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Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Hi everyone,

Moving forward with the next round of improvements from our forums co-design project, we're keen to respond to feedback that the layout of the forums is confusing. To make a start on this, we're looking at updating the discussion categories in the forums to make it clearer where you can find things and post about certain topics.

To set the scene: the SANE Forums currently are actually two forums - a Lived Experience and a Friends, Family & Carers forum. Underneath each of these forums, you have identical sets of categories with really broad titles:

Lived Experience Forum

* Welcome and getting started
* Our stories
* Looking after ourselves
* Social spaces
* Something's not right
* Useful resources
* Special events
* Life after bushfires
* Forum news and updates

Friends, Family & Carers Forum

* Welcome and getting started
* Our stories
* Looking after ourselves
* Social spaces
* Something's not right
* Useful resources
* Special events
* Forum news and updates

So, we have 17 categories spread across two forums, with duplication as you can see.

When we examine the activity across these, we see that 97% of all posts are made in the Lived Experience forum. Within the Lived Experience forum, activity is also unevenly distributed:

* 40% of posts are made in Something's not right

* 41% of posts are made in Social spaces

* 11% of posts are made in Looking after ourselves

* 5% of posts are made in Our stories

* 3% of posts are made in Welcome and getting started

What we are proposing is to reduce this to 10 categories in one single forum (lived experience and friends/family/carers all together).

In the next post, I will set out the draft new categories we've come up with, based on a deep analysis of the themes emerging from the hundreds of thousands of forum posts made in the last 2-3 years.

What we need from you

Have a read of the categories below. How do they sound? Are there any big topics we've missed? How are the descriptions? We'll keep this thread open for feedback and discussion over the next month, until 30 June 2024.

76 replies

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In response to: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

OK will do @Jynx

In response to: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

@espressologic @Birdofparadise8 @Former-Member @Shaz51 @Jynx @Zoe7

I am trying to work out where general conversation would fit in? I don't have many friends and rely on chatting with people on the Sane forum, some of whom I have grown very close to. I'm not sure the new format would cater to me checking in and seeing how fellow members are going.

I'm sure most of you know that @Birdofparadise8 and I chat frequently, discussing our day and sorting through issues as well as offering support to each other. Will this still be accommodated?

I don't know that I would continue to use the forum if this general chat that is currently under Not Coping were no longer available.

If I have completely misconstrued the new format please accept my apologies.

Most times I come here not for help but to vent and talk to others who experience the same problems and who have become friends in a way.

Thanks y'all, much love 💐💕

In response to: Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

That's exactly how I feel @ENKELI

I worry that the new format won't allow us to have the lengthy conversation we have been able to have in the thread I made.

You would leave?

In response to: Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

@Birdofparadise8 , @ENKELI

My friends it is only a suggestion at the moment

It is good that you have brought your worry here for @espressologic to read and go from there

I agree with you that the existing threads should stay the same xxx

In response to: Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

@Birdofparadise8 if there were guidelines that meant we couldn't have a general chat outlet I'm not sure if the forum would cater to my needs.

I'm mostly here to check in with you and the other members I've formed a connection with, and for what might be the only conversation I may have for an entire day. On weekends when I am home alone the forum is my only company.

I would probably feel even more isolated and lonely.

I don't want to lose anyone from my Sane family 😥🙏💙

In response to: Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

I feel the same way, but I don't want to lose you. I'm now crying. @ENKELI. You know how much you mean to me. I'm sorry.

Why does this have to happen? Why can't things stay the same? So many people are getting hurt by this. @espressologic

In response to: Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

@Shaz51 thanks for clarifying.

I do understand that long threads can cause loading problems, and new users may be confused. In my experience if someone comes in late to a conversation users are more than happy to catch the newbie up.

I'll stop fretting now 🥰

In response to: Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

@ENKELI @Shaz51 @Birdofparadise8

I will let @espressologic answer more fully, but I do just want to say that I don't think there is any intention of limiting or removing anyone's opportunity for social connection. We really value the importance and power of connection and know that it is quite a fundamental reason that many of our members are accessing the forums. The goal is not to restrict, but to streamline, increase accessibility, and provide better opportunities for newer members to join the conversation too.

As @Shaz51 mentioned, this thread is our way of feeling the waters and ensuring that any changes are made for, and led by, the community. Thanks for sharing your concerns folks 💜

In response to: Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Sorry, I just got a bit distressed when I thought @ENKELI might leave if these new categories are put in place @Jynx

In response to: Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

Re: Your feedback needed: Updating our forum categories

@Jynx thanks for that.

Like @Birdofparadise8 I would be distressed if I couldn't share with them and others including yourself.

Team Sane mods and guides do an outstanding job and I'm forever grateful to you all. Big respect to you 👍

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