Hello users of hexbear:

Due to recent meta posts in our mutual aid community we wanted to open up discussion about the community !mutual_aid@hexbear.net

We will never require explanation or justification from a user asking for aid in the community, and the mod and admin team continue to commit to not featuring an individual’s mutual aid request to prevent unfair exposure.

In addition, we will maintain a strict “No critical comments or meta comments” on a mutual aid post.

This post is to discuss the mutual aid community’s rule of allowing meta posts: mutual aid as a community, those making posts in it and those commenting on posts.

We are considering removing the exception allowing meta posts but wanted to involve the userbase before committing to a change.

Please comment with any thoughts, feelings, or suggestions regarding this change.

Thank you

  • Babs [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    38·
    20 hours ago

    An actual mutual aid network isn’t just charity, like we’d ideally be organizing so that some frequent posters would be hooked into real programs that meet their actual needs - except we’re anonymous too lol. Like it’s a mess.

    If this was how the comm worked, I know about hella resources for people experiencing homelessness in Portland, but I’ve been hesitant to reach out in these posts because it might be “meta” to offer something other than money.

    I’ve still done so and I’m down to help anyone navigate these systems, but idk if anyone has followed up on any of it.

    • ratboy [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      33·
      19 hours ago

      Same, I have worked in case management for years and am decent at finding resources and navigating them for people but that isn’t what’s being asked for and I get nervous about coming off rude or something if I throw suggestions out there.

      • StillNoLeftLeft [none/use name, she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
        25·
        19 hours ago

        Same. I also do social work and could probably assist in some way and depending on the country/system that can be very concrete stuff, but it isn’t money. I do donate here and there as well, but there are posts where I have felt like some advice could also help.

        I do this advice thing for good food banks, right to benefits etc. in my local setting elsewhere and I think it would be pretty hard to implement on an anonymous forum like this with people from all over the world. But we could try.

    • T34_69 [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
      18·
      19 hours ago

      Maybe we should implement an exception to the rule against meta posting for people who make multiple requests, indicating more of a chronic need than an acute one?