Who is this forum for?

This might sound like an odd question, but I was just wondering, who is this forurm for and is there more we can do to make this forum more welcoming for rabbit owners in general?

It's called Rabbits United, but it feels very much divided. There is a perception that breeders of rabbits are not welcome here or that anyone giving advice contrary to the forum's established wisdom will be jumped on or beaten down. I appreciate that this is very much a pro rescue site, and that most rescues have had bad experience of people buying from petshops and breeders and so are very much against any other way of getting a rabbit than the adoption route and I'm personally not disagreeing with that ethos.

But, we are all rabbit owners, we all want to have happy, healthy bunnies and I firmly believe that you need to be visible and accessible in order to influence peoples' minds and the same goes for the RWAF. So my concern is, are we driving away the people we seek to influence the most? Are we also so unwelcoming that people, who may have very pertinent knowledge that could help a particular situation, are reluctant to post?

It is a feeling that I've had for some time, but the recent posts yesterday and today have really brought it to the forefront of my mind.

I'm also a member of Safaritalk. The majority of the people who post on there are regular travellers to africa who have a love and respect for the wildlife, However, the fourm is not an animal rights website nor is it a pro hunting website. It encourages balanced informed and respectful discussion and debate which may surround such issues, where every member may have a right to voice his/her opinion, and such views are respected and listened to.

This is clearly stated in the forum rules and is enforced through moderation. I personally wonder if the same ethos could be applied to RU? Something in the forum rules outlining the purpose of RU and it's ethos might be worthwhile?

I'm opening with this post in the hopes of stimulating a constructive debate about how we can make this forum better.

All the best

Jo

I always think that you need to remember the slogan under the rabbits united logo

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=45918&highlight=moderator

this has the aims in it.

Thanks Vee-jay I missed that, I read the forum rules and didn't see that. It's pretty clear then.

Hugo's There said:

I always think that you need to remember the slogan under the rabbits united logo

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I very much agree..

The forum is open to breeders and rescue people alike, and I for one would never buy off a breeder. There are lots of people who tar all breeders with the same brush however and things can get heated.

I think it's probably very tough for rescue owners to welcome breeders with open arms as some of the time it is the rescues who have to pick up the pieces caused by breeders.

There seem to be some people on here who post things which they probably wouldn't have the balls to in real life and who can cause arguments or inflame already heated debates.

Good luck!! :lol:

I think sometimes, (And I am not pointing the finger at anyone) A new owner can be frightened off by well meaning advice

Its really hard to get your point across without sounding abrupt.

I am going to just go and say it: When I first joined I was petrified of posting because sometimes advice given seemed like a telling off!

Now I am a very thick skinned confident lass, so if I felt like that I would hate to think some people would be to scared to post

It is for anyone who cares about rabbits, and anyone who states their opinions in a calm, polite manner will be listened to Often people are slated because there are rude or state their opinion in an aggressive way

louise and Gus said:

It is for anyone who cares about rabbits, and anyone who states their opinions in a calm, polite manner will be listened to Often people are slated because there are rude or state their opinion in an aggressive way

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Yeah I think you are right! I think it's hard to get it right, you know give advice, and sound friendly on a forum :?

i think that sometimes people post without thinking....for istance there was a certain post recently that i felt alot of the people who replyed were really mean and almost bullying the poor person...it is possible to give your oppionions without being so horrible to a person. they are more likely to listen..thats the only thing i think we could all inprove on.

Agreed. Especially when you are trying to get your point across because it is perceived as urgent (thinking of the "get your rabbit to the vet" type threads). The trouble with written comments is it can be read many different ways and can seem to come off as aggressive, partonising or condescending if read wrong even when the meaning isn't there.

kk_kayla said:

i think that sometimes people post without thinking....for istance there was a certain post recently that i felt alot of the people who replyed were really mean and almost bullying the poor person...it is possible to give your oppionions without being so horrible to a person. they are more likely to listen..thats the only thing i think we could all approve on.

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Hmm I agree. it's hard in the old text format though! Thank god for smilies :lol:

i dunno, have seen a couple of debates and stuff like that. and once or twice i have not put my views across very well and have realised that i have come across like an idiot, even though at times it was just me trying to provide a balanced view
yesterday, it looked like i was "Pouncing" on someone as it were, even though that wasn't my intention and things got out of hand.

but i think that in most cases, it isn't because people are trying to be mean, maybe just don't put what they are trying to say across very well. i know that i in myself, could never deliberately be mean to somebody and most people who know me would attest to the fact that i am always trying to help people.

so knowing that in cases i have come across in a way i intended to, maybe that is the same for other instances where it has seemed like people were pouncing or ganging up on people? maybe they didn't mean to at all, things just came out wrong?
(but then, i don't know, am still fairly new to the forum)


i know that even though snowball was a pet shop bunny and was actually, pretty much an impulse buy (researched, but only for a week or 2) i was made to feel very welcome on the forum and people have helped me with my numerous silly questions, without making me feel like i was doing something wrong, even if i have made a mistake

Kittykat23uk said:

Agreed. Especially when you are trying to get your point across because it is perceived as urgent (thinking of the "get your rabbit to the vet" type threads). The trouble with written comments is it can be read many different ways and can seem to come off as aggressive, partonising or condescending if read wrong even when the meaning isn't there.

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I know! I am guilty of sounding rude, so have had to follow up with a PM from time to time

That's great to hear Snowball. I was also made to feel welcome on here when I first joined and generally, I do find the forum to be a very supportive place (mostly!).

I write my posts, read it about 100 times, delete it, write it again.... If I have ever come across as rude my sincere appolgies.

When it comes down to it this forum can really put together, I am very grateful for the kind words and advice I was given earlier today on my thread.

Shellypops said:

I know! I am guilty of sounding rude, so have had to follow up with a PM from time to time

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it depends on how the person reads it i think lol...sometime you might say...for example..

"you need to know what you doing before breeding rabbits"

they will take it as....

"you dont know what the hell your doing...blah blah"

whereas some people read it like.....

"sweety please think about breeding before doing it"

if you get what i mean lol :lol:

I agree with you :wave:
I love this forum, its like a little family we all laugh, argue, go through tough times together
BUT more and more recently Im noticing that new members asking for advise are getting spoken to abruptly, with rolling eyes etc We were all new bunny owners at one point and Im sure we ALL made mistakes at first, every single one of us. Some people need to remember that and just try and HELP new bunny owners and offer friendly advise. Rudeness will just chase them away which doesnt help their buns atall.
Oh and some people need to stop making arguments out of everything!

im really embarrassed to have even replied on this thread.
purely because i know that one of the threads a lot of people are referring to was a thread that i was commenting on.

most people will tell you though i AM actually a nice person.
and even though i didn't come across well in that thread, i never mean to be rude or aggressive to people. i just don't articulate very well.

sometimes even re-reading your posts doesn't work, because you know what you mean to say and think it comes across ok, but other people don't know what you are trying to say so it comes out as rude

Amy104 said:

I write my posts, read it about 100 times, delete it, write it again.... If I have ever come across as rude my sincere appolgies.

When it comes down to it this forum can really put together, I am very grateful for the kind words and advice I was given earlier today on my thread.

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This, most of the time.

Re the bolded text, this is why i love RU...most of the time