Should we have a bereavement and health problems forum?

[An Officer]

I do understand people need support and advice from their online friends, but should we create a place for this?

That way, when you click into particular threads, you'll know what to expect. It would be a mercy to those of us who are easily upset, or feeling fragile themselves at the moment.

Also, it might encourage others who need support and encouragement to post there, others who right now might feel this is not the appropriate place.

It's difficult times for everybody at the moment, that's for sure. Having said that, if we all posted about deaths and health concerns, the mood would sink pretty fast. There is an exodus of people from MISC anyway, should we encourage this further by having MISC become the tragedy forum?

I read a lot of threads and sometimes leave the place pretty low and saddened by all the suffering faced by fellow posters. Surely that should not be the job if MISC. I know what it's like to go through trials and tribulations, but I come to this place to forget about that!

Right now, my very elderly maternal grandfather has been hospitalised, and may not come out alive, however, I have resisted sharing this blow by blow with you all because a lot of you are probably going through the same things, if not now, than sooner or later, these are the type of issues no one is safe from. Yet, I would rather lift you up if I can than bring you down. If there were an appropriate forum however, where people log in specifically because they feel ready to share/hear such things, I would not hesitate to post.

Something needs to be done, it's becoming a little over-whelming. Am I alone in this?

 

[trampledamage]

Speaking just as a poster, I agree with you. I think creating a separate "quiet place" for people to share and discuss personal issues is a good idea.

Like you say, it can get over-whelming in Misc if you're just looking for a bit of idle fun to pass the time, but at the moment where else are people to post these threads? (Well, there's the lounges - and I'd have no problem with them posted there, but not everyone uses the lounges).

I think it would be easier for people to post if they knew they were getting an interested audience or no audience at all - better that than several replies of people rolling their eyes and complaining.

 

[An Officer]

^ Absolutely agreed. Issues that deserve sensitive handling are at times exposed to some unnecessary remarks, which would not need to happen if there was a proper forum/sub-forum. I do understand some people need an outlet, and this is about as close as it comes, but we can do better, I think.

 

[FordSVT]

So Miscellaneous is like tempered down TNZ, and this would be like a tempered down Miscellaneous? Are people that sensitive? Misc. is one of the tamest and well-moderated general discussion forums I've seen. If people are replying with roll-eyes and complaints about people's posts, don't they get warned? I've been given a verbal for less. Do you honestly think people looking to simply cause trouble and bitch are going to avoid a forum dedicated to "sensitive discussions of a personal nature"? They'll probably gravitate towards it.

I'd also like to point out that "venting" and getting feedback is one thing (that Misc is just fine for), but having a forum where people are going to expect diagnoses and advise for health, life and mental problems is asking for problems. Too many armchair doctors.

 

[trampledamage]

So Miscellaneous is like tempered down TNZ, and this would be like a tempered down Miscellaneous? Are people that sensitive? Misc. is one of the tamest and well-moderated general discussion forums I've seen. If people are replying with roll-eyes and complaints about people's posts, don't they get warned? I've been given a verbal for less. Do you honestly think people looking to simply cause trouble and bitch are going to avoid a forum dedicated to "sensitive discussions of a personal nature"? They'll probably gravitate towards it.

A lot of the times the defence for such reactions is "well it's in Misc, I couldn't avoid reading it" (don't ask me to explain the logic I'm quite happy passing over threads I'm not interested in). Putting things in a separate forum removes that defence.


This wouldn't be a tempered down Misc. It's leaving misc to be the happy fun place that people wish it could go back to being, while allowing a separate place for people to share about family problems.

I admit, there is a problem as to where to draw the line between what stays in Misc and what counts as a "health/personal problem" for this new forum, but that doesn't mean the whole idea is worthless.

It's not an issue with the moderation, simply that a lot of people (like An Officer says) feel awkward about posting a thread discussing a family illness in Misc which is otherwise a forum for fun conversations.

As a (probably bad) analogy, if Misc is the water cooler for office chat, this other forum would be the quiet corner of the staff kitchen where you'd take someone to discuss a death in the family.

Also, too many armchair doctors is a problem the posters themselves will have to cope with, health threads aren't against the rules right now, so nothing there would change.

Maybe logistically it isn't workable, but it's a good idea.

 

[Pingfah]

People are looking for advice and comfort though, a lot of people aren't here specifically to offer such and may pass such a forum by. When the opportunity is placed right in front of them, they might have something useful to say that is otherwise missed.

 

[Holdfast]

An Emo Forum?

Intriguing idea. But I fear there would then be little left in Misc!

 

[Kelthaz]

Interesting idea. Should we also have a Drug & Alcohol Addiction forum or how about a Suicide Prevention forum? I understand that Misc has a rather tight-knit community that cares about one another, but adding support forums to a Star Trek message board is just not a good idea.

 

[SicOne]

So Miscellaneous is like tempered down TNZ, and this would be like a tempered down Miscellaneous? Are people that sensitive? Misc. is one of the tamest and well-moderated general discussion forums I've seen. If people are replying with roll-eyes and complaints about people's posts, don't they get warned? I've been given a verbal for less. Do you honestly think people looking to simply cause trouble and bitch are going to avoid a forum dedicated to "sensitive discussions of a personal nature"? They'll probably gravitate towards it.

As a (probably bad) analogy, if Misc is the water cooler for office chat, this other forum would be the quiet corner of the staff kitchen where you'd take someone to discuss a death in the family.

If Misc is the water cooler for office chat, what is TNZ?

 

[Jetfire]

TNZ is the Village Of The Damned!

 

[trampledamage]

So Miscellaneous is like tempered down TNZ, and this would be like a tempered down Miscellaneous? Are people that sensitive? Misc. is one of the tamest and well-moderated general discussion forums I've seen. If people are replying with roll-eyes and complaints about people's posts, don't they get warned? I've been given a verbal for less. Do you honestly think people looking to simply cause trouble and bitch are going to avoid a forum dedicated to "sensitive discussions of a personal nature"? They'll probably gravitate towards it.

As a (probably bad) analogy, if Misc is the water cooler for office chat, this other forum would be the quiet corner of the staff kitchen where you'd take someone to discuss a death in the family.

If Misc is the water cooler for office chat, what is TNZ?

The pub

 

[An Officer]

If Misc is the water cooler for office chat, what is TNZ?

The toilets?

 

[trampledamage]

If Misc is the water cooler for office chat, what is TNZ?

The toilets?

I was actually going to suggest that, but not for the reason I think you are

Anywhere I've worked, the toilets were where the women gathered for the off-colour gossip that they couldn't talk about in the office.

 

[An Officer]

^ Sounds like a clean-cut office. I remember it to be mainly for quickies. Was like something straight out of the sixties. That's the charity sector for you.

 

[Captain Ice]

Interesting idea. Should we also have a Drug & Alcohol Addiction forum or how about a Suicide Prevention forum? I understand that Misc has a rather tight-knit community that cares about one another, but adding support forums to a Star Trek message board is just not a good idea.

Don't forget the Dating for Dummies forum.

 

[Kelthaz]

Interesting idea. Should we also have a Drug & Alcohol Addiction forum or how about a Suicide Prevention forum? I understand that Misc has a rather tight-knit community that cares about one another, but adding support forums to a Star Trek message board is just not a good idea.

Don't forget the Dating for Dummies forum.

Are you mad!? You'll kill the server.

 

[sidious618]

Is this a joke? I honestly can't tell.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I honestly don't think we need a separate forum for this. If people want to discuss health issues, there's always the Sports/Fitness forum (health is an allowed topic there - it is fitness, after all).

 

[pookha]

People are looking for advice and comfort though, a lot of people aren't here specifically to offer such and may pass such a forum by. When the opportunity is placed right in front of them, they might have something useful to say that is otherwise missed.

agree with this plus..
shunting it off into some sub forum may make people feel like their problems are not important enough to post.

like people on the board saying we dont want to see your problems..put them over there so we can ignore them.

 

[Nardpuncher]

I think it would be OK...I mean we have separate forums for TV shows...and there seem to be a lot of threads about people with problems, so yeah.