Dr. G.,
I seem always to be the one asking this question. Can you give us an update on any changes you have in mind for the board?
tt
Hi tt,
The only potential change that I sometimes ponder concerns allowing new members to join. The Board has been delightfully peaceful, but (some may think), at the expense of getting adequate responses to posts. I do not envision going back to the way things started (when anyone, including guests, could post), or even “open admission” to membership (when guests could not post but anyone could join)—if I allowed either of these policies, because of the numbers, I would be quickly overwhelmed. At the height of the “open admission” period the Board was getting over 6000 posts per month—the bulk of which I read, or at least skimmed. So, I’ll either let things stay the way they are (with a terrific group of people—all of whose posts I enjoy reading) or allow “limited admission”—application (e-mail about oneself and the reasons one wants to join) plus $25 good-faith donation to the Board???
Perhaps Board members, including yourself, could share your thoughts about this…
Richard
My two cents:
I think it might be time to try to assemble a new "critical mass" - new personalities - on the board, in any fashion that seems manageable. Integrating them with us, maybe... since while most of us are "graduating" back into our lives, and have done a lot of the initial work of recovering and healing, we still have a real connection with each other through the board. It is our touchstone of safety and reassurance... and we've come to rely on insight and feedback from each other for the big and little questions we struggle with in our lives, whether affected by early voicelessness or not.
We, collectively, have a lot to give new members at different stages in their journeys. And conversely, new members will teach us a few things, too!
The board has been a wonderful resource for me, ever since I found it. I may have graduated from therapy - but there was no way I was ready to face people, the world, and my life - much less create and maintain new boundaries with my FOO - on my own, without some on-going support. I made mistakes; tried things that flopped big time; made tentative little steps while reaching for Hops, tt, CB, or GS's hand... to reassure me that horrible things wouldn't happen to me, just because I healed and started to live again. I feel we need to "pass it on" because I sense that the need is growing "out there"... times are tough and the most vulnerable are the ones who've been affected the ways we have.
I'd like to see the board continue. I'm open to changes in direction; format... maybe. Having managed and contributed to online higher ed tech systems (and seen all the new toys) I still think that the discussion board format is the best for these kinds of conversations. It connects to and is more easily understood by a wider group of people than blogs and provides a "history" of conversation for people new to the topic to search on and read - before venturing to post on their own.
I belonged to an art discussion board that has morphed into blogs and a pseudo-social network. I find it abysmally confusing to use; and even as long-winded as I am I just can't bring myself to blog about myself!!!!! (I know - there's not much difference in what I do here... is there???)
Long story short: I'm open to any change that makes sense for you and the board, Dr G.
