Forum suggestion?

[star pup]

I am a newbie here as of today, i have made my "super long introduction" first post and since then i have read through a few threads and comments and i would like to offer a suggestion.

I am an active member on a different support forum unrelated to here and i have noticed something lacking on b.b that i feel would be beneficial having seen some recent posts by the more established/long term members here.

A "greetings/introductions" area for newbies/new members perhaps?

A place for people to introduce themselves, where posts wont dissapear as quickly into the depths of time and to the back pages, a place where those that have good advice and time to comment can welcome our new members.

I feel this category would be a worthwhile addition to b.b, which, being a forum that offers support, a friendly word and also advice would help all newer members fit in and feel welcomed and happy to contribute further.

Because, lets face it, we all know why we are here, for support, and to talk things through, and hey, what could be worse than a first post that no one replies to, or one that just disappears into the depths of time? 🙂

Anyway i better go, bye for now!

Star pup  ^.^

[Struggler]

Hi Star Pup

Welcome to Beyond Blue, the caring and friendly community.  Thank you for your suggestion and I hope to read many more of your posts soon.  

I agree with you 100% on your super duper suggestions.  I think BB is working on it.  However, as with any other forum, there's always the same problem, beginning with the letter *m* or lack of it.  *m* stands for money.  Many forums allow for advertisement and make some revenue.   BB relies solely on government funding and occasional private donation.  

I have only been here since May and am now a regular poster.  Yes it's very distressing to have your first post not responded to.  Regulars including myself always endeavour to ensure newbies are welcome and replied to.  This forum is growing so rapidly that first post often gets pushed to page 2 or beyond, not getting a response.  According to BB, this forum experiences four times more newbies than it did this time last year.  So you can imagine the difficulty of keeping up with the posts but we do our best.  Point to remember is that we are all fellow sufferers and donate our time free of charge to help other posters.  

Now I go and read your other post.

Struggler

[Chris_B]

Hi star pup,

Thanks for the suggestion, this is indeed something we are looking into - good to hear some feedback on it.  In the meantime, the best place for doing general introductions/chat type posts is 'Community board', which you have done already.  Welcome!

[AGrace]

Hi Star Pup,

You share some very insightful and valuable feedback. Its good to hear from Christopher that Beyondblue are looking into this.

Perhaps Beyondblue could provide a generic reply to all new members, welcoming them, reassuring them that the community will respond ASAP, and reminding them that if their posts require a more urgent reply to consider web chat between the hoursof 3pm and midnight?

Having been a newbie at one stage myself, I'd also encourage new members that if they feel their post has not been replied to in a considerable amount of time, add a new post to the same thread, this will bring the thread back to page one under the 'new posts' tab.

As Struggler has mentioned us regulars try as best we can to welcome new members as quickly as possible in the time we can allocate to participating in the forums. We appreciate that sometimes threads still go unanswered, and we try to allocate some of our time to going back over pages that are further down the track to check if we've missed anyone.

The other thing I found as a new member was that I was more comfortable navigating around the forums by reading a number of posts and then eventually writing my own thread. The forums work best on a give and take system. So I'd encourage new members to feel free to welcome other new members, even if at that time they dont feel comfortable to give advice. Sometimes all someone needs is an ear to listen, and the acknowledgement that they are not alone.

I hope this is helpful, and I hope you feel very much a part of the community. 

AGrace

[sumynona423]

hello. I am brand new here and am finding all these threads really confusing?! Are they more to tell your story and have others respond? Or to have group discussions on more than one persons individual story? Or for some other purpose? Sorry, I am just really struggling to understand this system?

[Chris_B]

Hi sumynona423, sorry to hear you're finding the forums confusing. There are a lot of discussions happening at any one time, so it can seem a little daunting at first.

The forums can be whatever you want them to be - if you'd like to tell your own story and have others respond to it, then you can start your own thread. Members tend to get the most out of the forums by replying to others' discussions too, though - there are so many of us here who share similar stories and you'll feel a lot less isolated if you reach out and chat to others.

[Chris_B]

Hi starpup, not sure if you are still reading, but we're a good 9 months on from your original post and as you will now see we have now implemented a specific area on the forums for introductions and learning how to use the forums.

Thanks to our wonderful community champion volunteers, it is very rare for a new member to have their post unanswered within 24 hours. 

As ever, for any new members reading, by all means have a look through the different categories before starting your own thread - you may be surprised that there are already members here going through very similar situations that you can connect with and start discussions with. Not only will this make you feel more connected in our community, but it saves us having a number of very similar discussions happening in parallel at the same time.

[Bevan_B]

Hello,

I am an 18-year-old boy with autism. I need guidance from someone about how to control my anger.

I have recently considered leaving my house so that my family will live better without me. I also want to change my legal ID, to try and start afresh.

[Sophie_M]

Hi Bevan,

Welcome to the Beyond Blue online forums.

It sounds like you may be having some difficulties with your family at home. Is that right? We are sorry that you feel like leaving your home is your best option and understand how starting fresh with a new identity may seem like the best way to get rid of any challenges you’re currently facing.

However, we’d encourage you to reach back here so our community can support you with any difficult decisions you feel you have to make. Writing here can also help you release your anger and get out any troubling thoughts.

We suggest starting a new thread so our community can best support you. Click the link below if you would like some assistance in starting a new thread or you can also email us at modsupport@beyondblue.org.au to talk things through : https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/welcome-and-orientation/the-forum-faq-thread...

Keep checking back in to let us know how you’re going when you feel up to it.