How can we improve the Forums?

[Sophie_M]

Hi all,

 

This discussion is a space for all members to share suggestions and ideas to improve the Forums. This can be anything. Navigation, notifications, topics and themes, moderation, community rules, or something else!

 

We'd love to hear about what you think we can do better. We are really grateful to everyone who has contributed their ideas already, and we're always keen to hear more. 

 

Kind regards, 

 

Sophie M

 

Please note: 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 

[Quercus]

Hi Sophie,

Thanks for replying re privacy concerns having all posts in one area. I'm glad the team is now aware that this is a concern for some of us. 

On another feedback note... Using the forums on my phone as always the heart to click for supporting a post comes up below almost on top of report post. So often when I go to tap the heart I open up the reporting a post thingo. It's really annoying. 

Also... This might seem petty and maybe stupid but on these new forums I'm no longer alumni which to be honest hurt to see. The forums have been a huge part of my life and that little note by my username is something I was really proud of. It's ok if that's just how it is now. For my own wellbeing I just try to say if something really upsets me. Thanks for letting me vent as always 😂.

[demonblaster]

Hi Rob and all ☺

I got that one re Birdy too. Was SO excited to see her again well I thought but couldnt get anywhere. 

I'm confident this'll all get sorted out as soon as po 👍

Hoping bb there might be a way for us to see if we've supported a post in the little heart. 

It's a lot of fluffing around to tap to check, see if the number reduces then tap it again to be supporting. 

? Could a colour be added or ✔ without disclosing who supported it. 

Notes with a character count somewhere here would be a boomer. 

Thanks 🌹

[demonblaster]

Please forgive me for going RIGHT off topic...but.....BIRDY... YOU'RE BACKKKKKK...🤗🤗🤗 ...I mean TWEETYYYYY ....so good to see you, been missing you SO much. 

"That is all"... from the famous other bb (big brother)

Ok I'm off now to beddy byes sleep well all. 

Tweety I locked dat big puddy tat up. Be well sweety 🤗😀

[geoff]

Hello Brett and Hanna, thanks.

mmMekitty thanks also, I know it may appear to be snooping but in old forums we could view a person's post count immediately, and hope this can reappear once again, and totally agree it would be good to know who posted the last reply so we don't necessarily have to open the thread.

I'm sorry Mods, as I have been a continual person making suggestions/complaints on this thread, my apologies but hope they are being looked at.

Geoff.

Life Member.

[blondguy]

Hey DeeBee 😀

Its always nice to see your super caring posts on the forums

you are and always will be a legend on the forums

((Hugs)) if thats okay

Paul

Still navigating my way around 🙂  

[Matchy69]

Only one badge shows up unless you click on the person profile which shows them all.My valued contributor badge dosnt show up only my blue voices badge does unless you click on my profile.

[Hanna3]

Thank you Sophie it is a concern for me and I also find it embarrassing to be honest as my situation now has changed so much from a few years ago when I first posted.

I'm also finding that threads won't stay newest to oldest and I have to keep reordering them. I've been trying to see if Paws has posted on her thread but no matter how many times I click on newest to last it stays oldest first and for the life of me I can't find the newest post. So I don't know if she's posted recently or not.

It's also confusing to have the person's original post always at the top, it becomes confusing and I always have to scroll through it to look for the person's most recent post. I wish we could remove that first ever post!

I am finding it much more time consuming to come on BB now.

Thanks for your help. 

[demonblaster]

Hi everyone 

• I understand why and feel a valid points been raised for potentially many people re privacy of discussions with snip bits of personal  info.

BB's always been strong on privacy which is great.

Would it be possible to have choices like the email notification preferences here where there's the choice for either/all or selected discussion being seen.

A point in favour of this way which I like too. 

• Being able to see some discussions we weren't aware of to join in.

As much as I like that system I'd be happier with choices. 

[Sophie_M]

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for this thoughtful and helpful feedback. The great strength of this community is that the members are passionate, caring and committed to making this the best possible space. It has been amazing to see this in action as we go through these changes. 

Quercus - we are really sorry that your Alumni badge wasn't applied properly, we have gone through and fixed that this morning. Thank you for raising it with us. 

robthomaslover - In this new platform you are able to follow discussions and posts even if you didn't make them. This allows members to observe conversations, even if they may not be ready to join them. You can manage notifications in the tab at the top of the screen.  

demonblaster - Thank you for the feedback about the 'Support' button. We will look into this and see what improvements can be made. At the moment we aren't able to make profile settings individually, but thank you for this suggestion. We will continue to look into this.

Hanna3 - This sounds frustrating and we sorry you're seeing these issues. We an hear that sort order has been difficult to get used to.
We have seen this feedback and are interested in how we can work with the community on this.

Thank you all for your support and engagement in this thread. We know that this change has been big and we really appreciate your continued posting. You are the heart of this community and we are committed to supporting Lived Experience and peer support. 

Kind regards, 

Sophie M

[tranzcrybe]

Firstly, great job on bringing the new forum to fruition - it now fits in with most mainstream formats with a clean presentation and, despite some initial niggles, a readily accessible platform for individuals seeking support.

The titles along with the 'teasers' to read more is helpful to understand the original premise of the thread as this can become distorted or lost completely over time.

As with any change, a period of adjustment is to be expected, bugs to be ironed out, etc., and a few transitional supports might help in the interim: a sidebar listing a comprehensive index of recently replied thread titles (with "New Threads" highlighted as this seems to be an oversight for regular users offering support; a 'walkthrough' tutorial to help first timers (and bewildered regulars) navigate the essentials and some of the wonderful innovations that may have been missed.

One recommendation I would encourage is to remove "Pinned threads" from EVERY page after the first as, especially with the preview and rather indulgent header, it only provides for a small number of current threads per page requiring multiple clicks to access a few days of posts.

BTW, still see the same old 'reply window' size constraints... hm, more copy and paste, I guess.

It's a good start and a few refinements (and compromises on both sides of the fence) should see things settling in to yield a better forum space for all. Keep up the great work!