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Support Chat (Thurs 2nd) 8-10pm: Help us kickstart a new group agreement

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
:wave:

Happy New Year to you all! I'm looking forward to being back on chat tonight and will be opening up at the normal time of 8pm.

15 minute discussion about group agreement (8-8.15pm)

We'll start tonight's chat with a kick off discussion about a group agreement. This is an idea we're working on at the moment due to the fact that we've had some really difficult chats recently. There have been arguments, outbursts and attacks that have left people feeling unsure and unsafe about chat. With the New Year brings a chance for a fresh start and some new thinking about chat.

It's so important to remember that this is your chat service. As members of TheSite community you make chat what it is and you contribute to making it a positive and safe place to be so it's really up to you guys to get things back on track. Mods are always here to host the chats and to offer our support too but what makes a great chat is when everyone is working together, respecting one another and feeling in the right frame of mind to participate.

So what is a group agreement?
A group agreement is about how everyone interacts and behaves during chat. You may be familiar with the idea from other sorts of group work you have done in other places. It's something that you keep in mind and agree to stick to as a member of TheSite chat room.

Of course we already have the guidelines - these cover the practicalities of chat and these guidelines still stand.


Getting started

We've come up with these two ideas to kick things off:
    Agreeing to be present. Keep conversations on other channels (PMs, text, whatsapp, facebook etc.) out of chat, leave those at the door. They can cause confusion and distract from chat and also have the potential to alienate other members (make them feel left out).
    Feeling wound up or on edge? How you are in chat affects the whole group. Think about what you'd like to get out of chat and then come on in if you feel ready. if not, come back another day or take a break.

These are just some ideas for starters - feel free to add some to the thread here and share your ideas if you can't make chat tonight.

Chat is a key service here on TheSite and we're committed to making sure it stays a safe and welcoming place for everyone but to do that we need your help.

A reminder about our chat survey too if you haven't filled it out yet: http://vbulletin.thesite.org/showthread.php/168748-Support-Chat-SURVEY

:thumb:

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aww I cont come tonight :(
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think it's good to remember as well, that chat isn't a place if you're in crisis, or in immediate danger as well. And that there are helplines, and chats that do focus on helping you to get out of that crisis chat.

    Obviously, if you need a distraction coming to chat is good, but also remembering to look after yourself and take that step/talk about talking the step to getting the crisis help we all deserve.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think it's good to remember as well, that chat isn't a place if you're in crisis, or in immediate danger as well. And that there are helplines, and chats that do focus on helping you to get out of that crisis chat.

    Obviously, if you need a distraction coming to chat is good, but also remembering to look after yourself and take that step/talk about talking the step to getting the crisis help we all deserve.

    Thanks sophiepea - some of that is covered in the guidelines but it's certainly worth being reminded of :)

    Chat's opening in just a mo!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Felt like we had some good ideas tonight for a group agreement and also a good chance for everyone to vent their frustrations!

    I'll keep you posted on progress - in the mean time, if you have any other ideas fell free to PM them to me :)

    Here are a few things I can remember off the top of my head.. we'll work on boiling them down to 5 or 6 key points for everyone to remember before they come along to chat :)
    We welcome and look out for new members

    We listen to each other and make time for everyone

    We respect each other and the mods

    We apologise when we need to

    We take a moment to think about what we say and if it will upset others before we say it

    A few people mentioned triggering issues and we'll think some more about this and how things can be flagged to mods without being said in the chat room or can be said in a way that doesn't cause problems.

    We also talked about it being okay to say 'I feel like self harming' and getting support/distraction/talking about feelings. But it not being okay to make threats of harm or to talk about actually harming during a chat.

    I also remember us talking about mods intervening more quickly where possible and offering a clear warning and then a kick if needed for the sake of the group.
This discussion has been closed.