As I have read through so many emails over the last month or so, I just want to say that I hope this isn’t going to become another FACEBOOK type site where others are just wanting to start negative topics about such a great service. We have been members of THS for 3 years and have had such wonderful experiences with sitters, and now that our baby is gone, we want to be the sitters ourselves. I find this to be a great service for both sides of the table, and little things should not be griped at here. It just starts a storm of ridiculous posts that needn’t even be addressed.
I have felt like this recently as well. So far it’s been a great place to communicate and learn from others. I know there is always going to be negative experiences and because of the nature of the beast people will post about them more than someone who is having a fantastic time. Think review system. People are more likely to review something if they have something negative to say. But even these negative posts are good. We can learn from each other what not to do and help us to identify “red flags”.
I don’t like the site bashing though and tend not to get involved. We all know it can be improved and the officials are trying but even a small change takes time to develop, test and implement. They can’t tackle everything at once.
Sharing experiences is always good.
Although I agree that there does tend to be a trend to the negative here, I think almost all of the topics are relevant. Most of the time when something negative comes up, others chime in and have had the same problem. Complaining isn’t a problem if it leads to improvements.
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I suspect that some people have an issue or misunderstanding of one sort or another, want to find a place to vent, and arrive at the forum full of anger or frustration. Inevitably, their concern is addressed and they move on. Not much we can do about it, since the forum is public, other than to try to kindly respond to their problems and point them in the direction of a resolution.
It’s unfortunate but it’s the way these forums often work - the vast majority of happy, content people aren’t here. Let’s do what we can to keep it positive!
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Hi @long1016 thank you and everyone here for sharing your thoughts.
We assure you that your forum, yes it does belong to you the members, will not become another Social Media channel as you have a team behind the forum who are determined to provide a safe and inclusive place where every member feels enabled and motivated to share.
We have nurtured this forum from the very beginning to become the envy of many, Vanessa and I have that on very good authority:)) and our community have been complimented on achieving an enviable “tone” something to be proud of.
Sometimes we Admins are placed in a difficult position, not all members appreciate why or how we administer or manage posts and topics. There is a fine line between intervention and giving direction, we are very aware of how we walk that line.
Most of all we try to be fair, unbiased and measured. If we fall short of expectations we are human, and just like you growing up with the forum.
The most encouraging thing about this post is that you have noticed and demonstrated that you care.
Not every post or member will always be positive but open and honest discussion is how we grow and improve, what is important is how things are said and expressed. As Vanessa said in a recent post talking about fairness, we read and re-read posts, comments and replies before we publish, asking ourselves could we say it better?
When emotion takes over, logic is always the casualty …
Providing there is fairness and respect and for every negative a positive is found, then we can progress and if any member believes there are no positives, then perhaps this is not the place for them after all.
And just a gentle reminder, there is one thing we all have in common which brings happiness, joy and sometimes sadness and is the reason TrustedHousesitters exists …
The animals … We have a PET CATEGORY let’s share their presence more.
Thanks for being here, thanks for discussing and for listening.
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We live in a world that is loud about the bad things and quiet about the good things.
People who thrive in the good are, well just too busy thriving.
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I think on some replies people are jumping the gun and taking offense without actually reading the entire post. Also we ready a post in our head in a mood/tone we pick. I can read a comment and think its fine and others reply saying they are offended or its rude to suggest bla bla. 
I learn from this forum and enjoy reading comments from other perspectives, even if there is an eye roll whilst reading them. However I am hesitant to post a topic myself and receive backlash from someone who takes offense or tells me I’m being arrogant. There are a couple of replies in ‘What do professional pet-sitters make of this arrangement? that are a good example of what I’m trying to get across.
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We all benefit from the forum working at it’s best …
When a community member feels the way that @Mslaura does, we could easily miss hearing another perspective that could just change the way we do things …
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Forums such as this should reflect true life , and so will include varying opinions and occasional negativity.
The problem is that many people only think to comment when they have something sad/bad/negative to share, and if this happens too often it starts to look like that is all that is discussed.
The secret to combat this is not to forget that we much prefer to hear happy/good/positive stories! - Don’t keep them to yourselves!! - spread the joy!
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@anon36831737 I don’t practise yoga, but even I recognize a downward dog pose when I see it. 
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Been trying to love on this positive post since yesterday.
I feel so rejected 
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I am afraid that social media, in general, has eroded the human condition, thus I spend less and less time with it. I also believe that the stress and uncertainty of the last couple of years have really worn us down.
I agree so much with your post and hope that this continues to be a place of positivity. We need more of this. 
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I like seeing people’s experiences, positive and negative. I’m fairly new to THS, and the posts that discuss problems, and the responses with suggestions, are very helpful.
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That’s exactly how I feel and I’ve been sitting for almost 4 years. It’s great to see others prospectives both negative and positive.
I appreciate all the viewpoints. There are also many, many happy posts! I find those postings that share experiences, both positive and negative, and that give advice are the most helpful to me. I also love the funny articles!
What I think should be tempered are those posts that express hostility or mean spiritedness toward other forum members. I had one directed toward me and it was both embarrassing and inaccurate. I chose not to engage with that person and left it to other readers to form their own opinions. Because @Angela_L, @Vanessa_A and now @Snowbird are so quick to refocus these types of remarks, things never get out of hand, and I believe this is the reason this forum is as successful as it is.
Keep all the posts coming, but please reread them before posting to make sure they are
balanced, objective and respectful.
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Hi @mattersfact2 . It might surprise you that I avoid social media like the plague. The THS forum has been so far an exception. John and I have tried to be positive and humourous in our topics and comments.
This does not mean that we are unaware of bad situations, awful behaviour and general complaining. There has to be a balance between a positive attitude and being true to oneself i.e correcting someone when you think they are wrong.
I could have been gentler in my approach the other day when a comment made me angry.
We all live and learn.
Have a great day
Warm regards. Caroline
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