Mentor Teleconference - April 2018

Hi Gary (@gman007), I like Google Docs but I'm not a big time user of it. Actually just started using it here for the Connect Spotlight project which it works great to share docs. It sometimes confuses me because it keeps everything when you make any changes and I'm one of those make a change and that's my new doc don't want multiple revisions hanging around. Maybe it's because I'm old and as much as I try to embrace change there is a part of me that says why ☺ Good thing old dogs can sometimes learn new tricks!

@rosemarya I think keeping track of members in groups is a great thing to do and your example of the feedback you have received is a pretty awesome example of promoting Connect within the community and making everyone really feel welcome. To be honest I have been a little afraid to try it due to the size of the neuropathy group and the fear of starting something I may not be able to finish. It is also a good example of how organized you are. Someday I might post a picture of my work space at home - small spare bedroom where I know where everything is in the room but it takes me days to find it. My motto at IBM was every time I changed offices I evaluated everything in my desk and office...if I had not picked it up within the last year it went into the trash and did not make the trip to the new office. Humm...maybe I could move my office to the other spare bedroom. ☺
John

What are your thoughts?
- Have you had one of those days, where you see a new member has posted in a discussion forum or a discussion group that is way beyond your experience? (or instance I can talk transplant, but I don't know how to talk heart disease) - Secretly hope someone else sees it? Make a welcoming statement and wish them well? Tag members or mentors or moderators?

-How do you respond when you are tagged to a discussion that you are not experienced with: Ignore it? Respond in a kindly manner so the new member knows he/she is worth being acknowledged?

-Do you have thoughts on whether to 1) Provide the link to the relevant discussion, and invite them to check it out? or-Do you go to that discussion thread and invite them there by using their @name?

Rosemary

@johnbishop, John, Let me get this straight: I am a wanna be! I start one list, then try another, and yet another. Always hoping to find the perfect fit for me (like I try on shoes). I appreciate your honesty - maybe you have the most realistic approach, but I'll keep on searching, anyway;-)
My sewing room sounds like your office! Most recent unfinished project is top layer.
Rosemary

Colleen,
I don't know if I'll join the teleconference. I've not been feeling well and have been pretty much inactive in the group for a week or two. I found out last week that my doctor won't prescribe my morphine sulfate contin at any higher dosage than I have now. I only have been taking a low dose, and it's clearly not enough. I'm not sure where I'm going to turn. Right now, I don't know what my involvement with Connect is going to be. Sorry I can't be more specific. Life is just too up in the air.
Jim Dickinson

@johnbishop Everytime I welcome a new person to the community I wing it. I have read many Welcomes from other Moderators or Mentors. I always feel inadequate about it. I would love to have a Member Directory that I can refer to, also having a directory of which threads or areas each of us is following. Good ideas!

@rosemarya I love the way you are keeping track of your contacts in your groups. I will be interested to learn more about how you're technique. I'm off tonight for vacation, but I will be on the conference call. GailB

@gailb, We will talk when you get back. We can share and learn from each other.
Safe Travels:-) And enjoy the island paradise!!! Rosemary

@johnbishop, I am developing a real liking for Notepad:-) Thank you for the encouraging comments you have shared.
I wanted to reply to a post with a paraphrasing of information that I had located. So - I wrote the statement on Notebook, and then copied to the reply space. This saved me the frustration of losing my work-in-progress as I am apt to do. I've learned a new tool!
Rosemary

@jimhd, I am sorry to hear that you have not been feeling well. Your health is a priority. Sometimes, we all need to step back, and just get away from activities and responsibilities for a while. For myself even on a good day, writing a reply can become emotionally and physically exhausting. But when compounded by uncertainty and struggles over personal issues it can easily become too much. Jim, you are a special person in this mentor group, and even in your silence, we feel your presence. You are part of a group who cares because we all have conditions that limit our availability at times. We understand and we care.
Peace and Prayers.
Rosemary