Barbara and tuffy
Member Since 2009
BUMP
CLEANING UP LL... RESURRECTED!
- Thread starter Jill & Alex (GA)
- Start date
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donaleen and Ozy
Member Since 2013
I don't get ANY emails from this board. Very frustrating.
I wish I had found this thread when I started posting. It would have been nice to see the rules up front instead of constantly breaking them.
I wish I had found this thread when I started posting. It would have been nice to see the rules up front instead of constantly breaking them.
donaleen and Ozy
Member Since 2013
bump
Barbara and tuffy
Member Since 2009
Great to see this refresher for all. If you want to make social comments on LL we have the option of OT and Loose Lips. Keeping the condos related to the cat gets better assistance for beans that need it. Also, one condo a day. Always start a new condo. If you had problems or are updating a status replying to an old condo means sometimes looking through 2 or 3 pages of comments, simply attach a link to your previous condo. If the individual helping you wants to see what transpired the day before they have the option. Yes, can be confusing and hindering but much more efficient. People here are so generous with their time and expertise with feline diabetes we need to keep it simple in order to receive assistance.
I too never visit community. I started on Health for 9 months and then migrated to LL. I feel LL is our home. I received fantastic help with a difficult kitty. I love this board and have a great deal of respect for all who participate. This refresher is not meant to offend anyone it is to clarify what should be posted, where and how.
Continued success to all with their special 'sugarkitties'.
I too never visit community. I started on Health for 9 months and then migrated to LL. I feel LL is our home. I received fantastic help with a difficult kitty. I love this board and have a great deal of respect for all who participate. This refresher is not meant to offend anyone it is to clarify what should be posted, where and how.
Continued success to all with their special 'sugarkitties'.
Amy & Papaya (GA)
Member Since 2012
Dear newbies who may be shaking in your boots about having made friendly comments in someone's condo and feeling like you're in trouble now, please do read ALL the comments in this thread. There are certain protocols that need to be followed so that everyone has the best experience, but there is a balance to be struck!
donaleen and Ozy
Member Since 2013
Okay, now... let's do get this straight. I have been encouraged to visit condos and give support EVEN when I have nothing constructive to add. I had been feeling that all that social stuff was cluttering up the business part of the condo and so I was avoiding being social in condos. So, please, help me here on how to behave.
There is a difference between offering support and encouragement which we do hope other members do even if it's just "looking great!!" and posting long paragraphs of what the CG is doing in their spare time which has been an issue in the past. I don't see it so much anymore. At one point, we had members posting recipes, all their social activities, etc. and we couldn't figure out if they had a question about their kitty or how their kitty was doing.
We recognize that FD is stressful and sometimes we have other things going on in our lives that add to our stress AND we all become friends and truly care about each other. So the balance is to just keep it brief on non-FD things. Address the FD issues first and then if you want to tell us you and DH are getting out for dinner or a movie....that's awesome because we will know you are also taking time out for you.
We recognize that FD is stressful and sometimes we have other things going on in our lives that add to our stress AND we all become friends and truly care about each other. So the balance is to just keep it brief on non-FD things. Address the FD issues first and then if you want to tell us you and DH are getting out for dinner or a movie....that's awesome because we will know you are also taking time out for you.
Amy & Papaya (GA)
Member Since 2012
As I read the comments to the original post, I see that feelings are pretty divided. Some people appreciate the support and others find any banter annoying. I wasn't on the board when the original post was made, so I don't know exactly how off topic things were getting. Maybe it was totally out of hand . . . but there are obviously some differing opinions. I really think balance is the key word.
Balance: you don't want someone who needs help to get lost because it's at the bottom of 20 threads talking about the weather. BUT if people visit each other's condos to offer support, not just because they're a "higher-up" or "expert" with dose advice, it's another way to make sure that no one is overlooked, isn't it? As long as there's lots of traffic, SOMEone is going to catch the problem and if they are not confident handling it, they can PM someone for advice or at least bump up the thread. There is another older thread that gets bumped up once in a while along the lines of "HOMEWORK FOR EVERYONE" to go find a condo with few comments and say something in it. There are a few members who are really diligent about this, and when I was first posting regularly here that might have been the only comment I got in my condo all day . . . and even when its "no dose advice here but have a nice day" it makes you know that you're not forgotten.
Balance: people who are confident giving advice in sticky situations find it inconvenient to look through a lot of comments in a thread to find what is going on. That's valid. BUT if a few people who are all confident handling their cat's low numbers are all up late, should they really not be allowed to talk to each other to pass the time? There are definitely a few here whose advice I am very comfortable with following who also seem to love a good PJ party. If we're supposed to just not talk so the "experts" can see all the info, then we shouldn't even have this board, we should just have one person's email address and we can email our cat's numbers every morning and get told what to do. That would be simple, right? But it's lacking a certain feel of community and support, no?
It helps keep the board orderly to follow things like just posting once a day, making sure it has the date and cat's name, and not bumping up a thread from a previous day by commenting in it. Those are good things to know. As far as the visiting and giving support, though . . . BALANCE!!
Balance: you don't want someone who needs help to get lost because it's at the bottom of 20 threads talking about the weather. BUT if people visit each other's condos to offer support, not just because they're a "higher-up" or "expert" with dose advice, it's another way to make sure that no one is overlooked, isn't it? As long as there's lots of traffic, SOMEone is going to catch the problem and if they are not confident handling it, they can PM someone for advice or at least bump up the thread. There is another older thread that gets bumped up once in a while along the lines of "HOMEWORK FOR EVERYONE" to go find a condo with few comments and say something in it. There are a few members who are really diligent about this, and when I was first posting regularly here that might have been the only comment I got in my condo all day . . . and even when its "no dose advice here but have a nice day" it makes you know that you're not forgotten.
Balance: people who are confident giving advice in sticky situations find it inconvenient to look through a lot of comments in a thread to find what is going on. That's valid. BUT if a few people who are all confident handling their cat's low numbers are all up late, should they really not be allowed to talk to each other to pass the time? There are definitely a few here whose advice I am very comfortable with following who also seem to love a good PJ party. If we're supposed to just not talk so the "experts" can see all the info, then we shouldn't even have this board, we should just have one person's email address and we can email our cat's numbers every morning and get told what to do. That would be simple, right? But it's lacking a certain feel of community and support, no?
It helps keep the board orderly to follow things like just posting once a day, making sure it has the date and cat's name, and not bumping up a thread from a previous day by commenting in it. Those are good things to know. As far as the visiting and giving support, though . . . BALANCE!!
The key for me, as people have been noting, is balance. Some members are chatty and members love the dialogue. What makes it very hard is if I'm trying to find the question that the member noted in their subject line between the lengthy text and the 20 subsequent replies. If you enjoy the social part, then highlight the question so it doesn't get lost -- put the test in a different color if necessary. It truly does help.
And, like Amy suggested, if you see a condo that is at the bottom of the Board and there's a question that has gotten lost in the shuffle, bump the condo. Let someone who you feel has the experience and acumen know that a there's an issue that needs attention.
My thoughts re. bumping this thread wasn't to suggest that people shouldn't be social or supportive. It was to make sure that condos with no replies were getting attention, that new members were getting their questions answered, that if a subject line indicated there was a question and the question was answered that the request was removed (and the same for a 911), etc. LL will always be a social place because we're a community. The social interaction is the fabric of that community as is the help we offer each other.
And, like Amy suggested, if you see a condo that is at the bottom of the Board and there's a question that has gotten lost in the shuffle, bump the condo. Let someone who you feel has the experience and acumen know that a there's an issue that needs attention.
My thoughts re. bumping this thread wasn't to suggest that people shouldn't be social or supportive. It was to make sure that condos with no replies were getting attention, that new members were getting their questions answered, that if a subject line indicated there was a question and the question was answered that the request was removed (and the same for a 911), etc. LL will always be a social place because we're a community. The social interaction is the fabric of that community as is the help we offer each other.
Amy&TrixieCat
Member Since 2011
One approach I tend to take...I am social with the folks who are having an easy time of it, and I thoroughly enjoy the banter with my LL peeps. But if someone is in need of help, and there is much back and forth going on between the person needing help and the helper, I stay out of the way (unless I have different yet helpful info to add), so the important info doesn't get lost or confused with too many different points of view. Once the dust settles in such a condo, then maybe I'll go in and offer the moral support.
At the same time, if there are lots of folks needing help, I also try to avoid being overly social with anyone, and I don't bump Trix's condo to the top, because I know there are others who are in need of real help and that's where the attention needs to go.
The moral support here is almost as important as the technical stuff, and it has certainly gotten me through many tough times. It is vital to keeping us all going, but we do have to remember that the kitties come first. So, once again...it's the balance thing! It is hard to figure out what that means when you're new to the group, though, so I think we also owe it to the new folks to feel comfortable with asking for advice, as well as offering moral "we've been there, we know how you feel" support. It's a great way to pay it forward, 'cause I know that I personally am more than thankful for every aspect of LL!
At the same time, if there are lots of folks needing help, I also try to avoid being overly social with anyone, and I don't bump Trix's condo to the top, because I know there are others who are in need of real help and that's where the attention needs to go.
The moral support here is almost as important as the technical stuff, and it has certainly gotten me through many tough times. It is vital to keeping us all going, but we do have to remember that the kitties come first. So, once again...it's the balance thing! It is hard to figure out what that means when you're new to the group, though, so I think we also owe it to the new folks to feel comfortable with asking for advice, as well as offering moral "we've been there, we know how you feel" support. It's a great way to pay it forward, 'cause I know that I personally am more than thankful for every aspect of LL!
Janet and Izzy (GA)
Member Since 2013
Since the rules have been resurrected and I a new since July 1, 2013, it appears that I typically break them on a regular basis.
Some days I miss posting in the am and I would normally try to post amps during the day while I am at work via my smart phone but then I would not normally be testing during the day...so it appears I simply am cluttering up the LL wall.
Sooooo....you won't see me posting Izzy's numbers much. Normally on Saturdays I am not home until 7:30 pm so I am too busy frantically trying to get Izzy a shot so I am not so late I jack up her Monday morning schedule too bad. So you may only see posts from me about Izzy on Sundays only unless we are having an issue. Sunday is the only day I have that I can sit and take a minute to type more.
I will still read other condos....just don't expect to see mine since they are too sparse to meet the LL clean up rules on a normal day to day event.
I do appreciate the help when ever I have asked for it.
Some days I miss posting in the am and I would normally try to post amps during the day while I am at work via my smart phone but then I would not normally be testing during the day...so it appears I simply am cluttering up the LL wall.
Sooooo....you won't see me posting Izzy's numbers much. Normally on Saturdays I am not home until 7:30 pm so I am too busy frantically trying to get Izzy a shot so I am not so late I jack up her Monday morning schedule too bad. So you may only see posts from me about Izzy on Sundays only unless we are having an issue. Sunday is the only day I have that I can sit and take a minute to type more.
I will still read other condos....just don't expect to see mine since they are too sparse to meet the LL clean up rules on a normal day to day event.
I do appreciate the help when ever I have asked for it.
Janet
I think you are misinterpreting what is being said here as well as on the other Whole Cat Report condo.
Sometimes we get members that only put the link to the previous condo and we have no idea how the kitty is doing. If you put the link and just say something about how Izzy is doing, that's great. You are not cluttering anything and we are very happy to see you and Izzy on the forum. This was in no way intended to point fingers at any member in particular.
As Sienne pointed out, it was bumped so people who don't get much attention, will. And also it was bumped so people would not go back to months old posts and bump them forward.
I think you are misinterpreting what is being said here as well as on the other Whole Cat Report condo.
Sometimes we get members that only put the link to the previous condo and we have no idea how the kitty is doing. If you put the link and just say something about how Izzy is doing, that's great. You are not cluttering anything and we are very happy to see you and Izzy on the forum. This was in no way intended to point fingers at any member in particular.
As Sienne pointed out, it was bumped so people who don't get much attention, will. And also it was bumped so people would not go back to months old posts and bump them forward.
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