Aa
Many Issues
I know you realize the Pregnancy forums are your busiest. That means a lot of traffic and a lot of debates and arguments. It would be nice to have a "delete post" icon for the author of a post if things get too heated up. We have young 16 year old children coming on asking how they can conceive and other women who want abortions and everyone's claws come out and they start making personal stabs at people.
While I don't want to put an age limit on the forum since children DO become pregnant on accident and we want to help, maybe there could be a more intensive process for joining the pregnancy forums. I'm not exactly sure what that entails. Maybe they must submit a little information to MedHelp about why they want to join or maybe creating a Teen Pregnancy Forum and making the other forum 18-34 years of age.
Just a few ideas. I know I want to help pregnant teens but I don't want to encourage teens to purposefully conceive.
Thank you!
While I don't want to put an age limit on the forum since children DO become pregnant on accident and we want to help, maybe there could be a more intensive process for joining the pregnancy forums. I'm not exactly sure what that entails. Maybe they must submit a little information to MedHelp about why they want to join or maybe creating a Teen Pregnancy Forum and making the other forum 18-34 years of age.
Just a few ideas. I know I want to help pregnant teens but I don't want to encourage teens to purposefully conceive.
Thank you!
Yes, we're very pleased that our women are so active, but we also recognize that there are often differences in opinion. We really liked your suggestions and have created two new forums, "Pregnancy 20 and under" and "Birth Control & Contraceptives."
The new pregnancy forum will allow younger women to discuss their issues and older women can participate to give guidance as they wish.
The new Birth Control & Contraceptives forum is for discussions relating to preventing pregnancy. Although abortion is not really preventing pregnancy, if there are posts regarding abortion in the pregnancy forum, we can move them to the Birth Control & Contraceptives forum, where the members may find the posts a bit less controversial.
We hope these new forums help, but if they don't, we'll be happy to try other methods.
P.S. Having an option where members can indicate why they're joining a community is also on our radar (although we don't know yet know when it'll be available).
The new pregnancy forum will allow younger women to discuss their issues and older women can participate to give guidance as they wish.
The new Birth Control & Contraceptives forum is for discussions relating to preventing pregnancy. Although abortion is not really preventing pregnancy, if there are posts regarding abortion in the pregnancy forum, we can move them to the Birth Control & Contraceptives forum, where the members may find the posts a bit less controversial.
We hope these new forums help, but if they don't, we'll be happy to try other methods.
P.S. Having an option where members can indicate why they're joining a community is also on our radar (although we don't know yet know when it'll be available).
Swampy will say at the outset that he believes you have touched on issues that go to the heart of computer and human interaction, as well as social norms.
So permit him to wax a little philosophical on this, and comment on your suggestions. His motivation for doing so is to add depth and color. For several years, Swampy worked at a company that had extensive dealings with gang teenagers, many of whom got pregnant in very sad situations. But enough about that.
First of all, pregnancy forums, because of all the emotions involved, offer a tremendous potential for the would be troll. Swampy will not give details, but it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out notes to write in a pregnancy forum that would cause a terrible jangle of vibrations, even more so if the writer pretends to be pregnant themselves.
Now if you suspect that a person is a troll, you should immediately report the post. Medhelp elves are usually pretty quick to respond to that sort of thing.
Okay, so from here, we have situations that are not trolls but legitimate differences of opinion, where a discussion could provoke strong emotions. You mentioned several of them in your note. Many social norms and traditions surrounding pregnancy have important basis in social order and avoiding negative consequences. As an example, persuading women not to have children more often than two years apart dramatically lowers medical complications from pregnancy and delivery.
There is another problem, too. An average 16 year old simply does not have the communication skills and the emotional maturity of an average 30 year old. Combined with the limits of printed words, with their lacks of full body language, and knowing the context of the words within the life of the person, sparks can fly, even from totally benign statements.
Part of the solution is good information, maybe through health pages. The risks of having children too early in life, or in an unstable setting, are well studied. The trick, Swampy thinks, is to craft the text in a compassionate, non-judgmental way. So part of a response to a note can be -- read the health page. People will be less defensive if they are pointed at a general page of well written facts.
Ultimately, no matter what choices are made, the message needs to get out for all posters to practice "active patience". Just as it is not wrong to point out, in a tactful way, risks and problems with a particular behavior, so it is also not wrong to take a deep breath, not get angry, and not respond.
Yours in positivity,
Swampcritter
So permit him to wax a little philosophical on this, and comment on your suggestions. His motivation for doing so is to add depth and color. For several years, Swampy worked at a company that had extensive dealings with gang teenagers, many of whom got pregnant in very sad situations. But enough about that.
First of all, pregnancy forums, because of all the emotions involved, offer a tremendous potential for the would be troll. Swampy will not give details, but it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out notes to write in a pregnancy forum that would cause a terrible jangle of vibrations, even more so if the writer pretends to be pregnant themselves.
Now if you suspect that a person is a troll, you should immediately report the post. Medhelp elves are usually pretty quick to respond to that sort of thing.
Okay, so from here, we have situations that are not trolls but legitimate differences of opinion, where a discussion could provoke strong emotions. You mentioned several of them in your note. Many social norms and traditions surrounding pregnancy have important basis in social order and avoiding negative consequences. As an example, persuading women not to have children more often than two years apart dramatically lowers medical complications from pregnancy and delivery.
There is another problem, too. An average 16 year old simply does not have the communication skills and the emotional maturity of an average 30 year old. Combined with the limits of printed words, with their lacks of full body language, and knowing the context of the words within the life of the person, sparks can fly, even from totally benign statements.
Part of the solution is good information, maybe through health pages. The risks of having children too early in life, or in an unstable setting, are well studied. The trick, Swampy thinks, is to craft the text in a compassionate, non-judgmental way. So part of a response to a note can be -- read the health page. People will be less defensive if they are pointed at a general page of well written facts.
Ultimately, no matter what choices are made, the message needs to get out for all posters to practice "active patience". Just as it is not wrong to point out, in a tactful way, risks and problems with a particular behavior, so it is also not wrong to take a deep breath, not get angry, and not respond.
Yours in positivity,
Swampcritter
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