@ASilentObserver
Honestly, when I look at the support room situation, I can honestly say, great work has been done in managing the room and ensuring that there is respect. There are however ways to improve them and make it better.
For instance, in the real world, group support rooms can be equated to group support meetings such as grief support and so much more.
What happens during these gatherings?
One, they will always be a facilitator who can be equated to a group mod or a listener. They always ensure coordination and that every member is helped.
Two, as it happens in listener support rooms when a member comes with an issue, all the other chats should stop and the members should try and help the person. The facilitator should always be there to ensure no unhealthy advice is given and that the respondents remain respectful to each other.
The problem that we are facing is two members coming up with two different problems for example; (These examples are hypothetical)
M1: Then I cannot really concentrate because my depression gets the better of me when I am in class.
M2: I am also faced with the same situation but I tend to motivate myself.
M3: Yes, I agree with M2, just think about the reasons you need to learn and succeed.
(M4 has just entered the chatroom)
M4: I am depressed because I lost my parents two years ago.
The conversations taking place are all about depression but in one case,,. it is the effect of depression, M4 case is totally unexplored. Do the members shift to M4 or should they continue helping M1 or should they split or should they ignore M4? This is a problem that I have seen happening in the rooms and I don't know if anyone has a solution on how to tackle it.
Another problem is lack of members and listeners in support room. The member posts there problem but is not supported or listened to. Solution for this second problem however is having Noni, send this small messages that remind members to browse listeners if their is no one in the group to support them.