Oh dear, you received PMs about this? I understand more why this would raise some red flags and cause you to react strongly against this.
I wasn't expecting people to pour out all of their troubles or their past, more just point out what they see during the day like "Today I saw someone bully another kid and I wanted to stand up for him, but I didn't want the bully to hurt me too. what should I do/have done?" just for an example. And the members of OATH could encourage the person to tell a teacher or another adult. Something like that. Then we could take the advice that was given for that situation, and post it to our "Self Help" world as a post against bullying, how to prevent it, or what to do when you or someone else is being bullied. that way everyone can see that, but they don't have to tell their experiences or the trauma their going through. They can share what they are comfortable with sharing. They can also ask for advice on things that they aren't even going through.
The original member requests that I sent out were meant to be invitations, and were sent to the people who commented here. The picture really brought many people together and voice their opinion against bullying and such which inspired Waveschan, TheDarkAngel, and I(FUNimation) to create this group. We hoped that through this group, we could raise awareness of other problems along with bullying.
Thank you for expanding on your concerns, it really helped and we'll try our best to make this group safer and more comfortable with everyone. If there is anything else that comes up that may concern you, please feel free to tell us. :D
btw! Here is what have included whenever i send PMs to members or people that are wishing to become members:
If they wish to sign up:
Thank you for accepting! Please send a PM that includes these things:
~ A list of pet peeves (Examples: Wide ruled paper, ear hair, wooden pencils, etc.)
~ A list of major concerns (Examples: War, bullying, getting into the right college, health of your family, etc.)
~ A small description of your number one concern and why it worries you
~ Why you want to join OATH
~ What you will do as an OATH member/what you wish to do for OATH (Examples: Be an Administrator, give advice, look for advice, help others, etc.)
~ Small description on what kind of person you are
Of course you can choose what you want to share, and it doesn't have to get too personal. This is just to help us get an idea of how to organize the group and such. If you have any questions over what we ask for, please comment here.
When they become a member:
Thank you! I shall set you up as a guest poster. Please post an introduction of yourself on The Discussion world as well as your lists. Your introduction can include your likes, dislikes, interests, and anything else you want. Of course you can choose what you want to share, and it doesn't have to get too personal. Also know that The Discussion can only be viewed by the fellow members of OATH. If you have any questions, please comment here.
Welcome to OATH!
-----
They were changed from the original after I saw your and SakuraDust's comments to include that it doesn't have to get too personal. The original, after reading it, I saw that people will end up getting uncomfortable and that it was important to include that.
Is there any place in those PM layouts that you think I should change or add?
also @SakuraDust
Thank you for your comments. I appreciate giving your thoughts and giving us ways to improve.
Hopefully this clarifies some things?
I agree with "talking about what they are comfortable with sharing", and it was careless of me for not completely clarifying that in our descriptions and such, for that I apologize. I want to make this a safe environment for everyone and not including that somewhere will make others uneasy;
I'm not very experienced in setting up groups and stuff, but I always go here in search of answers and help when I don't know what to do. I was hoping that this group would help others like theO helped me. I'm aware that this idea might not work for everyone, but I hope we're still able to reach out to others.
Is there anything else you feel we should improve or change?
Indeed, this group needs too much information and the policy is rather forced. "Join or spread the word", private messages that sound like "you are requested to join", the need for advice is natural, but if given incorrectly at a crucial time, it can lead to dire consequences.
I know it seems easy to play 'psychologist', but it's not. The human mind is fragile, and if poked wrongly the advice given can backfire horribly.
Besides, I believe this group doesn't encourage a healthy social life. For advice there are trust worthy people. True friends or family whose advice comes from the heart, not from the need to say something seemingly correct.
I am also against this group, but truly, the root of the problem is the amount of information needed. If one wants to be a member, there should be no need to pour his/her private life in a PM.
Project OATH
Otakuite | Posted 02/09/11 | Reply
@:
Oh dear, you received PMs about this? I understand more why this would raise some red flags and cause you to react strongly against this.
I wasn't expecting people to pour out all of their troubles or their past, more just point out what they see during the day like "Today I saw someone bully another kid and I wanted to stand up for him, but I didn't want the bully to hurt me too. what should I do/have done?" just for an example. And the members of OATH could encourage the person to tell a teacher or another adult. Something like that. Then we could take the advice that was given for that situation, and post it to our "Self Help" world as a post against bullying, how to prevent it, or what to do when you or someone else is being bullied. that way everyone can see that, but they don't have to tell their experiences or the trauma their going through. They can share what they are comfortable with sharing. They can also ask for advice on things that they aren't even going through.
The original member requests that I sent out were meant to be invitations, and were sent to the people who commented here. The picture really brought many people together and voice their opinion against bullying and such which inspired Waveschan, TheDarkAngel, and I(FUNimation) to create this group. We hoped that through this group, we could raise awareness of other problems along with bullying.
Thank you for expanding on your concerns, it really helped and we'll try our best to make this group safer and more comfortable with everyone. If there is anything else that comes up that may concern you, please feel free to tell us. :D
btw! Here is what have included whenever i send PMs to members or people that are wishing to become members:
If they wish to sign up:Thank you for accepting! Please send a PM that includes these things:
~ A list of pet peeves (Examples: Wide ruled paper, ear hair, wooden pencils, etc.)
~ A list of major concerns (Examples: War, bullying, getting into the right college, health of your family, etc.)
~ A small description of your number one concern and why it worries you
~ Why you want to join OATH
~ What you will do as an OATH member/what you wish to do for OATH (Examples: Be an Administrator, give advice, look for advice, help others, etc.)
~ Small description on what kind of person you are
Of course you can choose what you want to share, and it doesn't have to get too personal. This is just to help us get an idea of how to organize the group and such. If you have any questions over what we ask for, please comment here.
When they become a member:
Thank you! I shall set you up as a guest poster. Please post an introduction of yourself on The Discussion world as well as your lists. Your introduction can include your likes, dislikes, interests, and anything else you want. Of course you can choose what you want to share, and it doesn't have to get too personal. Also know that The Discussion can only be viewed by the fellow members of OATH. If you have any questions, please comment here.
Welcome to OATH!
-----
They were changed from the original after I saw your and SakuraDust's comments to include that it doesn't have to get too personal. The original, after reading it, I saw that people will end up getting uncomfortable and that it was important to include that.
Is there any place in those PM layouts that you think I should change or add?
Project OATH
Otakuite | Posted 02/04/11 | Reply
@:
also @SakuraDust
Thank you for your comments. I appreciate giving your thoughts and giving us ways to improve.
Hopefully this clarifies some things?
I agree with "talking about what they are comfortable with sharing", and it was careless of me for not completely clarifying that in our descriptions and such, for that I apologize. I want to make this a safe environment for everyone and not including that somewhere will make others uneasy;
I'm not very experienced in setting up groups and stuff, but I always go here in search of answers and help when I don't know what to do. I was hoping that this group would help others like theO helped me. I'm aware that this idea might not work for everyone, but I hope we're still able to reach out to others.
Is there anything else you feel we should improve or change?
~FUNimation
SakuraDust
Moderator | Posted 02/01/11 | Reply
Indeed, this group needs too much information and the policy is rather forced. "Join or spread the word", private messages that sound like "you are requested to join", the need for advice is natural, but if given incorrectly at a crucial time, it can lead to dire consequences.
I know it seems easy to play 'psychologist', but it's not. The human mind is fragile, and if poked wrongly the advice given can backfire horribly.
Besides, I believe this group doesn't encourage a healthy social life. For advice there are trust worthy people. True friends or family whose advice comes from the heart, not from the need to say something seemingly correct.
I am also against this group, but truly, the root of the problem is the amount of information needed. If one wants to be a member, there should be no need to pour his/her private life in a PM.