Naming a perpetual thread after yourself

[plr66]

This is in no way meant to be a confrontational comment. I just thought I would mention that as much as I might be interested in what you have to say on the ongoing posts here at this forum, I have found that I rarely click on someone's "personal" ongoing thread. All of our time is limited, and there are hundreds who post here. I thus scan all the posts when I can, and respond to the threads which are topic-specific that I am interested in or for which I think I have something to offer. If I just keep seeing one person's forever-thread without a topic noted, then I find that I routinely ignore it. Don't know if others share this response, but thought I would mention it, FWIW. A thread will probably be more productive if it is topic-specific than if presented as your personal diary.

[TSSleepy]

Everyone is different, both in what they want to read and in what they want to share with others. One of the benefits of this site is that it lets you know you're not alone. There are others that feel like crap. That are having problems getting treatment. That are having problems making that treatment work.

When you're new, reading their stories can answer a lot of the questions that you don't even know to ask yet. It can help you realize that it isn't always easy to get CPAP to work well, but that it is do-able and that you're not alone. I commend people for sharing their stories, and I commend the people who provide them with advice on their journey.

~TS

[plr66]

TSS, I think you may have missed my point. We all at points "tell our story," with details that we hope will either elicit support and help, or will assist others. That's what all the threads are about! And I would not be here if those aspects were not important to me. My point was only that specific topics or questions generally will elicit more responses, I think.

[Kate53]

Being a newbie --- I liked the "perpetual thread". Gave me encouragement and hope! I would not want all posts to be a perpetual thread, but I read EVERY line on ALL pages of the most recent one. It was very helpful to me to see someone make good progress with ups and downs. So much to learn........so little time!

[TSSleepy]

TSS, I think you may have missed my point. We all at points "tell our story," with details that we hope will either elicit support and help, or will assist others. That's what all the threads are about! And I would not be here if those aspects were not important to me. My point was only that specific topics or questions generally will elicit more responses, I think.

And that's a perfectly valid point, plr66.

But I think you missed mine. Sometimes what a person needs...is to "tell their story", not simply to "ask a question". And sometimes a new person can gain a lot by "reading someone's journey" in one long thread, including things they may not have thought to ask about.

Is it as efficient for dispensing advice as a straight Q&A. No. But sometimes it's not about efficiency, it's about empathy. It's about venting and commiserating. It's about whining and crowing. Sometimes, for some people, this board is not just a bunch of questions and answers...it's a support group.

In other words, I agree with your premise, but think that some other people want to share and receive information in other ways. More power to them!

[DoriC]

As somewhat of a newbie myself, it's helpful to me to see someone's journey beginning and watching their progress and being able to help with some of the simpler questions as a way to pay back. I always read threads that interest me and all posts from the "pros" because there's always something to learn from all of you, but since I haven't been around long enough to know everyone's "stories", it's encouraging to start with someone new and see them succeed. Does that make sense?

[Paul56]

This is in no way meant to be a confrontational comment. I just thought I would mention that as much as I might be interested in what you have to say on the ongoing posts here at this forum, I have found that I rarely click on someone's "personal" ongoing thread. All of our time is limited, and there are hundreds who post here. I thus scan all the posts when I can, and respond to the threads which are topic-specific that I am interested in or for which I think I have something to offer. If I just keep seeing one person's forever-thread without a topic noted, then I find that I routinely ignore it. Don't know if others share this response, but thought I would mention it, FWIW. A thread will probably be more productive if it is topic-specific than if presented as your personal diary.

I tend to agree with you.

Being a computer AND accounting guy I'm on computers all day long and find I need a break with non-computer things to get me refreshed. I do like to read what is happening on the form and post a bit myself but I just don't have the hours, at least during the week, to read through everything.

I do have more time on the weekends when I will occasionally check out what is happening in a little more depth... but there is a limit and I usually get saturated fairly quickly and move on to something non-computer.

Almost burnt myself out a few years ago when I was a corporate systems manager by day and running a Fidonet node by night. It got to be too much so even though I have fond memories of Fidonet it had to go.

[-SWS]

Good topic for discussion! Because that style of thread is brand spanking new here. So here goes my opinion:

On whole I think it's a good idea to have at least a few threads like that. I say that primarily for the reasons already cited above, regarding both sides or preferences: 1) those threads are easy to ignore should anyone be so inclined, and most importantly 2) those threads are very easy for newcomers to latch onto, follow, and even participate. That last benefit is very compelling IMHO.

In general I think this forum needs to be a cross-section offering that suits different learning preferences---and even different styles of communication. Who knows... some day clinicians or therapists might benefit from having neatly consolidated treatment blogs to cite as reference.

Other opinions?

[araminta]

I find it curious that those threads have generated such a tremendous amount of "reader traffic".
Kinda reminds me of the so-called "reality tv" shows (a mis-nomer if ever there was one).
I have no interest in either. but clearly lottsa people do.
As a newbie, I've benefited enormously from this forum and have gleaned valuable information, tips and insight.
But I find I skip over the personal threads, in favor of topic-specific posts.
And instead of watching reality tv shows, I prefer to read a good novel.

[5aces]

Personal perpetual threads are easier for the individual owner,I would think.

Another story for the person reading/responding to them.

If I were to do that format,I would provide a link to a Blogging site.

Reminds me of Facebook and creating a "My CPAP Story" group.

If the thread gets no reply to an urgent inquiry,the topic owner must send out an S.O.S. in another specific title anyways.

"View your posts" or "Search user's posts" option works for me,if I'm so inclined.

Unlike the Great Pillow Exchange thread which speaks for itself...

[junie]

No matter what the topic is, when ever some one does pick a topic and post it, and there
are alot of people you belongs to this group or you see that over a hundred people checked
out your post and no one I mean no one even answers your topic, how do you thing that person
feels, they feel like they don't belong, and just think that person was asking for help or they
just wanted someone to listen, I'm a newbe here also to learn and try to help others also,

[-SWS]

Well, I think that blogging style of thread is so new here that many people don't know how to take it. I'm also not a blogger, Facebook, or Twitter style person to be honest. However, I personally think that blog-style thread was a fantastic experiment for this message board----especially if that presentation style managed to draw in adequate participation.

But the length and blogging presentation-style itself may be a problem, if it somehow doesn't gel with this in-house crowd of potential advisors (more so than passive blog readers). And I definitely agree that simply starting a new thread for important issues, as they crop up, will likely get more timely responses. So I personally think each of those observations offered above are points very well taken.

My own thoughts at this stage are based on all that great input above: if the primary objective is to document your experience as a newcomer and get to know people, then a blog-style thread should work just fine. But if the primary objective is to solicit timely help, then separate threads with clearly labeled subject titles may really be the best way to go.

[5aces]

Sorry,I couldn't resist:

[StillAnotherGuest]

My favorite threads are the ones that get totally jacked, so the content ends up with nothing to do with the title, like "BiPAP and nebulizer" progressing to "Gee, I Sure Wish I Knew What I Was Buying Before I Bought It" (AKA "You and Your STEMI").

SAG

[ChrisC]

Since I'm someone that has started a 'perpetual history' thread..

In my opinion, someone posting a perpetual history thread is giving you an easy opportunity to disregard that single thread if it bothers you. If anything, it should be encouraging that someone is willing to be involved with their own therapy. It scares me to think there are people out there who just blindly strap on a mask every night with no regard for what actually happened.

I didn't start it for a pat on the back, or to irk your ire.. I honestly just wanted a place I could post my numbers/specific personal issues and have people comment if the numbers were wacky. I thought it might be a benefit in the future for people who are just starting out, so they could follow a consolidated report on the "first week" or "first two weeks" of someone's therapy. Since you've made comments about being disinterested in data, I can appreciate why you wouldn't find a thread like that very valuable. For me, as a beginner, some of the most valuable posts I read were people's personal accounts. I read through Kenny's CPAP thread from end to end before I even got my machine.

That being said, I certainly don't intend to keep my thread going for years: I'll likely only have it for a week or two at the most until things smooth out.