Could there be some kind of automatic response from moderators when new questions appear that are unfinished or partial? I'm talking about the ones like "my child is unhappy, what could it be?" or "daughter had allergic reaction, why?" or "baby is crying, six, blueberry muffin?".
Could the moderators privately reply with "if your child is experiencing a medical emergency, please go to a doctor or emergency room, or call 911. If you're seeking information about a non-emergency, before your question can be posted, please provide basic information such as child's age, what you have already tried, what doctors have told you. Other parents can often have great advice but only when more information is supplied. Don't post your child's name, but give other Mamapedia users enough information to actually be of help."
And then if the original poster never replies, don't publish the post. We waste a lot of time clicking on a question only to read "son jumped, what to do?" which is useless to everyone.
Many social media sites have some basic rules and moderators must approve posts from new users before the post is allowed. Can we make this site more efficient? I realize that a parent might be seriously seeking advice, or truly confused, or new to parenting, but still, just asking "baby hungry, what food?" is useless to everyone. The answers are always the same "tell us more", "what have you done to seek help", "how old is the baby", and maybe a stock answer from the moderators would be good.
At one point, I noticed that the moderator would tell someone this is not a site for medical diagnosis, etc.
Geesh, I wish there were such an option. I can't believe some people ask a question here when they should clearly be getting an opinion and/or diagnosis from a Dr. I feel bad for a lot of kids out there with parents who prefer to seek advice online vs getting them the care they need.
I understand what you're saying, but I think you just have to let it go. That sounds like an awful lot of work, and I've never gotten the impression that mamapedia had anyone who could devote enough time to do what you're suggesting.
I think you just have to develop a "whatever" mindset when you click on a question like that. If the question doesn't have enough information, just ignore it. If you happen to notice it again the next day, check to see if there's any more info. If not, move on. There's really no reason to waste a lot of time on it.
I do have to really wonder about some of those questions. What's the payoff for writing questions with almost no information. The first 10 responses are usually, "Can you please provide more information?" There are never any updates, so what is the point of even asking the question? I just don't get it.
I also remember when moderators responded to medical questions by telling them something similar to what TF/Plano said. The question was still there if someone wanted to respond. I haven't seen this for months. I would like to see this implemented again.
I'm glad you brought this up. I've been advocating this for years, not just the old "medical questions may be asked, however..." response but also for the scams ("earn $68 an hour from home..."), trolls, kids on Mom's computer, surveys, etc. I'd like to see helpful stuff to new people, like "put your location in the title" (like people looking for doctors or daycare in East Overshoe and you don't even see that until the third paragraph. Help writing the titles vs. the details would be great. So many posters start their life story in the title and it's impossible to choose by our areas of interest unless we read deep into the post. A standard response could be prepared by the moderators so they don't have to individually answer each one, and could include 2 examples of "ineffective" questions (better than "poor" questions) and their re-written improvements which will be better for the poster as well as the responders.
I've long advocated that EVERY first question (new members, at least, or first posts unless they've been a member for 6 months and have seen how things work) should go to moderators first, with an auto-notification that your first question won't be published until it's been reviewed for content and compliance. I'm a member of Freecycle, and a new member can't even post that they have a bicycle to give away until it's been reviewed.
It shouldn't be hard. But then again, there have long been tech issues on this site that baffle me.
I think the pointless questions, and the inevitable backlash by members, contributes to this site not looking useful or hospitable to new members, which contributes to our decreasing numbers and questions. Fixing this would be a win-win-win (for questioners, for responders, and for advertisers).
I'm honestly not sure how much longer this site will be around, it seems like it's faltering. I've actually become FB friends with some wonderful ladies from here, and would enjoy connecting with a few more of you that way if you're interested? Margie, E., TF, for example? I don't often look at my messages on this site but if any of you are interested message me and I will share my info so we can meet beyond MMP :-)
Hello everyone - thank you for sharing all your thoughts and suggestions about how the site can be improved. I have taken note of all your suggestions ranging from how postings should get approved, how postings should be titled, and how medical related questions should be handled. We will give your suggestions full consideration as we continue to improve and evolve the site experience for all of you. Thank you again for your contributions.
Whenever I would post a question in the past (no matter the subject), I seem to remember getting a reminder that if I had a medical question, to seek help from a doctor and that the site was not responsible for providing medical advice. I haven't posted in a while. Is that little blurb still coming up?
