The accounts on this forum are separate from those on the site.
Anyway, I think it is fine when people want to vent and rant anonymously. Or if they want to, they can link their web profile to their account here.
On the site, one can often see a bit of both sides, in the reviews and responses. But usually not enough for clarity… Sometimes these exchanges are then discussed on other sites. #popcorn
Sounds completely unrealistic. Forums are by their nature subjective. They’re not courts. People aren’t asked to render verdicts. All you’re asked to do is offer opinions or suggestions, and if anyone’s not comfortable with incomplete info, shrug, no need to participate.
Yeah, sure. But to be honest, I do not believe many stories here.
This is a good point. I have wondered about posts being genuine a couple of times. Theres a recent locked post on the owners section titled ‘Sitter left bad review out of spite’ that read like total BS to me.
That is not always the case. Only if they registered on both sites with the same email account.
But one does not need to be a paying THS member to be active on this forum.
For forums, it’s safe to assume that nearly all accounts include a mix of facts with a heavy dose of subjectivity and a raft of missing context. Most people want sympathy, help, to vent or some combo.
Occasionally, some people are pure trolls who make up stuff wholesale, but most people aren’t that hard up for attention.
You don’t have to believe wholesale. Normal participants in forums don’t, because they understand the nature of forums.
Even in courts, BTW, evidence is presented and arguments are made, but there’s no 100 percent truth.
There are only a small percentage of THS members on the Forum so this wouldn’t work.
There’s also an obligation to maintain anonymity.
If both parties were invited to participate, it would simply become a bun fight!
Isn’t that what happens on here anyway? Everyone voices different ideas and experiences, to give a wider perspective on any problem. I haven’t noticed a single thread where everyone simply agrees with the OP.
Yes, some threads do read like BS. That locked thread mentioned above was ridiculous.
I don’t think that these threads can be stopped though. People can just choose not to respond.
If forums weren’t anonymous, who would post in them?
Sounds like a great alternative to tuning in to an ITV courtroom drama, complete with a ten-person jury! I’m not sure that this approach would help foster the sentiment of ‘everyone feeling comfortable sharing their side of the story’ that you mention in your original post.
I see a lot of posts on the forum which seem to be from people seeking validation that they’re in the right, or have done the right thing in a situation - which, in itself, suggests that they may have doubts about whether or not that’s the case. Rather than ‘encouraging sharing from all angles’, how about we all just make the effort to tune into our own moral compass as a first resort, instead of relying quite so heavily on the opinions of others?
Some truth to all of what’s being said here. I had a really hard time reading a post the other day as I didnt think this was the appropriate place for it. And I did wonder, what’s the other side of the coin looking like.
It’s perfectly fine for folks to use the forum to ask for perspectives, help, etc. That’s one of the main functions of most forums. If folks felt confident in their judgment or experience, they wouldn’t be posting in the first place and asking for input.
Telling others to trust their own compass doesn’t actually work if they don’t — it can help for them to see over various experiences if their judgment is solid, and hearing from other folks can help with that.
If there are folks who don’t want to help, it’s perfectly fine just to skip such threads or not be on the forum.
Please do! Both are publicly available. It would be enlightening to see the 2 views of the same situation!
