Sometimes we make mistakes

14 Recommendations

Two months ago, when we launched Inspire 2.0, we added a group called 'Team Inspire'. We did this with the best intentions: we wanted the group to be a space for new members to get oriented, ask questions and make friends.

But we made a mistake about the way we introduced the group. We automatically subscribed everyone to it. This meant that you began to receive regular e-mail with updates from Team Inspire, and that resulted in a lot of confusion. Some of you told us that this extra group was distracting, and some of you said that it made the site feel less personal, because you wanted to focus on one particular subject. Some of you were angry. You told us that you that you didn't appreciate being signed up for something you didn't ask for.

And that was our mistake. Our guiding principle is to let you decide what you want to do, and how you want to participate. We should not have automatically included you in something you didn't necessarily want to receive. We always try to use our best judgment, and this time we got it wrong.

So, based on your feedback, we've unsubscribed you from the Team Inspire group if you're a member of one of our partner sponsored groups. Everything else remains the same. If you posted previously in Team Inspire, we kept you in the group so that you can follow up on your posts without hassle. If you ever wish to re-join the Team Inspire group, or if you're still a member of the group and wish to leave it, you can click here to change your membership. We're also going to give the group a new name in the future, to make its purpose clearer.

You may have noticed another change we made earlier this week. We expanded the e-mail activity summary messages that help you keep up with the conversations in your groups. We removed the limit on the number of items that appear in the message, and expanded the message to include all posts with new replies. Your activity summary message will now give you a complete picture of the activity in your groups, just like it used to. We made this change based on your feedback, and we think you'll like the new activity summary.

We strive to continuously improve this site for you, and to be supportive in every way. Please keep telling us what's important to you. Most of the ideas for improving this site come from you.

Thank you,
Brian

35 replies

Thank you for trying. I had friends on both sites, but really only want the Ovarian Cancer site. It will be easier to follow along with the discussions I participate in.

Thank you.

Judy C

Brian, Thanks for all your hard work and the hard work of your team members who put this website together and just keep improving it.

I was trying to dicepher all that you said you were adding here and taking away. One thing that I wanted more clarifaction on is, when we get a message in our inbox that someone has replied to one of our posts, is it going to now say, which post the reply was made to. It's really hard to go hunting through previous posts looking for the post to which a reply was made. I don't know if that was included in your message or not.

hen

"Cuiusvis hominis est errare; nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare."

—TeeG

brian thanks for all the work you do.
i agree with lil red hen, if their was a note in our mailbox's as to when someone replys to our posts that would be very helpful. we had that service before, didn't we?

TeeG:

Please transcribe your message for I'd love to know what you said...

Thanks,
chris

Brian,
I appreciate this community; it has given me a chance to connect with other encephalitis survivors. I want to thank you for providing such a place!

Pamela

Cs147, TeeG quote means.
Any man can make a mistake; only a fool keeps making the same one.

I really aprreciate having this place to come to. Thank you so much for everything.

Whispper

Hi Brian and team,

I only began using this site when it switched to this very professional, responsive and intuitive format. Love getting the email notices when someone replies,etc. A lot like eHarmony. Thanks for taking the time to separate groups but I barely noticed, certainly never found in irritating. I wasn't even aware of those other support groups before.

Kudos. Well done everyone!
Grateful Jaynie

Brian, thanks for all of the updates. I know some people don't want to be notified but I do. There are some changes I'd like for our group (encephalitis) and I've already written and have been in contact so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Inspire has done so much for those of us with rare diseaes. There is nothing more special than knowing you are NOT alone. Thank you all for your hard work on our behalf.
Ingrid/NYS
HSE 12/95 (I was 45 years old)

"Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." -- Ozzy Osbourne

Hi Brian -- I am so grateful for this site. Thank you! And... I kind of liked realizing for a time that there were so many other groups out there. Had no idea! Thank you for continuing to improve things. It's never possible to get it 100% right the first time....So thanks!

Brian ad Inspire team;
As always, we appreciate the hard work you and the team do for us day after day at Inspire.

Best regards,

Alan & NCCC members

National Cervical Cancer Coalition
National HPV Cancer Coalition
www.nccc-online.org WEB PAGE

Thanks for your continued hard work! Sharon

Like many others have already said so well, THANK YOU for the important work you are doing. I am a "whole picture" kind of person, so I thought of Team Inspire as kind of a home base. I have learned a lot from poking through the various groups. With all the different conditions and needs, I see a thread running through... a need for connections, understanding, information, and support. We are all in this life together. So thank you for being on the front line.

I am amazed at the many conditions (and acronyms) that I have never heard of. Is there any way of having some kind of index of terms and acronyms? This may be way beyond reason. It would even be helpful if folks would spell out their condition(s) (with acronym in parentheses) the first time they state it.

You are performing a much needed service! Marie

Thank you so much for all the hard work and dedication you have given this site. I have found it very useful and cannot imagine not having it. I am a part of the "preemie community". There is not much to offer us preemie parents.

Thanks again!!!!
Dawn

Nice work Brian. Thank you. Love the expanded email format.

Phil C
LCA

I can't tell you how much these websites have done for me. As I age, I have more friends with conditions I've never encountered. Not only do the websites help me with my fight against ovarian cancer, they give me a starting point for understanding my friends' needs. Equally important, they also gives me people who understand me and know exactly where I'm coming from and provide support I can get no where else.

Thanks again for all you do.

I appreciated the new format and found friends with it that I would not have known existed. I notice that I will continue to receive both as you said in your letter since I had contributed outside my area.

Remember that you usually hear from the dissatisfied more than the contented. Like Abe Lincoln, you can't please all the people all the time. You do a good job and I am happy to be a part of this site.

Thank you. Balihigh

my son have this disease sar.COID.YOUR websit really help me in so many way so whatever u design this site I still love u for doing this .It help me to understand what going on .and most of all knowing that I am not along.My son went for another mri today but I am just so blessed to have him here with me .So please kept the good work up THANK U SO MUCH

Brian, I am so sorry you are getting negative feedback. You help me keep my sanity. I have sarcoidosis and nobody understands but people going through it. You cannot believe how much this site helps. I live in a small town and my doctors are 8 hours away and this site is a godsend. Thank you so much. Lori

Change is never easy for people. That doesn't mean it isn't good! It awakens the sleeping soul to realize there are many who suffer a multitude of issues, not just lung cancer. God Bless you for all you do for us. Jolene

Sorry, this journal entry is closed to replies.

Search

Find information and discussion about health topics in 306,850 posts by members like yourself. Learn more...

Join

Join safe, secure groups sponsored by trusted organizations that care about your health. Learn more...

Connect

Connect with 80,886 members and make friends who share your interests, learn about conditions and treatments, find support and more. Learn more...

You