What do you think of the current character limit for posts?

[ProjectTeam]

Hello everyone,

Some of you may know that when making posts on the forums you are limited to 2,500 characters. We'd love your feedback on this, so we have two questions for you.

• How do you feel about the current character limit?
• How would you feel if there was no limit at all?

We would love to hear your thoughts.

Project Team
Beyond Blue

[Hanna3]

Yes please, if we can't have a running total for sure we need a character count - at the moment we are told we are over the word limit but not by how much and it's a nightmare trying to trim back what you wrote when you have no idea how much you need to remove.

[Hanna3]

I always write with paragraph breaks until now when I have discovered these breaks take up my character length!  I never write in large blocks of text, it's too difficult for people to read.

[ProjectTeam]

Hi Croix,

Thanks for sharing your observations.

We can see how those two changes would make the experience of posting simpler and easier.

[ProjectTeam]

Hi Hanna3,

All posts are initially filtered through an automated system. A small number of these posts then go on to be manually reviewed by our moderators. You can learn more about this process here.

[blondguy]

Thankyou Project team for the topic!

I have noticed a small number of members that aren't happy with the current post limit. Interesting.

* People experiencing even low levels of mental health issues have difficulty concentrating on a lengthy 

  2000+ word post.

* We must focus on mental health here. I avoid reading long posts (essays) as my concentration is limited

   having a long term anxiety illness.

* Special thanks to members that provide paragraph breaks when posting...Excellent😀

my kindest always

Paul

[Happylife]

Hi ProjectTeam,

Having character limit is fine but would be better if it is extended to atleast 4000 characters.

It's definitely easier to read and remember shorter posts but I do understand some of the topics have to be lengthy.

Line breaks or paragraphs are very useful and important as people may not have time to read very long posts and also helps you when replying as you tend to forget some of the points mentioned in the posts.

Another suggestion - it's good to highlight certain words or sentences in bold or using colours so that it's easy to grab attention of the reader.

[Croix]

Dear Happylife~

Having been answering posts for a long time I do find there is a limit as to what should be said in the first post. If there are too many issues then it becomes very difficult to answer them all - in fact impossible. This can lead to some important matters not being addressed.

A person is not limited to just one post of 2,500 characters, but may, after someone has responded, continue on with more of their story for another 2,500 characters, and so on. Questions can always be asked in response to amplify what has been said.

This 2,500 char length has the advantages not only is the reader not so likely to be overwhelmed with a huge post, but there is more chance of each single issue being talked about in time, wiht little missed out

Finally it allows persons such as myself to more evenly balance their time, rather than attempting to answer the one poster during a whole session, I can answer several, and of course go back to each in hte next session if they wish to continue to talk.

Actually there is another thing, over time a poster's desire what to talk about may change, perhaps as a result of some replies and suggestions, and doing this over several post makes this more possible. It becomes a conversation rather than everything at once.

I do agree there is a place for bold or italics or underling at times, and certainly using paragraph breaks makes things a lot easier.

Croix

[Roger]

In a space like Beyond Blue, where the act of writing can be an act of healing, the character limit feels like a strange constraint. Here, people are not just posting thoughts—they are reaching out, often in pain, confusion, or hope. In this context, openness is not just a feature of the forum; it’s its very foundation.

A fixed character count may unintentionally interrupt the flow of someone trying to express something difficult or deeply personal. The process of putting emotions into words can take time, and space. When a person is finally able to speak, it seems unkind to then say: only this much, no more.

Of course, moderation is necessary to ensure safety and mutual respect. But the length of a post is not in itself a danger. Those who need to speak at length should be able to do so. And those who do not wish to read long posts can simply move on. That’s the beauty of a forum—it allows for different rhythms, different needs, different voices.

>In my view, removing or greatly increasing the character limit would make the space feel more therapeutic, more supportive, and more aligned with the kind of care that Beyond Blue represents. Expression should not be curtailed where expression is the point.