Guideline Reminder: "Flooding" the Board

[Kizzie]

Every once in a while the Mod Team will post about certain OOTS Guidelines as a reminder to members.  This reminder is about flooding.

Flooding the Board

"Flooding" refers to making an overabundance of posts in the forums (i.e., responding to most new posts, regularly making posts that are more than 2-3 paragraphs; starting numerous threads; being present online  for hours at a time; and, giving lots of advice to others and not focusing on one's own recovery). 

While we encourage members to post and find their voice in recovery (given that so many of us were silenced by our abusers), at the same time we each need to be cognizant of the fact that flooding may discourage other members from finding their voice. Further, it may be a symptom of a need for attention that goes beyond exploring our problems, and offering support and encouragement to others.

Thus, we encourage members to keep posts to reasonable length (1-3 paragraphs); to keep the daily number of posts to a reasonable level; and, to practice self-care and step away from the computer and to try out recovery strategies and successes in real life. While there currently is no limit to the number or length of posts, if the Moderation Team sees a pattern of flooding the member will be warned and possibly banned if the behaviour persists.