A question for our new members (and regulars too 😊).

[Quercus]

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking lately about inclusion on the forums and wondering...

What it is like to be a newbie on the forums?

Anyone feel like answering?

In the offline world we all deal with cliques. And feeling like we don't fit in or belong sometimes.

When I joined the forums I remember seeing members with thousands of posts and people greeting eachother like old friends.

I wanted so badly to feel like part of this community. I know I'm not alone... Sometimes I see a thread where someone is disheartened by a lack of response.

My question (sorry for the waffling) ...

What helped you to feel welcome here?

Here is my list (yep quite keen on lists)

• For newbies start your own thread in welcome/orientation. If you post your story in a social thread or someone else's thread you'll get lost in the system.
• On that note... Try not to make multiple threads on the same topic. If you are finding you need support speak up in the social threads or in a thread you contribute to a bit... Give the title of your thread and ask if someone will come have a chat.
• Read the rules and the posts in the welcome orientation section. Seems obvious but I don't think everyone does... And there is a lot of useful stuff in there!
• Remember the forums are not immediate. If you need immediate help there are the support numbers. Everyone on here is just like you (voluntarily contributing and dealing with a mental illness) so if you flood the forums with posts getting angry or upset about a delay in response or a post held up in moderation people tend to get overwhelmed and upset too. The helplines are there for a reason please use them 😊.
• Take the time to respond. There is nothing worse that writing a reply and then the new user never comes back online. There isn't a notification system. You've got to log on and check. Please do.
• Write to others. You don't have to know what to say. Or have advice. Sometimes it is just nice to have someone aknowledge you or to know someone is listening.

Enough waffling from me.... What does everyone else think?

Nat

[Flick_SnotGrass]

Hi there krystalramone,

I'm Flick SnotGrass, good to meet you.

Give yourself a big GOLD STAR for joining in.... experts agree ~ anxiety is no fun.

Btw, I like GOLD STARS,

I gave mysElf one this morning,

I caught mysElf just about to start an "Ain't it awful" pattern

and

I caught it just in time

~ before it got up a good head of steam...if you know what I mean 🙂

What tricks do you use krystalramone to calm down your nerves and jitters?

Looking forward to continuing the conversation,

Flick SnotGrass

[UsedToBeAnOptimist]

Thanks so much, I feel like there's a lot of good people out there! That in itself is really comforting x

[blondguy]

Hi UsedToBeAnOptimist (excuse me for hijacking your thread Nat)

Thankyou for the supportive and kind feedback re the forums Optimist!

My Best...Paul

[less_than_human]

I love white zombie, thanks for the heads up.

Irrelevant.

[Quercus]

Hi LTH 😊

You have made my day! Thanks! Initially I was a bit worried about sharing how your username reminded me of "more human than human" seeing as the lyrics and song might be triggering to some. But I'm stoked you like them too.

Funny how music hits people differently. Today my class ended with a ten minute meditation and while everyone else lay and relaxed to the song I tensed and clawed. I can't do soppy stuff... Yet give me something angry and I'll work the stress out via exercise... Have you tried running to this music yet?

Thank you for the reply 😊. Haven't crossed paths much how are you doing?

[Quercus]

Hi everyone (welcome to our newest members!),

First off.... Thanks Paul and Flick and Sara and UsedToBeAnOptimist and Krystalramone and LTH for keeping the thread alive while I started clawing my way out of a slump. Bleh. Don't we all just loooooove that feeling (bad attempt at sarcasm warning).

Have been reading around the forums a bit and it's been really lovely to see lately more new users joining into threads.

There is nothing I love more than reading a thread where someone's first post has gotten a reply from someone with 3 or so posts. That is "give support to recieve support" in action! Beautiful.

In therapy class today we were talking about owning who we are and embracing that differences are ok. There is nowhere that proves that to me more than here. We are all different and that is important because between us all there is nearly always someone who can relate to a thread.

To any new member reading... A response from you may be a thousand times more helpful to another user than mine with my 1600 odd posts. Because we are different and all experiences and opinions and styles and ideas are important.

There is my rant/saga for the day... Please don't let self doubt stop you from posting. We want to hear what you have to say too 😊.

PS. Spose I had better get back on track....

What makes you feel welcome here?

Does the initial response you recieve impact on whether you will continue to use the forums?

❤ Nat

[Muza]

Hey I just joined too don't know what to do

[Flick_SnotGrass]

Hey Muza,

I'm Flick SnotGrass, good to meet you.

Did you know you get a GOLD STAR for your first post? Yup....it's Official.

We're friendlies here...what brings you to BB Muza?

Love to hear from you,

Flick

[Quercus]

Hi Muza,

Welcome to the forums 😊.

Usually new members create a new thread (in the welcome/orientation section and click new thread) and introduce themselves. What brings you to BB?

A good tip is to use the topic you want to talk about in the title to attract members interested in similiar issues. You can always change the title as your needs change.

Benefit of a thread is that is somewhere for others to find you. If you join a conversation on a thread and want to steer the topic elsewhere but can't without derailing the person's thread you can invite others to your thread to continue that conversation further.

If you don't want a thread that's ok too. Just join in where ever interests you (just be aware you'll probably be asked if you have a thread 😊).

Like Flick said we're a cruisy bunch so if you have any questions or want some suggestions for threads to peer at please ask.

Nice to have you join us Muza.

Nat

PS. Hey there Flick. Good to see you getting about the forums more. Between you and Kanga in the BB Cafe we'll be set for good humour. Hope you are well.

[Flick_SnotGrass]

Hey Nat, good to see you too....yes, I'm overcoming my shyness and getting out about the forums more...

.....we're going swimming now...catch you later later, Flick