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Research opportunity - Improving online peer support forums

TheMixTheMix Posts: 3,042 Boards Guru
edited December 2022 in We Need You
Hello everyone,

We're going to be working with Lancaster University on a project to help improve peer support forums like ours and we'd love your help. Matt, a researcher from the university has written a message below to tell you more about it:
Hi everyone,

My name is Matt. I'm a researcher from Lancaster University working on a project, funded by the National Institute for health and care Research (NIHR), that aims to understand and improve online peer support forums.

As part of this project, we'll look at how The Mix works as a support community. We want to examine the interactions between people in posts and threads in the forum to see what topics are posted and how other people respond to them. We will then invite members from The Mix to take part in an online survey, and/or one-to-one interviews so you can tell us more about why you use forums, and what you think they offer.

We will offer online shopping vouchers in exchange for your time and participation.

All data will be kept anonymous, and any forum data collected will be associated with a random number and will not be traceable back to you in any way (we won’t even store usernames).

We have had discussions with Aife & Mike about potential privacy issues. We want to assure people that we do not want to invade people’s privacy or make anyone feel like they are being watched online. Our intent is to gather insights that will help improve online forums for people seeking support for their mental health.

When will this study be taking place?
We plan to begin this research in December.

How can I register my interest in participating in the online survey?
If you would like to register your interest in participating in an online survey or a one-to-one interview please email ipof@lancaster.ac.uk.

Can I opt-out of my data being used for this study?
Yes you can opt-out so your posts and threads are not included in the data that is being analysed. Send an email to ipof@lancaster.ac.uk if you'd like to opt-out.

Where can I find out more about the study?
If you would like to learn more about the study, please visit the iPOF (Improving Peer Online Forums) website.

I have a question about the study, how can I get in touch?
If you have any questions about the research study, please email ipof@lancaster.ac.uk.

Feel free to comment below any questions too or send us a DM :star:

The Mix Team
We're @Aife, @Ella, @Gemma, and @JustV - the staff team here at The Mix.

Our DMs are monitored Monday - Friday (10am - 5pm) with limited cover on weekends. We have a great team of moderators looking after the community outside of those hours to check in on any reported posts.

We're not able to provide support on this account. If you need support urgently for any reason, please call 999, go to your nearest A&E or contact Crisis Messenger by texting THEMIX to 85258.
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    TheMixTheMix Posts: 3,042 Boards Guru
    Morgan007 wrote: »
    @TheMix so it's completely anonymous? They don't need anything about us

    That's correct @Morgan007. The data they collect from threads and posts will be completely anonymised (they don't even keep your username). They are mainly wanting to look at topics that are posted about and how they are replied to with the aim to improve peer support forums.

    If you take part in the interview part of the study, they might ask things about your story or your reasons for using The Mix, but that won't be linked back to you personally or your account. :)

    Let us know if you have any other questions :)

    - Aife & the team
    We're @Aife, @Ella, @Gemma, and @JustV - the staff team here at The Mix.

    Our DMs are monitored Monday - Friday (10am - 5pm) with limited cover on weekends. We have a great team of moderators looking after the community outside of those hours to check in on any reported posts.

    We're not able to provide support on this account. If you need support urgently for any reason, please call 999, go to your nearest A&E or contact Crisis Messenger by texting THEMIX to 85258.
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    TheMixTheMix Posts: 3,042 Boards Guru
    @Morgan007 Other than the interview, you don't need to do anything at all. The researchers will analyse and anonymise the data from the boards and that's it :)
    We're @Aife, @Ella, @Gemma, and @JustV - the staff team here at The Mix.

    Our DMs are monitored Monday - Friday (10am - 5pm) with limited cover on weekends. We have a great team of moderators looking after the community outside of those hours to check in on any reported posts.

    We're not able to provide support on this account. If you need support urgently for any reason, please call 999, go to your nearest A&E or contact Crisis Messenger by texting THEMIX to 85258.
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