Important

[Ally_Hicks]

So, this is the first thread anybody has posted on this forum since over a week ago, and I wanted to get things going because this seems like a really cool forum to chat on. Apparently, Anxiety Forum is a website where there isn't a lot of activity for long periods of time and the scarce amount of people who visit don't stay for longer than 2 minutes and log on just to check their notifications. I am just one example of a person who has anxiety, along with the hundreds of people on this site that have it too, but haven't been active for weeks. The few people that come on might stay longer if we started posting more often. I am bring this to notice because while I am typing this, there is currently 0 users on-line. Over half of those users are probably discouraged because they can't find people to help them, and we shouldn't allow that to happen. Please share this message, reply and contact some friends who may have anxiety disorders or friends that you keep in touch with on-line or know in person to start up their computer and log on to this site to help users who may be struggling. Anybody reading this, if you don't have plans, please stay on-line for 2 more minutes and help a user who is on-line with anxiety. (Just drop by and ask them if they need to chat and that they can always come to you using Visitor Messages) Thank you for reading this and double thank you if you shared this, replied, spread the message on websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Reddit, or helped an new user who is on-line. By doing this, we can increase the amount of people who come and enjoy Anxiety Forum and decrease the amount of anxious, discouraged people who just can't find help. Thanks again.
Ally

[gypsylee]

Thanks Ally :) This is a genuine, hopeful post.

Most social media is absolutely saturated with garbage so I like the "bare bones" set-up here. No selfies (with 10 filters applied) and everyone telling each other how hot they are. There's problems here, of course, but I like to think we keep it real a bit more.

Cheers,
Gypsy x

[Kirk]

All forums are not perfect and have issues. We have to try to make them the best we can to help others.

[salvator here]

I don't think the chat room even works here anymore. This is a slow paced forum in comparison, but with a little patience, normally somebody will eventually reply to a thread. I used to be on peoplesproblems . org before I came here and they have a very VERY busy chat room. When I was in crisis and in need of help, they would either just chat around me like I was not even there, or totally ignore me completely which was more hurtful. I think I was banned maybe but I've not checked in ages, and I don't really care either. So I just post here now. Hopefully people will start using this forum more and rebuild it to what it used to be. I see this place was very active at one point.

[Kirk]

I agree with you salvator here.

[BrilliantSide]

I like the spirit of your post Ally! I think It's good to get this forum to be more active. I just joined it recently and all the posts I've read seem to me thoughtful with helpful replies.

[Ponder]

Nothing like drumming up business. In the spirit of keeping things real:

If your talking about forum activity I beg to differ: For me it says 185 Users Online. Pretty regular number when I view the stats ... I've seen a lot higher as well. Not everyone need be a "member" in order to benefit and or receive your help. Reading is enough for many people.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3814/32360827223_faba93b13a_o.jpg (https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3814/32360827223_faba93b13a_o.jpg)

Now ... if your talking about CHAT ... That's another story.

Perhaps they find this place as pretentious as Facebook and then move on in a flash. Christ knows it's why many of us leave despite coming back. Not everyone need to be seen holding hands and singing kumbaya. Validation need not come with a number of agreements and others stated how one's words resonates. For many of us it really is as simple as that.

In order for people to feel comfortable posting, they need to know they can express without the need to fulfill some criteria of warm spirited and subservient posts. As for keeping things real, people need to know they can say whatever the *&#@ they want.

I hope this rates as real enough.

Namaste.

[Dahila]

I am still coming once in a while, cause can not take whining anymore................asking the questions about herb or symptoms , It would be nice if people went to read some stickies

[Kirk]

The most important thing about the forum is that people are being helped and their is benefit to the members,
which I believe their is.

[Synner]

I can tell you from first hand experience that it's not good when your first post in the general forum has been sitting in the 'waiting on moderator approval' queue for 24 hours. Talk about discouraging new people from trying to participate. That's ok though. I understand communities and that there is very likely a group of you that have been here a long time and call this place home. But when you make it so difficult for new people to post, well, you're not going to get a lot of new posters.

Further, I suspect that for many people, just reading that other people are having these issues helps them understand their situation is not unique and that alone is enough for many people. That probably accounts for most of the apparent lurkers.

[Dahila]

synner noone waits 24 hours, to post links you need to have ten posts or so.

[Synner]

synner noone waits 24 hours, to post links you need to have ten posts or so.
I wrote my first post in the General forum Thursday. It contains no links. When I hit submit, I got a message saying a mod needed to review it before it would be posted. It's now Sunday evening and it still hasn't posted.

[Jull]

Love this forum! :)

[TiffanyyO]

This is very well said Ally.
I hope to be here daily to listen and talk with you all. :)