We’d love your thoughts on how we introduce @mentions

[ProjectTeam]

Hi everyone,

We are getting ready to introduce @mentions to the Beyond Blue Forums.

@Mentions will let members tag another member in a post (for example @ExampleMember). This can help keep conversations clearer, especially when a few people are participating in the same discussion.

Before we roll the feature out, we want to make sure it is introduced in a way that feels safe, respectful, and supportive for the community. To help with that, we have drafted some guidelines and FAQs about how @mentions should be used, and we would really value your feedback on those.

We would love your thoughts by Friday 13 March.

Here is a short summary of the key points from the draft FAQs and Forums Guidelines.

• @Mentions are designed to help conversations flow.
  They are there to help keep discussions clear when several members are taking part.
• Replying to mentions is optional.
  If someone mentions you, it is simply an invitation to reply. There is no expectation to respond, and it is always okay to step back.
• Mentions send notifications.
  You will receive a notification on the Forums when you are mentioned. You will also receive an email notification unless you have adjusted or turned @mention email notifications off in your settings.
• They should not be used to pressure anyone.
  This includes repeatedly tagging someone or trying to hurry a response.
• They should not be used to pull people into discussions.
  In particular, @mentions should not be used to bring specific members into conversations in the PTSD and trauma or Suicidal thoughts and self-harm topics.
• Please do not @mention moderators.
  The moderation team’s account (Sophie_M) should not be tagged. If you need moderator help, please use the Report Post button or email modsupport@beyondblue.org.au
• Community Champions can be mentioned, but there is no expectation they will reply.
  They are part of the community like everyone else.
• Moderators can step in if @mentions are misused.
  This might include editing or removing posts, issuing warnings, or limiting access to the feature to help keep the Forums safe and supportive.

If you would like more detail, you can also read:

• The full draft FAQs
• The draft Forums Guidelines update

You do not need to read the full guidelines and FAQs to provide feedback. Feedback on the points above is just as helpful.

What we would love your feedback on

We are keen to hear your thoughts on:

• Does this guidance feel clear and reasonable?
• Is anything missing or confusing?
• Do you have any concerns about how @mentions might affect your experience on the Forums?
• Is there anything that would help this feature be introduced more smoothly?

How to share your thoughts

You can reply to this post with your feedback. Short or long responses are both welcome.

If you can, please share your thoughts by Friday 13 March so we can review everything together.

If you would rather share something privately, you are also welcome to contact the moderation team at modsupport@beyondblue.org.au

What happens next

We will use the feedback you provide to refine the FAQs and guidelines ahead of launching the @mentions feature.

Thanks for being part of the Beyond Blue Forums. Your perspectives really do help shape how the Forums work.

Project Team
Beyond Blue

[indigo22]

Hi Team,

This sounds like it could be a useful tool if used as intended.

I suppose my question would be what moderators would consider over use of the @mentions, and what would be considered normal and reasonable use.

I would certainly use it occasionally, but not on a daily basis I don't think. As I said, handy to have if needed.

Will be interested to see what feedback comes through.

indigo

[ViolettaZ]

Hi Team,

I think this feature would be really useful.

Sometimes people reply to messages, but it’s not always clear whether they’re responding to mine, which can be a bit confusing unless they include my username. The @mention function could help users quickly notice when their message has been replied to.

That said, as Indigo22 mentioned, it would be helpful to clarify what counts as overuse:)

ViolettaZ

[ProjectTeam]

Hi indigo22 and ViolettaZ - thanks for your feedback.

It wouldn’t be so much overuse, but misuse. That might be something we need to make clearer in the policies and FAQs. Examples might help here, so here are a few.

Example 1:

We respond to indigo22 and mention them. We don’t hear back from indigo22 and two days later we respond again and say “@indigio22 did you see my message?”

This would be considered putting pressure on indigo22 to respond so moderator action may occur.

Example 2:

We make a post and get five replies from other members. Instead of using the reply button five times to address each member, we could reply to everyone in one post using mentions.

If we want to thank everyone generally for their replies, we could say in the same post:

“@Member1, @Member2, @Member3, @Member4 thank you for all your suggestions. They have really helped”

If we wanted to address each member separately but in the same post:

“@Member1 that’s such a great idea. I like to put music on when I’m anxious too.
@Member2 thank you for sharing your experience. It sounds so similar to mine. Have you found…”

Example 3:

indigo22 has started a discussion. ViolettaZ has not replied in this discussion at this point. Member1 replies to indigo22 and in their reply they mention ViolettaZ.

This pulls ViolettaZ into a discussion they were not part of (and might not want to be part of) so moderator action may occur.

Does this help to answer the question of overuse/misuse indigo22 and ViolettaZ?

[indigo22]

Thank you Team,

Yes, this does make it clearer and may I suggest using some examples in the final drafts.

indigo

[ViolettaZ]

Thanks, team!
This is very helpful.

ViolettaZ🤗

[Ggrand]

Hello everyone…

I have reserved thoughts about the @ …some people and I’m one of them, could feel pressured into answering that post, if named with the @…This is just my thought only, 

If, for some reason, the  @ person doesn’t see it or is unable to reply, could this make the member feel abandoned and possibly more alone, by that person they are wanting to talk to?  

Grandy..

[white knight]

Hi

I'm reserved about it. On one side of the coin it could be just another addition that doesnt justify its existence. On the flip side if two or more people are discussing the exact same topic it could be an advantage as it will promote posts in a thread that will keep that topic alive.

I'll sit on the fence until its in action.

TonyWK

[ProjectTeam]

Hi Grandy,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We really appreciate you raising these concerns.

We are very aware that being mentioned could create feelings of pressure for some people, or worry if a response does not come. That is something we have considered carefully.

To help protect members, we have drafted an addition to the Forums guidelines:

“@mentions must not be used in ways that pressure, harass, or single out other members. This includes repeatedly tagging someone or tagging them to demand a response.”

This sits alongside our existing guideline that allows moderators to edit or choose not to publish posts that put overt pressure on other members to respond. Together, these guidelines are intended to give moderators clear grounds to step in and support members if a situation feels uncomfortable or unfair.

We also recognise the concern you raised about someone feeling more alone if a person they mention does not respond. While that is possible, we don't think this risk is unique to @mentions. Similar feelings can already arise when a member is addressed directly in a post, such as “Hi Grandy”, or when a reply does not come for any reason.

What is most important to us is making it clear that responding is always a choice. Being mentioned is only an invitation, not an expectation.

For this reason, we have included the following in our draft @mention FAQs:

“Being mentioned is only an invitation to reply, and it is always okay not to respond.”

Your feedback has been really valuable in helping us think through these risks and how we communicate about them.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your perspective.

[ProjectTeam]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

We expect @mentions will be useful for some members in certain situations, particularly where people are engaged in active ongoing discussions with multiple members, while others may not find a need for them at all.

We’re very open to seeing how the feature is used in practice once it’s introduced, and we’ll be paying attention to how the community responds. As always, we’ll make adjustments if something isn’t working as intended.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your perspective.