Live Chat?

[Kizzie]

I've had a few inquiries from new mbrs/guests regarding the possibility of getting together via audio (no picture, just voice) or teleconferencing for a live chat. I don't want to look into the possibly if no-one is that interested so thought it best to ask first.

Is anyone is interested? 

[radical]

Brilliant idea
I'm interested, though a bit fearful. 
Time zones could be a problem. My accent would be unfamiliar to many and could be difficult to understand.  I think we probably cover the range of English speaking countries and a few with English as a second (or third or fourth... language.

[woodsgnome]

 

Dunno about that; I'm more reflective, and feel more comfortable gathering thoughts before blurting them out in an instant response format. Kinda like radio, where 'dead air' is anathema to the instant appeal of it. Mind you, as a former improv actor, I've gone both ways; but also see and appreciate the difference here.

A chunk of that difference is probably due to our varying personality quirks. The instant versions are hugely popular these days, so it might seem to be a welcome option for some. By the same token, many of us have a hard enough time about these topics, and it's almost like adding yet another layer of judgement and vulnerability--which yes, can be a good thing but can also easily lead to misunderstandings, hard feelings, etc. Like the instant radio/TV I mentioned--it goes by so quick that it can be hard to decipher what was even said; and/or intentions can be imagined that weren't at all what the speaker meant to convey. this can and does happen in print, but it seems even more likely going strictly by voice, or even instant chat.

These snap judgements are more true of the voice version than the written, I think. But, for security, wouldn't using voices subject some of us to the 'lurkers'...be it from our own acquaintances or FOO members who've figured out where we are? Being long gone from my FOO, I don't have that fear but I'm sure many others might. This security issue was brought up here previously. Along these lines, something that surprised me was that one didn't even need to be a member to read the forum entries. So that's yet another concern, I would think.

I guess there's also the moderating angle--harder in quick format than written, I'd think. All things considered, I'd have reservations about the chat option; but even more with the voice format.

[woodsgnome]

...these couple of stray thoughts wandered in just now; I initially added them to the copy already posted, but as some might have already read that, I'm adding them here. Which does remind me; chat/instant formats don't allow very much leeway providing for clarification or additions after-the-fact...it's one-time only, over and out.

So, one final thought--I understand we live in a chit-chat culture, but when everything is reduced to that, it seems to trivialize a lot of what gets discussed here. Face-to-face (e.g. as in therapy) is one thing, but  voice/instant chat seems to diminish meaningful communication rather than help.

Okay, one more thing--will there be separate groups, per the chat and those still using the written format? You could end up with 2 sites instead of one with that setup. That would seem to defeat the purpose of having a group where all can access all of the material, all of the time.

The current option of PMing is an already existent form of off-screen chat. Sometimes I feel adding ever more of these scatters the forum into fragmented parts not originally intended. It seems more like closing doors rather than opening them.

[radical]

I think your points are important, Woodsgnome about a fracturing.
I must admit I find a written format easier than I would a verbal one.  I usually only feel comfortable talking on the phone, beyond a few sentences, with people I know well.  Also, difficult, important conversation, I prefer in person or in writing.
I guess I was thinking about what we could gain, especially with so many of us afflicted by social anxiety...

But i do feel that there could, potentially  be losses.  Voices do immediately identify people to anyone who knows them.  I wouldn't be comfortable, but i saw that as a potential gain.

There is a way that the current format makes it as easy as humanly possible for people to join in, and does make for a more level playing field than verbal communication would.

[Kizzie]

Good feedback WG and Radical, tks.  I have no thoughts currently as to how it would be set up frankly, I just had some inquiries and thought I would see if anyone were even interested before I look into it in any detail.

Personally I am not certain about live chat as it does introduce elements that are likely to ping (my) social anxiety (tone of voice; who talks to whom - feeling like the outsider; not having time to think about what to say; etc).  I also am not sure about how it would influence the sense of anonymity we have in just writing. At the same time, I see that it could be helpful in feeling more connected and also in working to deal with SA with others who have the same issues.    

From a coordination point of view, it seems like it could entail a fair amount of time and energy (and that's something I personally in limited in).  There's the whole timing thing, not to mention possible language issues.     

I suppose though that in the end it comes down to "Where there's a will, there's a way." So, I'll leave this open to see if there is a will in the community to explore this option further.  Please feel free to weigh in!

[Kizzie]

Going to 'ping' this every once in a while to see if anyone's has some thoughts to share on this. 

One idea re synchronous chat that I had is to look into some (affordable) online group therapy.  It seems to be a common problem for those of with CPTSD; that is, not being able to find trauma trained T's that are affordable and accessible. 

Work is not busy again for me until March and so far no scheduled surgery date fro my other knee, so I have time to look into this and some other things I have been mulling over (e.g., guest bloggers), and getting to some long overdue chores (annotated bibliography). 

If you have any ideas, please feel free to float them in this forum 

[Three Roses]

Wow, I'd not heard of online group therapy. What a great idea! I would be very interested in that.

[woodsgnome]

"Guest bloggers" sounds interesting.

Who would they be drawn from? I can see where some who might not be inclined to join the forum as a whole--e.g. Walker and other authors--might be more inclined to do an occasional commentary in lieu of joining as a member and wading through the avalanche of questions they'd attract.

The same might be true for others, as long as they don't overly self-promote their commercial products (books, CDs, etc) but stay focused...then again, the products might be relevant, to an extent.

Anyway, the concept sounds promising; just curious as to who they might be and/or how that's decided--many are expert in the cptsd circles, yet some are not but still have useful insights that can apply to cptsd issues.

[radical]

Could the live chat be in written form?  That might overcome some of the problems with spoken 'live chat' and also be more inclusive and allow a written record afterwards, which I find useful.

The blogger idea also sounds great.

[Kizzie]

We can certainly try out any ideas that seem appropriate (e.g., written chat).  Give me a couple of days and I'll see if I can flesh out some of these ideas, (synchronous chatting, list of potential guest bloggers, etc) and then we'll have more to work with/discuss. 

[Contessa]

I do like the idea of both, live chat and written instant messaging/ chat room.

Not everyone will be comfortable with either format, but for all the negatives there are obvious positives too that have already been mentioned.

[sanmagic7]

i like the idea of written chat on one level, but on another my brain is sometimes too slow to formulate what i want to say and how i want to say it.  i go over my posts several times because of this.  so, i guess i'm on the fence, personally.

the idea of online group therapy sounds really good to me as i'm stuck here w/ no therapy.  however, i also don't own a cell phone or a computer w/ a camera/microphone, so i don't know how i could be involved, unless it was written. 

[radical]

If your computer has a port, (check all the sides) a cheap microphone/speaker costs about $10 here.
Alternatively, if you can see and hear u-tube videos, you could probably get a mini camera/mic/speaker that would plug into a USB port (about $20 here)

Here's a song I can't get out of my head for you to test:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awZ48WFnldQ

[Kizzie]

Haven't forgotten about this      Still checking into things.