BKForum Site Improvements Suggestions Box!

[mrskal]

3. Having a bkforum facebook page and account and wall as an outreach to non bkforum members to let them know about bkforum. This would have nothing to do with anyones bkforum account.

DING<DING<DING! Winner winner chicken dinner! You got it!

[Pandora]

I like the tracking idea. I went on a cruise once, and belong to a "cruising" forum and people had trackers associated with their names of what cruises they took, when they were scheduled for their upcoming cruises etc...it was pretty cool.

but was it voluntary? Again, thats the key issue. I want pick and choose whatever personal information I choose to divulge, not have it mandated. Sort of like the "location" aspect of the forum - at first there was nothing, then it was mandatory without a "private" option. Eventually Laz changed it, adding the Privacy option.

[mrskal]

@Pandora, yes you had to set it up yourelf. You could use it if you wanted, but did not have to.

[laz]

Pandora, yes voluntary!

[Peeps]

From the perspective of a newbie, I can offer the following feedback...

First, stumbling onto this site (via google search that just happened to ping a thread) was sort of like wandering into a field of manna. It is an incredible website and I think it's really well organized. It did take a bit of time to figure out the organization but admittedly I wasn't familiar with this type of information-sharing forum so I think I had a bigger learning curve than most. Thanks a million-times-over for managing it.

If opportunity arises in the future for more categories, I would vote for an "illness/disability" category since it is a big contributor to BK and if people shared their experiences in one place it would be easier to understand how benefits or health programs cross paths with BKs. It's also a harder subject to search, maybe because it's kind of a general topic. It might also be nice to break out "home modifications" because it is a topic that gets a lot of press these days. It's really hard to know how to approach mods when considering a BK. It took me a while to figure out that a lot of these existing posts are currently under "foreclosures," which isn't the most intuitive place to find 'em. Maybe just update the category "Foreclosures & Mods"? Anyway, just some thoughts. Conversely, maybe adding more categories isn't a good thing since it's also really interesting and helpful when people can post their whole situation (yeah, like THAT'S gonna fit into one topic) in totality. Hmmm... see what happens when you encourage people to think out loud? Even I don't know what I want!!

It took me a couple of weeks to figure out what the different color envelopes mean. I still haven't figured out the bars and as a newbie I can't say I find them terribly helpful. People who respond to visual cues probably love them! The number of posts and points are helpful for newbies but I think we all take them with a grain of salt, especially after seeing the breadth and variety of posts that show up on the site.

And last, this feedback category really says a lot about the site, how it is managed, and how it is poised to evolve with its users' needs. Pretty cool stuff (and somewhat uncommon!). Thanks for listening.

[tobee43]

Joe.. you crack me up!

mrskal - I understood what you meant - no worries

ETA: (cuz I just saw BTS's post)

Yes - in that context, it would be fine - voluntary is the key word. I was merely saying that for myself personally, even though I am on here, love the forum and all its wonderful information - I still would not "like it" on Facebook. Its a preference thing

i'll second the "voluntary".....also we aren't a facebook type of family here...never been there or done that...and i would also not like it on facebook, but i would still agree it's a preference thing...as pandora points out.

[Flamingo]

I like the tracking idea. I went on a cruise once, and belong to a "cruising" forum and people had trackers associated with their names of what cruises they took, when they were scheduled for their upcoming cruises etc...it was pretty cool.

Most people come to forums like this not wanting to divulge any personal information at all and stay as anonymous as possible. Anything that "requires" them to submit information about themselves over and above what is already on here is going to keep people from joining. In fact, most people would lurk if at all possible. I myself lurked for years before joining. Listing dates of filing, etc. should not be a requirement but volunteered so no one feels that have to submit information that could identify them in any way. If someone posts the state in which they reside and filing dates, it's easy to track someone down via public information.

Providing a safe and anonymous forum would be a plus to most people knowing that if they join, they cannot be identified unless they themselves wish to do that. Nor should they be required to list any information as to their situation or BK that could identify them. That should be optional. Most information as to BK filings can be found anywhere on the internet; what makes this forum fantastic is all the experience and knowledge that is in here and to which others can contribute.

Most people can probably state that there were times where they went to join something on the internet and changed their minds when certain mandatory questions were asked before they could join. I think the more this forum stresses anonyminity to prospective members more people may feel comfortable joining and talking about their situations, etc.

[tobee43]

Most people can probably state that there were times where they went to join something on the internet and changed their minds when certain mandatory questions were asked before they could join. I think the more this forum stresses anonyminity to prospective members more people may feel comfortable joining and talking about their situations, etc.

that is so true. i lurked here at least a year myself before taking the "dive"... and while i didn't feel that much info was required, it still was a bit scary.

now, however, i feel fine and very comfortable at this site...i'm really not worried about the boogie man coming to get me!! LOL!!!