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The role of chat moderators

Hey everyone,
If you haven't seen our post about chat break week, take a look at that and then come back here. 

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As well as our wider discussion about group chat (which you can get involved with here), we would also like to talk to you guys about something specific: the role of our chat moderators.
Why do we have chat moderators?
Some of you will remember that when chat first began (a long time ago, far far away...), it was designed to be a space for you guys to hangout and chat to each other with the oversight of moderators. So we would be there to make sure everyone was being polite to one another, that guidelines were being followed and that everyone was feeling safe. We would provide support to make sure everyone felt heard, but it wasn't the main reason we were there.
Fast forward to now...
... and things feel a little different. The vibe among moderators and a lot of you guys seems to be that the moderators are there more as supporters that anything else. Particularly for newcomers, that seems to be the culture people are accustom to.
There are a couple of problems with this. Firstly, it creates lots of 1-2-1 dynamics in the room rather than group discussion. You'll see lots of contained, separate conversations going on between two people, when ideally everyone would be talking to and supporting one another. Secondly, it means a lot of the support being given comes from a moderator rather than people able to speak honestly and openly from personal experiences. We honestly believe the most valuable and genuine support comes from you.
Why are we saying all this?
In light of this, we've been having conversations with our moderators and we've come up with an idea:
We'd like to kick start a 'culture shift' in group chat. We want to go back to our roots and create a group vibe, pulling away from the high amounts of 1-2-1 support currently being given by moderators. We want people to come to chat wanting to talk to the whole group rather than just moderators. We want you guys to own this this space because, really, it is yours, and we're just the caretakers.
What can I do?
We need your help if we're going to
make this culture shift happen. We'd like everyone to come to chat ready to
support people and generally chat to other members of the group. A lot of you already do this, which is amazing - you're in a prime position to lead this change with us.
You
might not be sure what to add to the discussion - scroll up in the
conversation and see if you can help someone out. Maybe
you've seen someone reaching out for help and not being listened to -
drop them a message and say hey. A newcomer might join the group - let
them know how chat works. 

Remember, we don't always
need to provide in-depth support to be helpful to someone. Sometimes,
letting someone know they're being heard and that someone cares can have
a huge impact - you might have experienced this yourself.
Will moderators stop supporting people?
No. Mods will still provide some support to make sure everyone is being heard, and they will always be there to check that everyone feels safe. We will still be part of the group and will continue to get involved in discussions, but we want to be part of a conversation driven by you.
What if I don't want to help others or talk to people?
Sometimes we're just not in the mood to talk to people or we might have people muted and, of course, that's okay - the moderators will still be there to help out.
It's also worth noting the 'group' part of group chat. If you would like more direct support, we do offer a variety of one-to-one options if that's something you'd prefer. By coming to chat, you are agreeing to be a member of a group. 

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We're eager to know what you guys think about this - do you agree with what we said about the way chat works right now? What are your feelings on this 'culture shift' we're proposing? Do you have any suggestions of your own that could help?
Let us know your thoughs below and let's have a conversation about this. 

Mike, Aife & Ed
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But like at about 8pm is like the time i feel like the worst and in a selfish mood where i dont have any energy to speak to as many as 15 or read much. But yeah maybe cause need a 1-2-1 support then
If this is what I think it means I think it's anot a bad idea.
I've always treated the mods like fellow people or friends, I can't say much for support chat as I don't use it, my problems don't seem that big and I don't like to distract from other people so I use general chat as a cheer up and to lower my anxiety before bedtime.
I do quite like that the mods aren't overly professional as I feel in general chat they bring ect convo and extra topics.
I also feel like the mods bring extra to chats in that dome people can feel ignored or in my case that they can't bring anything to the current topic so they're left sort of waiting for it to change but the good thing is they can talk to someone else especially if there's two mods.
I'm trying not to sound like I object I just don't want people to feel ignored or it to feel stale so provided we keep the personality and good fun I'm happy
🌈Positive thoughts🌈
"This is my family. I found it, all on my own.It's little, and Broken, but still good. Yeah. Still good." ~ Stitch
"Lately, I've been struggling with all the simple things in my life" ~ Cian Ducrot
"I don't know if it's because my heart hurts or I'm insecure" ~ Juice Wrld
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I also agree with Shaunie that by evening some people might not feel like talking to a lot of people (also true for people who just really need some support and aren’t really in a good state to support others).
However I do know how important group conversations are. I suppose it could be trialled for a couple of chats to see what people think of it?
🌈Positive thoughts🌈
"This is my family. I found it, all on my own.It's little, and Broken, but still good. Yeah. Still good." ~ Stitch
"Lately, I've been struggling with all the simple things in my life" ~ Cian Ducrot
"I don't know if it's because my heart hurts or I'm insecure" ~ Juice Wrld
Would there still be 2 mods for support chat. Or just One if not supporting as much? Was it 2 mods a long time ago?
I also agree with Shaunie that by evening some people might not feel like talking to a lot of people (also true for people who just really need some support and aren’t really in a good state to support others).
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We just wanted to drop in and say we've noticed an incredible difference in the way group chats (particularly Support Chats) have been running since this discussion. You guys have really taken ownership of the spaces and we're loving the amazing group vibes right now.
Mike & Aife
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I've been in these chats mainly to support people, but I have done my fair share of receiving support too and I can say that it's a great experience on both ends of the spectrum. Whatever support was like before, it's amazing now.