Quality Suggestions/Feedback

@EvelyneRose Suggestion: the system automatically allocates to every listener a more experienced mentor (more experienced in terms of members helped), and every listener's mentor is named in their profile.

That's just the general idea. Obviously there are some implementation details to be worked out. For example, some listeners already have a mentor, so "if you like your mentor you can keep your mentor" could apply initially. The "more experienced" part could cease to apply above, say, a thousand members helped. There might have to be many more mentors, perhaps requiring a new approach to recruiting and training mentors, perhaps even making it compulsory to become a mentor after helping a certain number of members. There might have to be fewer inexperienced listeners, perhaps achieved by making listener training more thorough. A system for reallocating mentors as circumstances change would have to be devised.

Charlie

@RarelyCharlie

so well agreed

plus, making VL necessary for all listeners In a given time (I guess it'll be reasonable to say it must be less than a month- I'd go with 10 days-2 weeks if it was my choice)

@RarelyCharlie

Hi Charlie! Thank you for the suggestion! We are actually in the process of divising something like this hopefully, which once I have more mapped out, I will be posting about for community input.

@EvelyneRose Cool!

Charlie

@RarelyCharlie i really like this idea; an issue i can potentially see with it (which you did briefly mention) is that there are A LOT of listeners who sign up to the site, and there may not be enough mentors for them all. However, a lot of these listeners also sign up, and then leave their accounts inactive. they may be active during the first....day, maybe week, of having their account active. then they ghost the site. We would need a way to filter between the genuine listeners who will not just make an account and forget about it, and the ones who will actually stay here long-term, try to gain roles, or just generally be a listener here.

however the basis of this idea is something i have talked about with the admins several times, so hopefully we can work on how to get something like this going, as i agree it would raise the quality of the site significantly!

@MidnightRaven999 Sounds very like the New Listener Support Team?

Listening - One Step At A Time!

@MistyMagic it could definitely be tied in with NLST!

@MidnightRaven999

Good ideas!

@EvelyneRose suggestion:

i think the general request system should be way more detailed. i try to avoid GR because the topics/subjects are never there, and even though i have in my bio things im unable to talk about, members don't seem to check it. i also think listeners should be discouraged from picking up chats that they have no experience with. all of my long term members (and the members that are getting better) are the ones that need support with things ive personally gone through. i know you've probably heard a lot of this same type of requests and are already working on improvements, so thank you guys in advance <3

@sereneoceanscene I partly agree.

As far as I can tell the old system of topics is broken or has been abandoned. I think if we're going to have topics at all, then the system needs to work properly. I fear this may be an IT problem that lies outside the Gazebo.

But on the other hand I very often find that the topic a member chooses or announces at the start doesn't end up being the real subject of a chat. For example (looking at your profile) I can easily imagine a chat about a breakup (which I assume you would accept) drifting on to the subject of previous breakups, and then perhaps to domestic abuse (which you would not have accepted if you'd known that at the start).

I suppose when that happens you can transfer the chat to another listener. But the whole situation is very complicated because of this kind of thing.

Charlie

@RarelyCharlie

definitely, sometimes the chat drifts or sometimes it begins in an uncomfortable topic, and you never want to upset someone a

@sereneoceanscene

butterfingers. i clicked reply too early haha. i usually have members tell me their entire situation within a few minutes, so honestly ive never been surprised with the chat turning into a different topic. in situations of referral, the member usually feels guilty or abandoned, and they explain their experiences with other listeners aren't pleasant, and that they want to return to me. it's a tough situation to be in, but i think the topic/subject thing will help prevent situations like these. ex: if this member had "sexual abuse/pedophilia" next to their name in the first place, i never would've taken the chat, and never would have gotten in the situation. i don't know if it's just a "me" thing, or if this happens to anyone else.

@sereneoceanscene i can definitely say that this does not just happen to you! this has happened to me before on many occassions, and the issue is, even if a member does select a topic (like anxiety) on the GR list, we dont have many more details than that. so it could be anything from anxiety about school, to anxiety over losing a loved one (for example). now one of those topics i am perfectly comfortable taking, while the other, i would hesitate to try and help out with, i feel i dont have enough experience to handle that type of issue. thats why (unfortunately) even with a member selecting a topic, we still are kind of gambling when we take them from the general request list; however that is also why referring exists, so that in the case we take a member and we realize somewhere in the chat that we are not the best to support them, we can offer them a different listener who is more experienced and can help them out

i do agree that we could definitely do some work on the general request list to try and improve it (although i do think that may require IT help)

@MidnightRaven999

i agree! i think there could be an option to select more than one topic, in the example you gave: anxiety and loss/grief, or anxiety and student issues

@sereneoceanscene
We do have options to select more than one topic-I've seen GRs stating multiple topics underneath the member's name. However, I remember this from around 4 months ago, and I do not know if things have changed since.

I believe the issue is that the GR is added to the queue, and then, the topics are chosen, rather than vice-versa, which means that choosing multiple topics before a listener takes your request is difficult.

Quoting @AffyAvo from this thread:

Now, with Noni the chat request goes out and the topic can be added while waiting. It's faster to add some topics than others, if it's not within the first list of options it takes a little bit for the 2nd list to fully appear.

@bouncySalamander26 I don't recall seeing the option to choose more than one topic - although maybe it was something that was tested for a while and some had the capability. I do know that language and topic are possible.

Ah, you're right! I tested the GR process, and it does allow only one topic. My sincere apologies for the misinformation!

@sereneoceanscene 's point stands. I can also see how allowing any number of topics to be mentioned while the GR is put out, would make the queue appear crammed (especially for listeners viewing the queue on their phone). Ideally, I guess there should be a limit (>1) to the number of topics a member could add, then.

Thank you @AffyAvo , for prompting me to check-I will certainly remember to verify before posting, in the future! I also see what you meant by the topic list taking a while to load.

@bouncySalamander26 It happens. I think this is where it helps to have people who mostly use their member accounts and those who mostly use listener accounts both give feedback - we see different aspects!

@AffyAvo

Thank you for understanding! I entirely agree, it does provide a well-rounded perspective!

@sereneoceanscene

Hi Serene! Thanks for the feedback! Okay, so to recap you would like more specific topics for both sides? and you'd also like more topics to be able to be chosen at once? I agree that it can be difficult on both sides. I know as a listener, it's difficult because "anxiety" could be anxiety about tests, about a divorce, about school, etc. I will send it forward :)

@EvelyneRose

I really appreciate it! To summarize: I think it would be beneficial for both members and listeners.

For members: you'd avoid getting passed off because a listener is uncomfortable w/ specific topics, more experienced listeners can handle specific topics, making them feel understood, being more supportive to the members.

For listeners: avoid triggering/uncomfy chats, (peer support is great, but sometimes it's stressful when you can't best support a member) and focus your personal experiences/assets with others who are going through similar things.

Thank you Evelyne!

@sereneoceanscene

Got it! So like a write in topic?

Hi, my listener was banned for the apparent reason of using mutiple accounts. This was not the case. I am very unhappy about this, as he was one of the best if not the best for me and many others. After writing to 7 cups support centre he got the answer above, mutiple accounts! This seems very harsh and also it is not true. Please work on the banning issue and evaluate. It makes me feel as though I want to leave this site too. Many of us will be upset. Is there any way to restore his account and his many many positive reviews.

Thanks for listening

EstelleSusanne

@EstelleSusanne It's unclear how multiple accounts can be identified reliably, as 7 Cups doesn't even check that e-mail addresses are real.

Maybe a member reported that after blocking one listener, another listener had said exactly the same things? Screenshots of that could easily be faked, but such a complaint could be verified from server records.

I can't understand the motive for having more than one listener account, except to get around being blocked. But then the more serious offence would be whatever the listener did to get blocked.

Charlie

@RarelyCharlie, you

@EstelleSusanne

Hi Estelle! If they'd like to ask for an account request, they can go to the account review form here and fill it out. Admin reviews all requests and determines based on their protocols. I will let them know your feedback :) That being said, whether someone has many reviews is not necessarily a free card, so to speak. Every user is allowed one listener and one member account.

@EvelyneRose

hi EvellyneRose, it's not actually my account. Will I'll try for my listener though.

Thanks for your help 😊

@EstelleSusanne

You're welcome!

@EvelyneRose I don't think this falls in your court, but I'm hoping you could either pass this along to the appropriate person or direct me to who I should follow up with.

Within the past week, I've submitted a number of feedback tickets in the Help Center and haven't received any response yet--other than the automated e-mail saying that someone will try to follow up within 48 hours. Below is a list of tickets with ticket #, title, submission date/time, and an explanation of the issue.

List of feedback tickets

1) #154740: Make the community guidelines easier to find (7/9/20 12:44 am EST)
Initially, I wasn't able to find the community guidelines in any of the main places where I thought to look:

• The blue bar at the top-left
• The drop-down menu under my profile picture
• The list of links at the bottom of the page
• The menu at the top of the Community page
• The list of links in the Wiki
• FAQ responses in Help Center

Note: I have this link now and know of at least two ways on the site to navigate to it (i.e. link in Listener Primer, difficult-to-find link on bottom-right of Community page). My concern is just that other users might not be able to find it.

2) #154741: Allow browsing through completed listener trainings (7/9/20 12:47 am EST)
The "Active Listening" training lets me navigate to any page of the training once it's been completed without having to complete quizzes, which is super-helpful for finding information, but none of the other trainings are like this.

3) #154765: Topic/self-help guides mixed into listener training recommend therapeutic interventions that contradict the 7 Cups active listening training model (7/9/20 1:13 am EST)
The main ~5-10 active listening training modules present a client-centered style based on minimizing advice-giving, avoiding imposing beliefs or strategies, empathizing with members' perspectives, and avoiding judgment.

The other ~50 training modules sometimes present cognitive-behavioral therapeutic interventions that strongly imply giving advice, evaluating certain thoughts/actions as being right/wrong, challenging or correcting irrational thoughts and behaviors, and generally imposing what this approach would consider to be a rational way of acting, thinking, or feeling.

4) #154766: "Community Guidelines" section of 7 Cups Wiki does not contain community guidelines (7/9/20 1:21 am EST)
This is related to the first item, but there are multiple sections on the Wiki titled Community Guidelines, and I don't believe any of them link to the full/current community guidelines.

5) #154790: Research stats page contains claims without citations (7/9/20 2:06 am EST)
The research stats page has some statistics but doesn't indicate where these numbers actually come from. About 7 months ago, I submitted a similar ticket with a bit more detail/documentation but never received a response. [#62387: Misleading/false statistics on 7 Cups research page (12/18/19 1:26 AM EST)]

6) #155374: "Chat Requests" bar appearing/disappearing interferes with text display for active member chats (7/9/20 11:31 pm EST)
I find it extremely valuable to see whether or not a member is typing when I'm talking to them. Each time the number of active chat requests changes from 0 to 1, the general request bar appears and the chat window adjusts in such a way that the "[member name] is typing" text is hidden and I have to manually scroll down. This can be a major nuisance at certain times of day when the bar is flickering in and out of existence every few seconds.

7) #155375: Typo "Product freature request" in 7 Cups Help Center page (7/9/20 11:33 pm EST)
The drop-down menu on the feedback request page contains a typo.

8) #156030: Listener FAQ link in training directs to pg. 2 of forum thread rather than pg. 1 where info is located (7/12/20 11:52 am EST)
Self-explanatory

List of training problem reports

About a week ago, I also used the "Report a Problem" form on the "Training & Certifications" page to report a few minor issues with training materials. I haven't received any feedback or seen any change on these items either.

9) "Active Listening" - "Skill 3" page contains a broken video

10) "Active Listening" - "Serious Issues & Referrals" page contains two broken/inaccurate links
The self-injury forum that's linked no longer exists. The Al-Anon link directs to Amigos da Vida.

11) "Self-Harm" - "Understanding Self-Harming Behavior" page contains a broken link
Same self-injury forum link

@QuietMagic

As I heard from another ambassador, 7Cups Wiki is broken/discontinued and I dunno if changes you've suggested for it, would be implemented.

With regards to Point 3, it's bugged me too that the Self-Help guides and the Listener Trainings are the same for most (if not all) topics. It's certainly strange. An idea for the Listener Trainings, would be to add the Listener-Only Guides, for the topics mentioned. In essence, you gain an overview of the topic, with links for deeper understanding, followed by Chat Guides and Mock Chat Transcripts.

With regards to Point 8, this is something I've noticed many a times as well, even in recent notifications. As I understand it, the link to the forum post, when only one page is present goes a little something like:

https://www.7cups.com/forum/SiteUpdatesInformationFortheCommunity_100/EvelynesQualityGazebo_2101/QualitySuggestionsFeedback_225767

However, as more pages, add in, using this link will lead you to the last page of the thread.

The easiest way to solve this would be to add a "/1/" at the end of the link, which specifies the page number. Hence, if the link wished to direct to the first page, it should read:

https://www.7cups.com/forum/SiteUpdatesInformationFortheCommunity_100/EvelynesQualityGazebo_2101/QualitySuggestionsFeedback_225767/1/

Adding "/1/" does not affect the direction, even if the thread has only one page, and looks like a simple fix-especially for redirectional links.

I appreciate how comprehensive you've been with this list, and raised points which some of us had forgotten. Thank you!

@bouncySalamander26 Thank you! Totally agree that it makes sense to leave the Wiki alone if it isn't being maintained. (Something that comes to mind then is that the main menu on the Community page has a prominent link to the Wiki. Not sure if this should be either removed or replaced.) Also agree adding "/1/" to links should work.

@QuietMagic

Hello! I'll tag @GlenM because I personally don't know how the IT ticket processing works.

@GlenM Just nudging on feedback tickets/IT processing. Thank you.

All - thank you for posting ideas here. We are reviewing, prioritizing, and creating tickets for these changes over the next few days. Look for an update from us soon. Thank you!

Thank you for the update, @GlenM !!

@GlenM Any status update on this? Thanks.

You should do a support group for vertigo

@Jennifer77

good idea i'll pass it along!

@Jennifer77 Just letting you know, if you want to seek support in the forums about vertigo https://www.7cups.com/forum/DisabilitySupport_47/ChronicConditionsSupport_710/ is a good place for it.

@AffyAvo

Thanks Affy!