Hello all,
Community Managers are online this morning and will be reaching out further via e-mail, and we want you to know we hear you and we are really keen to ensure you all feel support with the conflict that's occurred over the weekend. Our goal is for everyone to feel connected and supported in this community.
We understand that many of you have formed deep bonds and connections across the community, and as such we can understand from time to time, as with real life friends, tension and disagreements can occur; particularly more amplified when the context of the disagreements are completely removed. We think it's really beautiful how many of you have connected on such a personal level, over your strength and your ability to work through trauma, grief, pain and loss. It can be painful when we feel that is mirrored back to us in the very place we come for solace and comfort.
We want to reiterate to everyone on the forums, that whilst these relationships are very authentic and loving, we are all missing some key elements that the average relationship holds. The two main things are body language and tone of voice.
We understand it is really challenging to take a step back and remind ourselves that we do not know the context of any members experience in any one moment because all we have to gauge one another by is text communication. Whilst the anonymity of the forums is one of its strengths, it is also one of the challenges, as it is easy for communication to become disjointed. I want to reiterate to all of you, that one of the most empowering things we can do for ourselves is to take a break, a moment away from the forums if we need it and to remember that our staff are here via team@saneforums.org to address any concerns about other members behaviour on the forums.
Whilst we understand this may be a hard one to hear, I also want to emphasise that no forum members are obliged to @ tag members or to respond to @ tags. Some members do not even check their notifications, so it's important we're mindful of this before we become frustrated with one another. Not everyone uses the forums in the same way.
I would encourage everyone to please re-read the addressing conflict section of the Community Guidelines here. For any members who are struggling with this conflict or who need further support please e-mail us via team@saneforums.org so we can work through this with you. I hope you all practice gentle kindness towards yourselves today, and remember that you are all valuable strong people who deserve support. Every forum member deserves this.
Many thanks,
Nashy
🧡
