The Group Chat is a wonderful service. Like minds meet, and like minds talk about the matter in hand. And much more than that; we develop relationships, we share experiences, we not only only want to help ourselves, but help others.
These sessions last an hour and I've noticed that the evening sessions are busier than the afternoons, probably because of our relative availability.
Both sessions are 1hr long. For the afternoon, that seems about right; there are normally about half a dozen or so of us attending, so everyone gets a shout.
But in the evenings, there could be a dozen or more. That means that the space is shared between more of us, and perhaps some of us, especially the quieter ones or newbies don't get so much of a look in.
So I'm wondering if the evening sessions could be extended as a matter of course, say, for two hours, from 7-9pm perhaps, or 8-10pm. The true cost of this to Gamcare is surely negligible. It's another hour of bandwidth (free) and an extra hour resource.
I fully appreciate taking a resource to moderate, for that extra hour, takes that resource off of the live chat. And someone might desperately need that extra resource during that extra hour, so I'm making the assumption that Gamcare could manage this to ensure the front line doesn't go short.
So how about it Gamcare? A two-hour Group Chat. None of us will feel we have to rush, there's 2 hours to really get down to brass tacks; for all of us to have plenty of time to talk things through without watching the clock. Because that hour goes by so quickly - two would probably be SO welcomed.
Thank you, all moderators out there, for the fantastic job you do.
Hi RochG
Thank you for the lovely feedback about the group chatroom. It's good to hear that you find it so helpful! Regarding the evening session, we can and do extend the time if it's busy and we have the resources to do that. We take on board that you'd like this to be extended more formally and we'll pass that suggestion on.
Hope you keep finding it useful to use the chat room and your diary. I don't know if you've noticed that there's also a group chatroom for friends and family on Mondays at 11.30am so feel free to pass on the details to anyone you think might benefit.
Best wishes,
Deirdre
Forum Admin
Hey I'm new here and just want to say how much I appreciated the chat room last night I was really struggling and it made such a difference to talk to people who I actually got what I was talking about.
I agree with RochG 100% an hour goes so quickly and I really don't think it's long enough.
It would be great if it could be extended ....
Or if a whatsapp group could be set up that would be great.....so there's people there all the time and if you feel the need to speak to people your able to too.
Everyone on the chat group made me feel very welcome .
Group chat is regulated. WhatsApp isn’t.
Hi Ria,
I am glad you found chat supportive, that is great to hear.
It is important that people feel safe and secure when talking about their gambling and all that can come along with that. I just wanted to let you know that we have advisers available 24/7 if you ever want to talk outside of chat hours. You can do this by calling the Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or you could use our Livechat option. Of course, you are also welcome to use the forum any time as well.
Take care,
Rebecca
Forum Admin
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
