E-mail support and feedback welcome

[Hopeful]

Dear All,

I spend most of my dedicated charity time on e-mail support. It has been busy. Please do let me know if you can help (via PM), it will not be onerous and it is extremely rewarding.

I would also like to thank the 5 ladies who are, and have been, operating as e-mail supprt volunteers for quite some time now. Thank you so much for all that you do. As someone who once received such support - I know the difference it can make.

In terms of the forum and any improvements/ changes we could make, please don't hesitate to express you opinions here )

Here is to 2011
Hopefulxx

[Weeble]

Hi Hopeful

I don't think I am well enough at the moment to help, i get scared replying to posts on here but deal with that by remembering that you guys come through. I wonder if there is a way we could encourage more women to use the forum, it would be great if it was more active. There is a very small core of us who use it regularly. When I started here about a year ago, there were quite a lot of recovered people around, but over the past six months it has really tailed off and I personally miss the input of the recovered healthy people on the forum. If we could find a way of getting more people to use the forum, then the pressure on you guys would be really reduced because it would be shared.

Would be willing to help with other stuff if you need it

Kat

[Weeble]

Oh makes me sound really ungrateful, sorry, I owe all of you a lot

Thanks

Kat

[Hopeful]

Hi Kat,

Great feedback, and don't worry for a moment about saying it x

Ok, how do you all feel about staff (for example) inputting in diaries - is that an invasion? When I felt ill,I lived for my diary and the input I had, although must say this was predominantly from peole who were going through it too. Do let us know how we can help and what is less helpful

Hopefulxx

[wanagetoverthis]

Hi hopeful

I think that the website could do with be advertised more. I realise that only has an effect if people look at where you're advertising but I mean some SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) on Google so when someone google's 'PNI' 'PNI Symptoms' etc etc etc that the number one is your site. I know for me anyway, I looked alot for help on what I was feeling via te internet over a few months and found nothing with my symptoms, it was only your site that helped but it didn't stand out before.

Just think it's such a fantastic site for those suffering, or worrying they may be suffering, and if it was in front of them on google they would find the support much sooner.

Do you have someone who could do this for you? If not I could look into it for you and see what I can arrange.

N xxx

[Hopeful]

Thanks so much for your feedback, really helpful

I can ask Vee about tis as she runs the technical side of things, but yes, any help/ advice regards this side of things gratefully received - I can send it on

Thank you Nat xx

[BAM]

Thanks every one for ideas and feedback. It is a balancing act moderating sometimes and its helpful to see how members feel.

[Weeble]

Hi hopeful

In response to your question I don't see my diary as a thing just for me, I would equate it to my sofa where people can come and chat to me. Invasion the exact opposite, I love it when staff and non staff pop by. I do feel sad when I go weeks between hearing from any of the long termers. I have missed having the input of wine girl and giz since the both moved on in the summer.

Kat

[Hopeful]

Hi Kat,

Thanks x. Love the virtual sofa analogy

[Bookwormprincess]

Hi Hopeful,

I didn't realise that you were looking for email support volunteers. I think that is something I would like to do in the not too distand future as I feel passionate about helping people through PNI, particularly as I have gone onto have a second child and been free of PP this time. However since Samuel was born 8 months ago, and because of all the problems he had over the first 4-5 months, I have just not had any spare time so I have been away from the forum (Sorry Weeble, I've still been thinking of you all a lot). But as the boys get older and sleep better and I perhaps get an evening back I hope to be on here again regularly and I could consider the email support. Would you be able to ask me in a couple of months? I'll try and remember to check in with you too.

Keep up the good work. Also think it is a great suggestion to make this site appear in the first page of a google search.

x

[Hopeful]

That's brilliant news, thank you xx

[winegirl]

Sorry, only just seen this.

I did not move on in the summer, i took a break from the forum due to work commitmets, but was still very much playing role as admin, trustee and email support.

Sorry if it had appeared I had left, i have however chosen to take things steady on the forum these days and focus on supporting staff instead.

Hope this makes sense x

[BAM]

Yes we are very much around sorry if it feels in the background. But so much has to be done that isn't seen. However, doesn't excuse your feelings and if you need more support we are here and just shout. Often we don't do diary's as I like my own diary (not on here) as a talk to myself - but if needed we can be around more.

Winegirl and Giz are still very much members and moderators we love them both. But there so many roles to moderating too.

[Weeble]

Hi girls

This website has been a lifesaver for me, i have had a horrific 18 months and for large parts of the last twelve months the only people I talk to are on here. I am exceptionally grateful that this place existed and it has filled a huge yawning gap in my life. I suspect that my current stretch of pram rage is about to continue but I have spent the last hour crying and I concluded I was going to say what I think. I know everyone on here is a volunteer and as such I as a pni sufferer have no right to expect anything. But I am sure you know but the busiest part of this website is the part locked away from the members where only staff can go. At times you can see the virtual tumbleweed flowing down the accessible areas but the tracker at the bottom shows lots of people coming through and that section is were the posts are laid. There have been times particularly in the warmer parts of last year where no one replied to my posts for days on end. I have felt for a long time that the forum users are third class citizens, with staff and email support being of more importance. The opportunity to get advice or just have a discussion with someone who is following your story and has recovered is so valued, but has gone in the last six months. At times new people come on or sick people post and no one seems to reply for days. Things have improved in the last few weeks, which is a relief, because it has worried me sick at times, feeling that no one healthy is posting to these souls. I keep up with giz because we have babies the same age, and I am pleased that wine girl is able to support staff. I realised how strongly I felt about this when juppster crossed into staff, I suddenly felt that a huge big curtain had come down and I had lost my friend. I know this is not true, but a consequence of the above. I am sorry for my rant and I am truly grateful for the existence of this website.

Kat

P.s. I am scared of veritee because the only time she responded to one of my posts she made me feel that I should not have written what I did.

P.p.s I have spent a lot of time reading old streams and have wished that the vibrancy and friendship from the past was here now

[wanagetoverthis]

Hi Kat

I understand how you must be feeling but at the same time, a forum is normally a place for Jane and Josie bloggs to talk to eachother and share their experiences and offer support.

Usually moderators of forums just check in to make sure there's no abuse but these guys do drop in to offer their help, experience and care too, when they can.

This site has been crucial to me recovering (and I'm not there yet), from you Kat ...who I must say has been there everytime(!!), to winegirl to Hopeful etc etc, everyone has inputted at some point and everyone tries their best to support, but nobody can be all things to all people.

The fact is that all these women, including moderators, have been through this illness and it's comforting to know they're past it and better but we can't expect them to be reading every single post and responding, they need to maintain the site to make sure we can log on in the first place, protect us from abuse and support where they can, on top of being a wife/parent/their daily jobs etc.

You're not alone Kat, we all care and support you. I know I haven't been around that long but I do genuinely care for all of you and check in daily and offer help where I feel I can.
I also have to protect my own recovery too though as we all do, and sometimes I have to take a break, as do you, from the site as reading about PNI so much sometimes gets in my head more than it should.

Please don't feel like someone hasn't been there, people care and lots of girls talk to us everyday so we can support eachother through this awful illness.

I was terribly worried for someone the other month and I PM'd Winegirl to ask her to take a look, she replied to her within a few hours ...so they are there for us, they just physically can't be there 24/7.

Lotsalove and I mean that hun
N xxxxxx