How to enjoy your visits to the forum.
For those who've been here for more than just a week or two, you have likely noted some uproar over a former member who was banned and then returned under a new name. Who this person is isn't a concern now since they are gone. But my concern is having a warm and safe place for all of us to come and share. I thought I'd pass on a few items on how the forum works that some of you might not be aware of. And I do hope these tips help you have a great time on the forum!
First...I know ALL of us read the forum rules completely when we decided to join...NOT!
I know I didn't. I glanced over them and they seemed fairly normal so I clicked OK and joined up. But once I decided to stay and help out I read and reread and even asked a question or two about
them. Rarely do the rules come into play on a daily basis but when someone is offending or in any way causing other members distress then they are up for having their account banned and locked. Moderators can not lock the accounts, only the admin/owner can do that. But we can get a message to him and alert
him to what's happening. And so can YOU!
On each post there are some little boxes in the upper right hand corner. The last one is an exclamation point '!'. If you click that you get a new window where you can type your thoughts about
the post or person in question. He will read these, and he always does, and decide if the account need to be locked. Once an account is locked the person holding that account can no longer post. That person can ask for a second chance and if they understand the infraction will often be allowed to have their account re
opened. If not it remains locked. But please remember....moderators and the owner/admin love to have weekends and personal time also. So if you don't get results instantly, or for even a day or two, it doesn't mean it's not going to be worked on or it might just be in the works.
Another option we all have is the Ignore list. If there is someone who don't appreciate reading their posts just add them to your ignore list. How? Again, go to one of their posts. In the upper right hand corner there's a little hand with Thumbs Down. Click on that button and you will no longer be able to see any posts from that person. If you want to see their posts again you can go to your control panel and edit your Ignore List. Straight forward and simple!
We all know that no one gets along with every person they come in contact with. It's no different on forums whether it's Healing Well, Facebook (oh my gosh I've seen some goofy ones out there...lol) or any other forum you may join. And when some issues blows up we all naturally want to put in our thoughts. The unfortunate thing is that it only draws attention to the problem or person in question. Most often that is the goal of someone who's causing the problem. This past week the person who had been banned and returned gains pleasure in upsetting the forum and drawing attention to them self. If we comply and give the attention then they have won...until they are banned and then join again under a yet different name.
So instead of adding fuel to the fire it's best to report the problem and leave the topic unanswered. Click on the alert
'!' and write on the topic there so the admin will understand. And/or email a moderator and we'll do the alert
and most likely edit the post. I think this will handle these situations more quickly and without others being hurt or offended in the process.
One other thought on threads that are not helpful...image you are a new person coming to the CP forum for the first time. If you were to read some of the things that were out there this past week you most likely would not join. If members need to have a conversation about
an issue then let's do out best to do it by email, IM or even phone calls if you prefer. Much better than scaring off any new people who truly need support for their Chronic Pain lives.
I hope this help and I certainly am not pointing a finger at anyone. When I was newer to the forum I did exactly what I'm suggesting we NOT do, until I learned a better way to handle things. BTW, I have deleted about
20% of the posts from this person who rejoined but there are still some buried out there. I just can't handle the physical pain of sitting at the computer and searching for and deleting over 100 posts. But I hope things will run much smoother now...
Warm hugs,
Chutz
