Regarding the First Aid board, if people are getting a lot of support from older threads, could the current board simply be locked, leaving the other threads there for viewing purposes only? If anyone needs advice they can PM the appropriate person.
I would merge Vets with the rest of the board (ie, get rid of it). It seems really slow moving, and I really don't see what is so different about it anymore. Plus, it always causes confusion for newer members as to just what a 'Veteran' is.
Similarly, I would remove the Substance Abuse and Grief boards, as both of those topics get covered elsewhere.
Abuse and Bullying is a tough one. I've always though it to be quite imbalanced in that most people would consider abuse (particularly of a sexual nature) to be on a different level to bullying. Of course, it doesn't have to be, but I would think that it would be difficult to post in that board if you didn't think your run-of-the-mill-bullying post was as important as the one below about regular sexual abuse. I'd probably remove the bullying aspect and suggest that goes into GSA.
It might seem that a lot of threads are going to spring up in GSA, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, as most of the traffic will be concentrated in one area, rather than spread around the site and so support levels might increase as well.
Regarding the First Aid board, if people are getting a lot of support from older threads, could the current board simply be locked, leaving the other threads there for viewing purposes only? If anyone needs advice they can PM the appropriate person.
I'm not sure if I've missed something, but why would we need to lock FA? Especially if it's still going to be visible it might as well be open! Even though a lot of support can be gained from old threads, it doesn't mean every possible scenario has already been covered. Threads have the advantage over PMs in that you can get a whole range of ideas and experiences and can get really quick replies from other members if none of the FA team happen to be online.
I liked Cam's suggestions, although I personally would hope that Moving Forward would stay too, as I think it's a really important board.
I agree with Jenna. It's not just old threads that can help people but current ones too especially as they're more up to date especially with wound care advice. The FA Team, like the other staff members on RYL, are volunteers and often RYL isn't the only thing we have going on in our lives and so we also value users responses on the forum and many of these are valuable. I don't see any reason why this should be stopped. This thread is regarding RYL boards becoming quiet, surely doing this will just make another part of RYL, that is already MUCH quieter than it used to be, appear to be inactive, even if it's still going on in private. Also many users who post on the FAF don't want to bother us with PMs or want a response from as many people as possible, locking FA will not help this and potentially only increase the workload for the team in some ways, mean we have to check much more often and the users get a more polarised view so I don't know how this would help RYL as as far as I'm aware there are no major problems with the FAF as it currently stands and new members would probably find it more daunting PMing someone (even if they knew who and how to) rather than post a thread.
The FAF is not an elitist board where only the FA team are allowed to post/ only their advice should be taken into account, anyone is allowed to give advice within the rules and not allowing this would only cause further alienation and reduce the community feeling further.
To be honest, I'd probably get rid of the FAF altogether. Most of the replies I see seem to be 'go to a doctor' and it would stop any questionable advice being given. Also, the vast majority of advice can already be readily accessible both on the site and elsewhere on the internet.
But that's my opinion, probably not going to popular.
I must say I agree, although I acknowledge the hard work that the first aid advisors give, my experience is much the same that it is often being told to go to a hospital or doctor, or people posting conditions they are already getting help for, etc.
That said, I haven't been in there for a while so my view may not be an accurate representation. It would still be great to keep the first aid advisors but maybe in a different capacity, like emails.
I don't think closing FA would reduce people asking for medical advice.
Instead, they would just be all over the forums distributed. between SI, ED and GSA. This way we at least have them in one place which makes it easier for the FA team to keep an eye on the advice given by members etc.
I agree that for a majority of the threads answers could be found by reading the stickies or using Google. But what makes people think members will genuinely start doing that if the board were to be closed?
Carmen makes a good point. I do agree that a lot of things posted on the FA could probably be answered on google/looking at olds threads or by just assuming the advice will be to go to see a doctor, but a) sometimes people need that personalised response to assure them that they're not over-reacting and b) there are lots of different ways to seek medical advice and it can be helpful to signpost people so they know whether a pharmacist, nurse, GP, 111, out-of-hours GP, A&E or an ambulance would be the best course of action.
Yep, it's been a long standing thing if you look through this forum that the advice given on FA could be found elsewhere and/ or the people should go to the doctor but, as said, we're not designed for anything but sign posting where people should go for general medical advice apart from giving the basics and this is what many people want and as Carmen says, a lot of people feel comfort in the justification that it is serious enough for a doctor or whatever. You could argue the same point with MH Discussion, people post in there asking for advice when really only their Dr/ a mental health professional in person can give that advice.
I'm not against re-looking at the FAF but email wouldn't work as well as it does for the supporters for a number of reasons (1 being that we have no clue whether the person behind the email is a RYL user or not and we only give advice to users) which is where the unified PM account would come in but this would potentially be one more thing to be forgotten and also you lose the forum feel of other users replying as there are times when all members of the team cannot get online properly for a couple of days apart from a quick check of their PMs. The FAF is by far not the quietest of boards, in fact though it may not always have a thread in a day of even a couple of days (compared to approx 4+ new threads/day in its height) but when you glance down the forum view it does usually have a much higher number of people viewing than any other, sometimes any other in total and I feel that must tell us something. People like the personalised touch which is why it's still going and as said, if not threads would just be posted elsewhere creating a larger workload (they still get moved to the FAF from SI/ SD/ GSA/ ED and occasionally MH to make life easier for users at the moment and so that will only worsen as people won't stop posting, they'll just post them elsewhere) and more threads will be missed. Everything in FA is checked by myself and/ or another member of the team even if we don't reply (as good quality user replies mean we don't always need to) but this can't be guaranteed if the posts are elsewhere which increases their risk of inaccurately and even dangerous information not just going to the member asking for the advice but a much greater number of the community and potentially members further afield.
Couldn't people get that support and advice from a normal support thread? Anyone can signpost and no one should be giving medical information/advice anyway. So if something gets posted in another board and there is advice being given (which no doubt happens already...) it can be reported, otherwise the poster can get the support they want/need that way.
The FAF, from my viewing anyway, seems to have a lot of general medical questions, which I don't think was ever the remit of the board. Some people seem to use it as an alternative to a medical professional.
In my opinion there just shouldn't be any medical advice being given by anyone on this website. The stock answer should be "no one here can give you that advice, you really need to see a doctor/medical professional".
I think Ryl is much older so there is less need for vets so I'd close it down
Yes - RYL seems like a Highclere Castle (Downtown Abbey estate) existing as a waning dinosaur whose past looms larger than its present or future. If only a few people live in a large edifice, and the staff has thinned, you cover the furniture, close rooms off etc. I think RYL needed to contract a long time ago. The "age of the forum" isn't what it used to be with all the "new" social sites, apps etc.
As I recall, adding forums wasn't just a way to focus on more topics but to disperse energy and cut down on conflicts back when RYL was constantly contentious. That was 10 years ago. Now dispersing energy just backfires.
I understood the reasons for Vets "back in the day" (when most members were 14) but on the flip side it also separated people with experience from younger people seeking some. "Serious" was never quite the same after two Vet forums came to be.
Grief forum topics can easily go in Serious. "Looking Forward" seemed to siphon off any positive vibes that used to come up in darker forums that just became exclusively dark.
First Aid forum I gave up on a long time ago because you could barely make a post in reply there. The atmosphere was tight and defensive. No reason for a site to put itself on edge like that. At one time when "Live Help" and First Aid came around it was like RYL was incorporating its own cyber A&E. I thought it was a well meaning "bridge too far" that stressed people out (I knew members who were failing school but staying up all night doing Live Help).
While I would prune all the extra forums, I would also restore an "Anything Goes" type forum because RYL got too burdened with Byzantine rules, points, bubble wrap etc. If RYL began as what it became after 2005 it would never have grown. Its easy to have a good reason to make a thread or post but its even easier to come up with more reasons not too - most of them trivial but they get the leverage on their side
I'd probably remove the bullying aspect and suggest that goes into GSA.
Totally agree with this and merging BORIS stuff with a new general ED board. I think everyone has said it better than me and I probably won't explain this well but what I understand about any kind of distress around eating is that focussing on food and weight is a way for people is either a way for people to cope with other issues going on in their lives or as the entire way to evaluate their self worth and anything we can do to minimise that (i.e less segregation) would be helpful.
Plus the Comfy Couch is a lovely place but it isn't posted on by new members and maybe if it was on a general ED board that would change. Just an opinion and I don't know how the other people who regularly post on their feel but it feels like it functions more like a general support/mental health and discussion thread at the moment in terms of the support given.
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you wish to make.
Sorry to be a pessimist, but are these changes do-able?
I think a good shake up of things is long overdue, and would benefit the site, but can these things realistically be done anytime soon?
For me:
1) Intros
2) a) General Chat, News & Debate and Research & Media - merged
2) b) F&D as a sub-forum - as it is still spammed quite a bit to keep people busy, and that at the top of General wouldn't help with lack of community/conversation
3) Reviews & Recs and Creative - merged, new sub title
4) FC&Q - I still feel like it holds a weight of importance that warrants its own forum, regardless of activity levels
5) General Support and Moving Forward - merged. More like Moving Forward merged in general with every sub, but recognising its existence now. Positive stories should have a spread throughout RYL, and not be concentrated in a place people just aren't likely to visit often if they're in a bad place.
6) Serious
7) R/V
8) SI Discussion
9) ED - merging of all, an all encompassing ED forum. No substantial need for a separate BORIS anymore, and obviously preservation of key threads in there.
10) Mental Health
11) Some form of trauma/abuse forum, to encompass Abuse and some other areas spread around
12) Picture
13) Events
Turn FA into some sort of confidential submissions place, whereby everything is answered by a FAA. It might sound silly, but it would mean all advice given definitely came from people with some sort of knowledge, there would be no contradictory or uncertain advice, and people could be told to go to see a professional with more certainty when they need to.
I know this may put more pressure on FAA, but I think it would positively impact the advice and the way people use the system.
Scrap Vets. I feel sort of bad for saying this, but even though I would technically fit in over on Vets now, etc, I would never feel comfortable posting there. It feels like further segregation, and that it has lost its way a little. Someone said Vets spread around RYL leads to a better sharing of advice, experience, and that sounds good to me.
Having medical advice here is a crazy liability for the FAF people, the site, the members, and Harley to take on. Both ethically and legally.
I am personally surprised that no one has been sued yet.
Personal opinion from an old foggy: The community is so much smaller these days that it would be feasible to go back to the Ruin model of having Serious/Anything goes and General Board for support. As Jack said, the popularity of forums today is about at the same level that it was in 2004-2005; it seems that tumblr, facebook, quora and reddit, for better or for worse, filled the niche that RYL once filled with less rules and less structure. (I also think that less kids are starting to SH, but I could be wrong.)
Last edited by Freedom Fighter : 07-03-2015 at 02:36 AM.
Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;
If you can bounce high, bounce for her too,
Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,
I must have you!"
Thomas Parke D’Invilliers
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
The First Aid board has made me uneasy for a very long time. I personally do not think anyone should be giving medical and/or first aid advice on this forum, the potential for being sued if something were to go wrong is huge. The forum is also additionally being used as a general medical forum now, and I honestly think that forum is preventing people from seeking face to face professional medical advice. Also, a small minority of people in my opinion have used it as a way of broadcasting the harm they've done rather than actually wanting advice. So I'd be for completely getting rid of it. Or at least bringing back the rule of no threads about general medical questions- ONLY about basic wound care. And making any new threads posted private to only the thread starter and the FAAs.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
I think people use FAA for reassurance. I have before (via PM) and it just made me aware of my options. I think it's an invaluable resource, and the FAAs (especially KimA) are really wonderful.
It doesn't matter where you come from; it matters where you go.
No-one gets remembered for the things they didn't do.
We won't all be here this time next year,
so while you can take a picture of us.
We're definitely going to hell,
but we'll have all the best stories to tell.
I like Rach's layout but I'd keep GSA labelled as such and just have "positive recovery post" tags in SI forum and ED.
I completely see the reasoning behind this, but I think I'd be anxious posting a positive recovery post thread in the SI or ED forum because I would know that it was bumping a support thread down, in what could be a fairly busy board, should these changes go ahead. The moving forward board is my favourite board, and I like it being separate because it brings together a variety of recovery stories, some of which combine recovery from SH and ED, which just wouldn't fit as well in any other board. That said, I do see the other opinions put forward and would understand if it did get merged.
I wonder if the FA debate could be a discussion for another time, since we are supposed to be discussing quiet boards here? I appreciate that it's gone off on a valid tangent, but we're now discussing so many different points (BORIS, Substance Abuse, Grief and Trauma and now FA and people have been discussing general chat and stuff), I'm not sure we'll reach any conclusions if we're having so many debates at once!
