MODERATOR ATTENTION: How to get help when you need it

Post Reply New Topic

Emoticons for me are taking a while to load. When I press them in the "post a reply" window, it is as though my button press hasn't been registered for a while. Clicking on them again doesn't help.

That, and the function of clicking a spoiler tag to reveal its content isn't working at all for me. Not even if the page has fully loaded.

Is it only me who was getting the host error page for about the last 16 hours

"host error page"?
Would that be a CloudFlare error page?

No problems here, so far.

Yeah that's what it was. It's the one that says it's the error with the host server or something

I was sending a post in response to DHB and that's when it happened and I couldn't get back on all day until now...about an hour or so ago

That sounds more like a temporary problem with the CloudFlare node that happened to be used automatically during your session - these get allocated outside of WP.

I've seen those errors before, but not for several weeks now.
They're usually a brief one- or two-off error message; this one sounds like it was an unusually long CloudFlare issue.

But it seems to have been resolved now, so there's just the irritating page element loading delays to enjoy...

Yeah I just want it to speed up man

Yeah I had to sign up to the other side to see if anyone I knew was there

Sigh.

This is probably another one of those things where there is nothing that can be done.

Is reporting it to their IP a way to give their local authorities a chance to find and help?

And I believe some WP folk are professional psychologists/therapist/counselors. Maybe they can help

This is always a tricky situation; the mechanisms involved and potential issues caused are rarely thought through.
Not that there's anything wrong with wanting to help, of course not - but anonymity is often very valuable to someone and not something that should be stepped on.

Supposing you were anonymously sharing something upsetting and very personal on WP but unknown to you, your ISP had been contacted with the intention of either asking them to somehow step in and help, or asked to provide your street address.

It's unlikely any ISP would want to step into the legal minefield of contacting someone (who exactly - International Rescue?) to turn up at the member's home and... bang on the door demanding to be let in to help? Explain to shocked parents about trauma they had no idea was occurring under their roof?
And who would fund such an enterprise, even if it could be enacted?
Who would be responsible if such an intervention backfired badly and made an upsetting situation even worse - suicidal, perhaps?

It's even more unlikely an ISP would hand over confidential account information to some stranger on the Internet on the premise that they want to help or organize help to a customer of theirs - but even if they did, then what? It seems we're at the same "bang on the door"/costing scenario as above.

Asking a WP member who may well be a professional psychologist/therapist/counselor is also fraught with issues.
Professionally and ethically they can't be expected to step in and somehow convince a member to make use of their services over an Internet forum interface. If they wish to help personally it has to be a decision they make alone, like any other member responding to a thread and likewise, it's up to the intended recipient of the help whether they want to accept any of it.

WP is a membership-driven social support site which does not, and in its current form can not, provide any form of professional services.

Members seeking help should be directed to local professional services which might be of use, if they're happy to provide location information - but if not, only general advice or pointers can be provided.

Well put, CF.

There have been times in my life where police intervention or the involvement of social services would have put my life at risk by other people.

Every situation is different but it seems we’re doing the best we can by directing people to safe spaces, and giving them an anonymous place to land.

I feel better for asking even though I already knew no good answer is possible. Thanks.

viewtopic.php?t=422893#p9578894

Sounds harmless. No mention of having been "blessed" however.

Thanks - actually, I was in the process of approving it.

The OP of  THIS THREAD  has not even logged back on to this website for over two weeks.

Maybe "Post-and-Run" trollery?  Maybe a threadlock is in order?