How can we improve the forums? Your suggestions and comments please

[Chris_B]

Hi all, this thread is a running commentary for all members on things for improvements to the forums. This can be anything from how it looks, the categories, to moderation, community rules etc.

While we might not be able to implement everything straightaway, or keep everyone happy all of the time, we'd like to hear about what you think we can do better.

This is not a thread for discussing the moderation or editing of individual posts - if you have questions about this please contact the team offline via email modsupport@beyondblue.org.au

To avoid repeating suggestions already received, below are some results from our last user survey giving an indication of which new features people would like to see on the forums. This survey was answered by 1,597 users:

44% - Email notification when I have a reply on the forum
39% - Access to the forums via an app
27% - Ability to block seeing posts by specific users
25% - Ability to contact users privately
25% - Ability to use emoticons
25% - Ability to follow posts by specific users
24% - Ability to share links
23% - Forum posts visible only to registered users
22% - A profile, viewable by others users, where I can introduce myself
21% - Ability to quickly access all posts by a particular user
15% - Ability to tag users in a conversation
10% - Ability to share images
6% - Ability to share videos
17% - None of these

Update July 2022 - This discussion has now been closed. Please go to the updated version below to share feedback and follow our updates:

How can we improve the Forums?

[Guest_4643]

Hey demonblaster. Do you mean the threads in like A-Z or something, or?

Yeah people could get stuff out of non active threads.

I would like the ability to edit posts too incase we make a typo or something.

Mark, congrats on your 3 year anniversary on the forums.

[Matchy69]

Hi Tayla it is actually friday my 3 year anniversary on here.

[Guest_4643]

Oh okay, either way congrats on your 3 year anniversary here Mark

[Sophie_M]

Happy anniversary Matchy69. We can't say much yet but hopefully by the time it's your fourth anniversary you'll be enjoying a much more navigable forums platform.

[Matchy69]

Sophie I plan on staying on here and helping as many people as I can even if it is just listening.People just need someone to listen to them.I Know I do.

[blondguy]

Hey Mark

3 years! As Tayla and Sophie_M mentioned above

Congrats on your 3 years of providing caring support to people doing it hard 😃

My kindest always

Paul

[Matchy69]

Thanks Paul you have always been great support to me with your kidness.

[Guest_1643]

hello team

A helpline saved my life and I call them all the time.

That said - it doesn't help everyone.

I read a really interesting article today

https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/why-i-wont-tell-someone-whos-suicidal-to-just-ask-for-help/10359686

and it made me feel anxious about the way we talk about help-seeking- like we can't acknowledge or hold space if someone does help-seek and is disappointed, or it doesn't work. It's almost like we don't believe them.
We need to accept that the system is flawed and not subtly infer that if someone doesn't get help from a helpline they must have done something wrong.

anyone who's tried to navigate the system knows its mostly heartbreaking. I don't think posts should be deleted if someone says a helpline didn't help them or that they are not finding this website helpful.

I say that as someone who finds this website helpful, and who calls helplines all the time. It works for me. But if it doesn't work for others that's okay too.... that's a part of the truth of getting better. Sometimes the system lets you down. No one should blame themeselves for this.

[quirkywords]

Sleepy21

I feel this very thread is proof that the website is aware there are things that need improving and people are encouraged to say what is and what is not working for them .

I let people know about help lines and the person can choose whether to try them or not.

I agree we are all different and that is why we have this thread and are encouraged to express ideas for ways to improve the forum.

Thanks for your honesty and for the help you provide on the forum.

[geoff]

Hi forums, what is annoying is that you may take 30 minutes to reply to someone then press 'Post this reply', but for some unknown reason it's not and what appears on the screen is 'Page can not be found' or something very similar, so your entire reply and what you've spent 30 minutes typing out, giving suggestions and/or advice has all gone.

It can't even be found clicking on 'History' or My Threads it's just vanished, there needs to be a way where it's kept and we can copy and paste it back to the person.

We never know if or when BB forums are having any maintenance done and if we do want to reply and spend a great of time composing one, we don't want it to be lost in the never never.

There has to be a way to recover what we've said.

Geoff.