for me, someone who uses the S/I board, joining the serious discussion and the S/I board together is the worst idea ive ever heard. i dont know how people think there the same. S/I board is about that S/I. i myself dont use the Serious discussion board, actually thats wrong i use it if i want to be triggered, and thats the reason i dont use it if i read those post i get triggered. i know people may say 'well just dont read those threads' but then if thats really going to be a problem why join them in the first place.
i actually think the forums just fine as it is. i use basically all the sub forums. i like the fact that if i need help with something specific theres a place to post which i know the replies will be on topic to. just my two cents.
As I've said earlier, I think the forums should stay the way they are. What exactly are the reasons for wanting to merge them? To boost replies? We can do that in other ways. Because the forum seems kindof "dead"? Well, revive it! I know that I spend alot of time in Grief and Trauma, and the threads there are few and far between, but the forum itself is just important as any other.
*shrugs* I'm interested in other people's reasonings, however.
reasons for merging forums:
-forums being inactive or at least not very busy.
-taking up space.
-fragmenting the community.
-not as many replies as if there was one forum specialising in two things.
-many of the threads in particular forums could easily fit in other places.
i can't think of any others off the top of my head.
To be honest im fed up with all the moaning thats been going on just lately. Specially the fact that there is too many forums thats ridiculous im afraid. Everyone is entitled to an opinion of course. But this is just ridiculous. If things change and forums get merged then i will be put off of coming to ryl and will not come here at all. I know this is only a discussion but if forums get merged then i think it will put alot of people off.
But this is why the discussion is taking place. To see what the majority of the members want. If lots say don't merge the forums then the others who want it done cannot say anything to that as they got out voted.
To be honest, I am fed up with negative posts when, right now, we seem to be taking a positive step towards bringing RYL together again and making many members, who have been feeling a bit crappy about it all recently, feel that they do matter and do have a say in what happens to this site.
But does that mean we have to merge them? The forum is probably not very busy for a reason (which may need addressing), and by mixing it with a busy forum will make the threads go even more unnoticed. I see how people might see the threads if the forum is used more often, but they will slip off the page eventually, and perhaps quickly.
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taking up space.
I don't understand this one - do we have a certain amount of space that needs filling? If you look at other support sites (I'm thinking of one in particular, however) they have many more forums than us.
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fragmenting the community.
This, in my opinion, can be solved in other ways. Bringing the community together by choice and by more friendly-close ways, other than just suddenly having loads of members in one space. I understand how having them together will improve connections, but *shrugs*
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-not as many replies as if there was one forum specialising in two things.
-many of the threads in particular forums could easily fit in other places.
I think the forums cover all aspects that we need. No more, no less. The merging of two forums have their connections and their differences. I personally don't see how it'd work.
And like others have said, merging might cause members to be discouraged from posting or even coming on RYL.
Im not being negative its my opinion thank you. I dont see the point in merging the forums. Putting Serious and Self Injury together is not a good idea you will get people who will become far too triggered and then they wont use the forum because they know they will be triggered. Im pleased that people agree with me though about merging the forums and that if that was to happen it would put people off.
Im not being negative its my opinion thank you. I dont see the point in merging the forums. Putting Serious and Self Injury together is not a good idea you will get people who will become far too triggered and then they wont use the forum because they know they will be triggered.
Expanding from that, too, is that some members may be easily triggered by SI related threads, and others by suicide/graphic threads. Some threads aren't always labelled appropiately, and there's more risk of people being triggered.
To be honest im fed up with all the moaning thats been going on just lately. Specially the fact that there is too many forums thats ridiculous im afraid. Everyone is entitled to an opinion of course. But this is just ridiculous. If things change and forums get merged then i will be put off of coming to ryl and will not come here at all. I know this is only a discussion but if forums get merged then i think it will put alot of people off.
Why would you be put off if forums got merged/why do you think others would be put off? - Like.. what are your reasons for that? [I'm not saying they're not valid, I just genuinely want to know, because saying it would put you off is one thing, but in a debate such as this one, reasons as to why are useful to know].
"Be nice. Think happy thoughts. Champion silver linings. Love all things (not just cute things like babies and kittens) & when you do love - love like they do in power ballads (you know like on a cliff with the wind in your hair and your eyes shut, knowing you'll never know love like this). Watch out for dog poo. Smile at people - even grumpy ones. Remember anything is possible & whatever you do always try to look on the bright side."
I dont think merging the forums is a good idea and i certainly dont see that its going to improve things. If forums are merged it will make certain forums have an even lower reply rate than what they have already got. Then you will get even more people becoming triggered than what there is now and people will just go.
The idea of merging forums is putting people off already. Too many people being triggered will put people off lower reply rates will put people off merging of the forums will also put people off. Some threads only get one or two replys then they slip to the bottom and are never seen again. If forums are merged this will get worse.
Personally, I think that Grief and Trauma and Abuse and Bullying should be joined, because a lot of people who have been abused are traumatised, and somehow I think they fit well together. I'm not entirely sure about joining SD and SID because they don't always cover the same topics. I agree with the moving forward part in SID though, because it can be an inspiration to people struggling to recover, posting about SI in there
Grief and Trauma & Abuse and Bullying? How do they fit together? Or maybe I'm missing the difference between grief from a loved one, and abuse from someone that you more than likely come to fear eventually? >.>
I swear on my life I wasn't stalking you then, I'm stalking this thread. *nods*
And they don't, really. Grief and Trauma is more about bereavement and sad losses, Abuse and Bullying.. well, it's what it says on the tin. They don't really mix.
What actually is the trauma aspect?..
If that board was to stay I at least think the name should be made more clear?
"Be nice. Think happy thoughts. Champion silver linings. Love all things (not just cute things like babies and kittens) & when you do love - love like they do in power ballads (you know like on a cliff with the wind in your hair and your eyes shut, knowing you'll never know love like this). Watch out for dog poo. Smile at people - even grumpy ones. Remember anything is possible & whatever you do always try to look on the bright side."
For example, if you'd been in a car crash and saw your loved ones die/get seriously hurt. Or your baby gets taken away. *shrugs* I think that's what it is like, anyway.
Isnt it the trauma of losing a loved one?like....losing someone suddenly is very traumatic.
There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you.
But there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.
I aint no abacus but you can count on me.
I like the boards as they are :)
I don't think SI and serious should be merged. There's questions in SI that aren't really serious, ie. questions about scars and the how long/why you self harm sort of threads that pop up there from time to time.
As for Grief + Trauma and Abuse + Bullying, they're not the same kind of trauma so don't really fit well together.
Some of the boards are quite slow moving, but merging them wouldn't really change that in terms of topics discussed. For example, there wouldn't be more people asking for support for their substance abuse or supporting others with substance addictions just because it had been merged with the serious board or the SI one. So it seems a bit pointless? in my opinion.
I don't really think any of them should be merged, I like that I know exactly the sort of topic that will come up in any given board.
I like them as they are, I don't think anything really needs changing.
I think the only one that would do well being moved is the moving forward board. I don't see why the SI or Substance Abuse boards can't have a positive label like the ED board does, where people can talk about their recovery in the specific area.
