Hi All,
We just wanted to hop in at this point to acknowledge this conversation.
Thanks to everyone for sharing your ideas. We very much welcome constructive feedback about how we may be able to improve things at Cancer Connections, and are glad you’ve felt comfortable to talk about that here.
The idea of having an online chat facility available 24 hours per day is one that has come up from time to time, and this is a good opportunity for the team to revisit this.
Alongside the benefits, some potential issues to consider include how we manage “spam” and other unhelpful interactions and visitors, as well as how to appropriately care for those vulnerable people who have specific support needs. On this basis it’s something we can’t provide an immediate answer to. However we acknowledge your interest and will come back to the community with our thoughts within the next few weeks. If you would like to contribute to this process please contact us at admin@cancerconnections.com.au.
It’s also worth mentioning that live chat is a tool that is used in our online groups (see the “Groups” tab above for a list of the current groups available). Some groups use this regularly (e.g. our Advanced Cancer group), others are in the process of starting this up (e.g. our Gynaecological Cancer group).
Our online groups are dynamic –we are always in the process of looking at areas of need - and where possible developing new groups in response.
New groups to watch out for in coming months include:
Malignant brain tumours
Younger adult ‘survivors’
Younger adult bereavement
In relation to the provision of support via Facebook and other similar sites, these can be a valuable tool in connecting with others. It’s also worthwhile considering however that these sites are first and foremost commercial enterprises. Any content and information you provide can be and is used for market research and targeted advertising. Considering the potential impact on your privacy is crucial when considering using these types of media service. It remains a matter of personal choice as to whether they should be used or not but being aware of the risks should always play a part in your decision.
Thanks again for this conversation - let’s keep talking and sharing ideas!
Warm Regards,
Kate and Felix
Cancer Connections Admin Team