my list for other websites is all the mentioned For the most part everyone has pretty much hit on my general ideal mental health website.

Speaking just on this website I think it offers so much more then other site. The people running the site are doing a great job. I may not always like when posts I feel are important get removed but I understand their reasons (and if not I find out why) and then I actively change my posting style my future posts dont get removed. Then I move on because I know they are doing a job.

I don't think setting the site up so that people have to "stiffle" their personal views on any subject. If we do that one we are perpetrating what so many of us dealt with as children - keep your mouth shut unless you argee with me and then I dont want to hear it anyway type situations. I come to on line groups for many reasons one being that I am able to express myself. I shouldnt have to go back to victim mode of keeping my mouth shut on my feelings and personal views just because someone isn't ready or does not want to hear what I have to say. Just because one or two people arent interested, want to hear or take part in that conversation does not mean others do not.. This website offers what some websites do not and that is the ignore/threaded features so that if I know the types of posts or the person that upsets me I can turn on those features and move on with my day. by not using those features when offered by choice I am choosing to be subjected to that person and their personal views and therefore it is not the persons or personal views that are keeping me in a miserable state of chaos.

With this in mind I do think we need a complete area for "tips and topics" for keeping yourself safe on line. At one point I have suggesting pinning such a thread to each forum board but sometimes people don't notice the pinned threads until they are looking for that specific information. Maybe having it as a complete separate area wher its prominently displayed and will be used.

Some safety things I use could help others like

I always remember not to take anything someone says personnally. there are thousands of people on one webiste so a persons post can be directed at me or not. When I do notice something that "hits home" I don't allow that to bait me into a fight which would get me banned. I either take (by writing it down here in my notebook and figure out why it hit home or upset me) or I leave it by NOT responding to that bait and posting what I can offer.

When someone is upset by my posts I appologize and find out why, then I take care of it by changing posting stlye if I can.

I keep in mid that appologys don't always work because people may not allow themselfs to accept them and move on. I can't make them accept my appology so I move on with my day knowing I did the resposible thing by owning up to my actions and taking care of them if possible.

I keep in mind that sometimes its the other persons problem not mine and sometimes changing my actions is not possible for example when I recieve conflicting feedback as to what the problem is - for example people saying publically there is a problem and then privately saying what I post and offer is ok. I know I can't please those types so I do what I can - I by pass the complaint since they can't decide which way they want it and continuing as I am for those that are ready, willing and want what I can offer and allow the ones with the complaint to take care of the problem within themselves be it by using the ignore/threaded feature or contacting those running the site.

I love the idea of having professionals offering diverse points of view. I love adding new things to my life and therapy. When someone tells me they have or know of professionals with different views from mine I ask for info - book, contact and so on so that I can try to add that to my life and therapy. But for alot of reasons people don't back up their offer of different views with disclosing the professional or book. This is one of the reasons I posted the type of resourse list I did without narrowing it down to just my preferences in the Dissociative forum - so that those who are knowledge curious llike mecan read all kinds of views on a variety of subjects.