Hi everyone, we're opening this thread to collate answers to some of the
more frequently asked questions on the forums. If you have questions,
you can add them to this thread and we will periodically update this
original post to make things as neat a...
View more
Hi everyone, we're opening this thread to collate answers to some of the
more frequently asked questions on the forums. If you have questions,
you can add them to this thread and we will periodically update this
original post to make things as neat as possible. How do I start a new
thread? At the top of each section is a blue "new thread" button.
Clicking on this will open a dialog box for you to start a new thread.
You need to be registered as a member and logged in to see this button
and post. You can start new threads in any section, except for the Long
Term Support Over The Journey section, where the new thread button has
been disabled. Please also read through our tips for writing threads
here. How do I reply to an existing thread? At the top of each thread is
a pink "post a reply" button. If your post is approved, it will appear
on the thread in the order in which it was received (not the time it was
approved). There are also reply buttons underneath each individual post
in the thread. If you reply using this option, your reply will appear
with a note at the top saying your post is "in reply to" that member.
How do I find my threads? You can find all the threads you have started,
or posted in, by using the My Threads tab. This is accessible from the
front page of the forums, at www.beyondblue.org.au/forums How long does
a post take to clear moderation? If you’re posting during business
hours, it shouldn’t take longer than a couple of hours. Outside of
business hours, it may take up to 12 hours. Please see our detailed post
on how the forums are moderated for further information. Moderation of
individual posts is not a topic for forum discussion, if you have
concerns about how your posts are being moderated, please contact our
team offline by email. With the time lag created by moderation, our
forums are not suited to real-time, immediate conversations. If you are
distressed and looking for immediate support, please use one of our
support service channels. How do I change my display name? Please get in
touch with our team offline. On an anonymous forum like this, your
display name is your key means of identification, so we advise against
frequent changes of name as this can be confusing for the community when
trying to support you. Can I choose a display name that's the same as
ones I use on other forums or social media channels? We strongly advise
that you don't. Our forums are public and all pages are indexed by
Google. Putting your display name into a Google search will bring up
your forum posts, and if you are active in other online spaces with the
same name, these will also come up, allowing your activity to be
tracked. If you wish to retain your anonymity, then choose a name that
is unique to this forum and not traceable to other websites or social
media channels. How do I delete my account? Please get in touch with our
team offline. When your account is deleted, any posts made prior to
deletion remain on the forum. Your avatar is removed from the posts and
your display name changed to "Guest". Due to the volume of posts, we
will not be able to remove your display name from posts made by others
in replies to you. Why do my posts remain online after my account gets
deleted? When you post, you're entering a conversation with our
community in which multiple people have a stake besides yourself. Our
members and volunteers spend a lot of time composing replies. There is
also a much wider audience (100,000+ per month) that gets a lot out of
reading what has been written, often several years after the original
thread has been posted. It's not fair to ask the community for support,
then ask to have it removed once you've read it so others can't also
benefit. We ask users to exercise discretion when posting here - think
about the level of detail you are sharing, and think also about who
might know you are posting here. Why has no one answered my post? I must
not be worth the effort. Most posts get answered by the community within
24 hours, but sometimes they slip the net. Please try not to take this
personally, the forums can be a very busy space. Some days are slower
than others, and some topics hit home with people more than others. The
amount of replies received will always vary from day to day. Our
community also operates on the principle of 'give support to receive
support' - you are more likely to receive replies if you get involved
with the community, respond and talk to members on existing threads, in
addition to starting a thread of your own. How do I add an avatar
(picture)? Navigate to My Profile > My Account at the top of the page.
It's on the top right in the desktop view, and can be revealed by
clicking the icon next to the home button in the mobile view. You will
asked to re-enter your username and password for security reasons. Once
inside, you will find a link to upload or change a profile picture.
Pictures are moderated in the same way your written content is, so
changes will not appear straightaway. Be mindful of our community rules
when choosing an image, particularly dark or disturbing images that may
impact on others who will have to view it every time they see your
posts. Face pics are personally identifying and will not be approved. Do
I have to create my own thread? If you are seeking support for your own
personal issues, it is best to create your own thread. Replying in
others' threads to detail your own problems without providing words of
support for the original poster is seen as hijacking. We also ask
members to keep to one personal thread for support rather than starting
up new threads. Can I have more than one personal thread? We ask members
to keep to one thread for support if the issues are substantially the
same. It makes it really difficult for the community to provide support
for you if they don't have the full story. As we don't currently have
the ability to merge threads, moderators will lock threads that are a
continuation/duplication of existing threads and refer members back to
posting in the original. What will happen if I create a thread in the
wrong section? Our moderators periodically move threads to appropriate
sections. If you wish to have a thread moved, you can report your post
to the moderators. Posting another thread on the same topic in a
different section is known as cross-posting - moderators will lock or
remove these duplicate threads. Am I allowed to join the conversation on
any thread? How do I know where I'm welcome? The forums are a group
discussion space, there are no private conversations here. You are
welcome to take part in any discussions provided you are mindful of our
community rules. Those wishing to post in the Multicultural Experiences
or Sexuality and Gender Identity section should read the guide posts
pinned at the top of those sections before contributing. What if I want
to write a very long post because of the circumstances of my problem,
and it goes over the 2,500 character limit? Can I start another post and
continue my story there? No. The character limit is there for a reason -
posts that go on for longer than one screen, where people have to scroll
in order to read, run the risk of people skimming your post and not
reading it. Starting up a completely separate thread to continue your
story will just add to the confusion, and create more work for
moderators in cleaning it up. We provide guidelines for how to get the
best out of the forums and have conversations here. If your problem is
genuinely too complex to describe within the limit, then the forum is
probably not the best avenue for you to be seeking support - we would
recommend seeing a professional offline. I replied to someone and they
haven't replied back. I'm really worried about them, can you get in
touch with them? Members are encouraged to respond here only when they
feel able to, and multiple messages can place undue pressure on those
who are struggling. It's the nature of an online, anonymous space like
this that members will come and go, and sometimes you won't have closure
on how someone is doing. We understand this can be upsetting, so we've
prepared this thread to discuss issues of looking after ourselves while
supporting others. beyondblue's trained moderators often work offline
(invisible to you) in the event that members are at risk of harm to
themselves or others. Some people have badges, what do they mean? You
can find out the purpose of individual badges by mousing over them, or
press and hold on a mobile/touch device. The main ones you will see are
our volunteer Community Champions, blueVoices members, and staff such as
the community manager or moderator. In our Multicultural Experiences
section, we have Multicultural Correspondents who have volunteered time
to initiate and facilitate discussions in that area. We also have Valued
Contributors which are nominated by the community. How do I become a
community champion? Community champions are formalised volunteer roles
within the forums. Champions act primarily to post in support of others.
To become a community champion, you will need to have been posting on
the forums already for a little while (100+ quality posts), have a
thorough understanding of our community rules and values, currently be
in a headspace where you feel you are able to provide consistent support
for others, and be able to provide us with a current Working With
Children's check. More information is available in the community
champion thread here. Can I discuss the medication I use? We don't allow
discussion of specific prescription medications or remedies. An
anonymous online forum is not a suitable place to be seeking advice on
medication. Any such discussions would be anecdotal by nature, and
therefore unhelpful. General discussion on experiences with medication
is allowed. Please see Dr Kim's post on this policy for more
information. Can I give my email address or phone number to someone on
the forum? No. This forum is an anonymous space, and for the safety of
all our members we don't allow information to be shared that would
facilitate offline personal contact. This also includes sharing the
details of other online channels you may be a member of. Where can I
find a doctor/psychiatrist/psychologist/support group in
suburb/town/city? This is an anonymous forum, so we can't provide
recommendations for services in specific areas. You will find links to
practitioner directories in our Find a professional section, and
information on support groups is available on the Black Dog Institute
site here. Where can I find friends/social groups in suburb/town/city?
As above, this is an anonymous forum where the sharing of contact
details is not permitted. The forums are not a connection service; we
do, however, have lots of conversations about how you can build and
improve relationships in your offline world. When should I use the
Report Post function? What happens when I use it? If you see something
that you feel is in violation of our community rules, then you can
report the post. More information on this, and what happens when you
report a post, is in our moderation thread. There's a thread that no one
has replied to, should I report that to moderators? Unless you are
concerned that the person may be at immediate risk of harm to themselves
or others, or there is something in the post that violates our community
rules, then we would ask that you don't report unanswered posts to
moderators. Posts made to our forums are there to be answered by the
community - please reach out and offer words of support if you see
unanswered posts. It's worth remembering that immediate support is not
available via the forums. Some days are slower than others, and some
topics hit home with people more than others. The amount of replies
received will always vary from day to day. Our support service channels
are available for immediate support. Can I return to my thread if I have
been away for a time? How do I find it? If you're returning to the forum
to discuss an issue that is a continuation of a previous story, then we
ask that you keep to the same thread. You can find all threads you have
started, or contributed to, by using the My Threads tab. I had posts
removed from the BB Cafe when I was trying to get support. Why? The BB
Cafe (and the BB Social Zone section) is a place to come and escape from
talking about your personal worries for a while, to relax and socialise.
The discussions on our forums can be pretty heavy at times, and we
created this section to give everyone some respite. If you're wanting to
talk through the more serious issues going on in your life at the
moment, please start up a support thread in the appropriate section (if
you don't have one already) and go from there. If personal issues come
up in discussion, it's OK to let members in the cafe know here that you
have a support thread open and invite them to come and chat with you
there. I had posts removed because they were deemed to be too
flirtatious. Why won't you let people have fun? We all like to have fun,
but comments that can be taken in a sexually suggestive manner are
really difficult to manage, particularly on a forum where a significant
number of our members have experience of sexual assault or abuse. We've
had consistent reports telling us that generally, members find these
kinds of comments uncomfortable - so best leave the cheeky comments for
people you know in person offline. Please see also our guidelines for
discussing relationships on the forums. I've had an argument with
someone on the forums, is it OK to talk about that on another thread?
No, we would ask that you don't do this. All threads on the forums are
publicly accessible, including to the person who you have had the
argument with. Taking your arguments into multiple threads disrupts
other members' support conversations, has the effect of escalating the
argument, and can be interpreted by the other member as being talked
about being their back, or having other members rallied against them. If
you cannot respectfully resolve an argument with another member, you can
agree to disagree, withdraw from the thread, and move on. Members that
are unable to move on from disagreements and keep trying to reignite
arguments will be asked to leave the forums. If you see any posts on the
forums that you believe cross the line from disagreement to being
disrespectful, report them to moderators and we will take a look. Can I
have more than one forum account? No. Running multiple accounts on a
forum is a practice known as "sockpuppeting", and in a space like this
one where we take members' posts at face value to provide support, this
kind of behaviour can be very distressing. Where we discover that
members are running multiple accounts, the duplicate accounts will be
banned from the forum. This rule also applies to members who have been
banned from our forums and are attempting to return under a different
alias. Why do you ban people? Isn't this supposed to be a place to get
support? We take our duty of care in providing a safe environment for
all forum members seriously, and this includes recognising when a member
may benefit from participating in our forums and when it may be more
appropriate to seek support offline. Repeated violation of our community
rules and values, causing distress to other members, ignoring feedback
from our moderators around appropriate posting, or abusive remarks
directed at our staff and volunteers are key reasons that will lead to a
ban. We're happy to say that bans rarely happen. Over 80,000 members
have joined the forums in the last four years, and only a few times a
year do we need to ask people to leave the space. Members that are
banned from these forums are provided with referrals to alternate
support services. I'm doing a research project, can I post about it on
the forums? No. This is a support community, designed to assist those
who are reaching out to discuss personal issues that are often very
difficult. beyondblue conducts a limited number of research projects
each year involving the forums, you can get in touch with us offline if
you have a proposal you'd like us to look at. Due to the volume of
requests received, we are unable to assist with school projects or
university assignments. How is the information I submit on this website
used? All information held by beyondblue is subject to our Privacy
Policy. Personal information contained in your profile, such as your
date of birth, postcode and email address, are not visible to the
public. However your chosen display name, avatar, and posts are visible
to anyone browsing the beyondblue website, regardless of whether or not
they are a member. By posting to the beyondblue forums, you grant us a
non-exclusive right to reproduce and use any material you post. We
sometimes use material from the forums as part of presentations or
research projects. Last updated: 12 June 2018
Meet your community champions!
