Trial Period

[daffodildreams]

I think we should have a trial period without the chit-chat forum. Important and serious posts in the main forums are being neglected (even by their moderators in some cases..) in favour of going and posting hundreds of times in the chit chat forum.



Maybe if we took away the chit-chat, then people would direct their attentions into helping people. The suicide forum is over-run right now and is very hard to keep up with. The depression forum is full.. self harm was off the page this morning with new topics.



Chit-chat runs off the page with new topics within an hour. Yesterday I posted a new topic in the "sex sex sex" forum and within half an hour it had 3-4 replies whereas other topics in the depression forum still sat there with zero posts.



This is a very serious problem when there are people coming here relying on the site for help and we are giving them chat instead.

[junglemonkey]

Yep. A post of mine did have any posts until the next day while I sat worrying if I was dying or not.



I don't think you can take away chit chat entirely, many people would disapprove strongly, but something does need to be done to divert peoples attention to problems. I post more in problems than in chit chat, but there are people out there sincerely posting looking for help, and they just don't get it.



Lesley xxx

[daffodildreams]

I don't say remove chit-chat, I say take it away for a few days. See if people will go and actually post in topics for those few days while they can't chit-chat. Or whether they are just here for chit-chat in the end and don't really want to provide advice and help others.



I think that keeping the chit-chat forum while people are looking for help and not receiving it is kinda straying away from the whole point of these forums.



Esp. since the email system isn't online, where else will they turn to for help once they get here?

[junglemonkey]

Yeah it's kinda frustrating when you have a problem and no one replies.



I suppose if you took it away you would see if there was an increase in the number of serious topics being replied to. It's very, very sad if people come to a teen help website to chit chat in my opinion.



Ach well



Lesley xxx

[Cindy]

Ok guys, I see your concerns, but its not gonna improve the amount of people that get help if you remove chit-chat. The amount of post that Chit-chat gets is from thoses that don't want to help at this time. getting rid of chit-chat just means your gonna lose a ton of people that could in time be the answer to one of your questions.



The lack of people post getting answered is from the busy lifes of the common people. Newbies never realy post in the normal forms, they post in the intruduction form and in chit-chat untill they feel conterable enough to go into the other boards. In the end gettign rid of the Chit-chat form, you'll end up getting rid of many people that in the long run, will become regulars and soon be able to help answer questions.

[Jess]

Originally posted by fruitloop@Apr 27 2003, 06:47 AM

Yesterday I posted a new topic in the "sex sex sex" forum and within half an hour it had 3-4 replies whereas other topics in the depression forum still sat there with zero posts.

what was your point in pointing this out? there happen to be more "popular" forums, and sex sex sex happens to be one of them. don't diss sex sex sex while trying to temporarily get rid of chit-chat!

i'm not going to defend chit-chat, because that may be too hard, and im not even for or against the idea, im neutral. I see the problem that you are talking about and wish that people would redirect their attention to helping more than chatting, and yet I love the chit-chat forum.

however, what i will do is offer an explaination and defense for sex sex sex. as a topic that many teens deal with more that depression or suicide, it happens to be easier for people to respond to peoples' questions about sex than it is to respond and make someone feel better about themselves and life in general.

Suicide, Self Esteem, Depression...those types of forums are the ones that actually take time to write back to, and -sadly enough- most people would rather contribute to the easier and more light-hearted forums.

Most people would rather go to sex sex sex and offer hints on spicing up your sex life than go to suicide or self esteem and tell tons of really sad people that they are actually beautiful, that they need to stay alive...to plleeasse not kill themselves, that everyone would miss them.

I'm not defending these people, nor am i really putting them down. Im just stating the facts. I guess you could say that the people who actually post in the "harder-to-deal-with" forums are worthy of a pat on the back. instead of dissing the people who bypass the forums that could be condisered that they need more help, how about you just make everyone aware that they are being neglected, and that it needs to come to everyone's attention that there just may be more important topics to reply to than "YAY for getting 500 posts!"

much love,

jess

[Schism]

Well I agree with all of you, but I know what junglemonkey is talking about, because if she is talking about the one I think she is....its the one I posted too. But...when I ask a question in any room, I do want people opinions...and I haven't gotten but 2 or 3, but you go into fashion or something and I post there I get lots. Please don't think I am dissing any forum because please I am not....I can just see were everyone is coming from.....



~*~Shanna~*~

[daffodildreams]

It wasn't a dig at the sex forum, because that deals with genuine problems.. but it disturbed me that people rushed to answer a post on "one night stands". I feel that if I had posted "I don't want to live anymore".. I would have had to wait much longer to receive some replies.



I dunno, emphasis seems to have swayed considerably away from actually helping people and more onto chatting. Chatting happens in posts in other forums too. Like this forum.

[daffodildreams]

I also understand that people don't want to deal with the "hard issues" as much and it can be quite triggering if they did try to. Now we have a selection of around 10-20 people who are replying in the "hard" forums on a regular basis and the pressure is increased onto them.

[Minx]

were getting off topic...i dont think chit chat should be suspended... i think this because people who do write in chitchat are also giving good advice in others...and it dosent matter how much advice you get its the quality of it...even if u get only 2 or 3 replies if one of them is great advice thats all that matters...yup

[Schism]

Minx...I do agree with you there and I do see your point, but what happens if they aren't that good...and its just the same old same old? But I do see where you are coming from!



~*~Shanna~*~

[daffodildreams]

It's getting harder for me to come up with unique replies in suicide and depression forums. If more people (new) people could post in those topics their opinions.. just their opinions instead of rushing into chit chat to discuss the colour of David Beckham's hair this week, maybe I'd get some new ideas on what to say too.

[Jess]

Originally posted by Minx@Apr 27 2003, 11:39 AM

were getting off topic...i dont think chit chat should be suspended... i think this because people who do write in chitchat are also giving good advice in others...and it dosent matter how much advice you get its the quality of it...even if u get only 2 or 3 replies if one of them is great advice thats all that matters...yup

we are not getting off topic. we are discussing why people post in the easier forums, as opposed to the harder ones...and that is the entire reason why fruitloop wants chit-chat to be gone.

[Minx]

see it dosent matter if the reply is unique or orginal...it matters that u believe the advice is the best advice you can give and that u think it will help someone...thats seriously all that matters...but again we are getting off topic

[Schism]

It IS true though....because it is the same old people...I would really like to see new people post their opinions....



God you all have great points...I'm just kinda stuck with all of them they are all good



~*~Shanna~*~

[daffodildreams]

Sky and BHO are getting a bit drained I think now, they reply so much to all the topics.. the pressure which is put on them alone to be replying to every topic is too much for them. It isn't fair on them.



New opinions are needed, definitely. I don't want chit chat entirely gone, I just want to make the regulars in there realise there are people out here who need their advice!!

[Sky]

Or have atleast all members post atleast ONCE in a help forum when they log in... i guess.... i dunno

[Minx]

i see what ur saying about the same old people replying...but i think others dont reply because they have seen that the topic has already been answered with a kick butt answer...me for example..ill go to sex sex sex, depression or why me and i see that post i wanna answer to have already been answered to and that the answer given has helped...and im afriad ill just make the situation worse or confuse the person...so i dont post anything...and as for topics not getting posted to...i pick topics who have only gotten 1 or 3 replies and i rely to it...yeah

[Cindy]

Fruitloop, If people wanted to help. They would. Bust since they don't, they won't. Theres nothign you can do about it. Sky and BOH (Now LettingGo so I guess LG) Don't have to reply to everyones post, they choose too. We shouldn't have to make users reply to topics. I myself can't help in depression/sucide/self harm/drugs and alchol/selfesteem and such, just because i don't have enough experence on helping thoses in there, and because depression and sucide forms are triggers for me, They send me into my depression/sucide moods. I know we can't force people to help.

[Rob]

I do somewhat agree to the stand that the chit chat section isn't exactly what this forum was meant to be for.



I don't respond a lot in the rape/self harm/etc sections cause I simply don't feel like I should. I don't think I could give the people that post there any good advice, cause I've never been through something similar myself, nor have I known any other people that have. That doesn't mean I don't try though, it just limits me somewhat in my ability to provide help. Often the best I can do is simply offer a listening ear, and give my opinion if asked for.



Also, one of the threads that I did respond to.. well.. the girl in question got somewhat mad at me through PM, telling me how I didn't want to help her and that I was lying and all.. and I kinda felt like.. 'whoaa.. what did I do?'



I don't post an awful lot in the fashion/etc sections either though, cause well, that's not what I came here for, and quite frankly I think it's not worth my time.



Just my point of view..