Posted by Racer on January 31, 2008, at 14:28:58
In reply to Regarding Babblemail issues, posted by muffled on January 19, 2008, at 14:26:30
This is not the same issue, but it's related:
Sometimes I get BabbleMails from people asking questions about medications, etc. With one or two exceptions, where the subject really is kinda private (bodily functions we may not want to make too public without masks on), I'd really rather answer on the boards -- some people might have better answers than I do, other people might have similar questions and benefit from the answers, etc.
On the one hand, I'm frustrated, because I don't want to make the discussion private; on the other hand, I feel uncomfortable about the choice to post publicly that I received a BabbleMail asking [question], and here's my answer...
Usually, I write back and explain my personal feelings about the matter, that the question is one I'd rather see on the boards and why. That doesn't feel very supportive, and it triggers one of my personal twitches: I think I'm not good at expressing myself in a way that feels caring to others. I think I come across as cold, at best.
I'm not sure I have any suggestions about solutions, except maybe to mention somewhere, in some FAQ, or even on the BabbleMail form itself, that some questions might benefit others, and the community might be better served if they were posted publicly?
That said, I have no problem with BabbleMailed questions that are too embarrassing to be posted publicly. And I have no problem with "just plain saying hi" via BabbleMail.
poster:Racer
thread:807705
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20071106/msgs/809934.html