to secure that voice calling is secure nor that users are following the community guidelines. There are too many potential risks to implement voice chat. Also, recording the voice messages would violate the confidentiality of the users, therefore there would be no evidence that a rule was broken.
I know you mean well, but I do recommend spending time getting to know the community more and understand why text chatting is so essential to 7cups's mission. 🤗
@Dorothy27 I agree that this would be a great feature to have. Other folks have pointed out that there are concerns with moderation. In the future, this might be a tier that trusted listeners or peer supporters can provide. I'll keep you posted on any progress we make.
Thank you for making a thoughtful suggestion!
7 cups used to be call based, back before I had joined.
I see issues with doing that now.
One is just the cost. Therapy offers voice and video chatting, but it also generates money for the site. I assume doing so for M-L chats would involve more expenses to be able to scale that up, and I'm not sure the resources to do so exist.
Others brought up the safety issues, and I agree. Besides the issues of dealing with reports after a problem, I think there should also be a more proactive safety approach taken well before considering implementing such a change. In my experiences in connecting with listeners, the probability of connecting with someone being inappropriate is too high. The harm from inappropriate voice calls would be higher than via text. It's more personal and the tone of someone's voice can add to the violation.
What I would want to see before implementing such a feature:
Much higher screening for listeners:
- Better verification before someone could even sign up (something similar to the current ATL process, I might even add in doing a proper check like is common before people can volunteer with minors with many organizations here, that too has a cost)
- Better training. Some of this is I think is just listeners not paying enough attention during the training process. I personally think it's too easy for listeners to pass the initial training without really putting in the effort to learn what's being taught.
- Lower threshold for suspending accounts. Better investigation process for accounts that are suspended. I've seen listeners repeatedly violate the community guidelines. Sometimes it takes multiple reports before any suspension happens.
For supporting listeners:
- Better training on how to manage members who are being inappropriate.
- More peer support/chat support. It can be difficult for listeners to get help really quickly. I think we need to ensure there's 24/7 support with little to no wait time before having voice chats.
- Member verification. I like that 7 cups is supposed to offer anonymous support. I'm sad that guests can't connect with listeners anymore. I also understand that guests being inappropriate was quite high. With voice calls I think it would be reasonable for members to have to verify somehow, like with a phone number while allowing other members to still connect via text. There would also need to be reasonable tech solutions for those who can create multiple verified numbers.
That would be very nice Dorothy
