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> But what if this other person is really cool? That's the "best-case scenario" I was talking about. Still not great. > And perhaps they are being rated by ot

> But what if this other person is really cool? That's the "best-case scenario" I was talking about. Still not great. > And perhaps they are being rated by other users, so you'd know in advance? Whaaaaaaaaat hell no kill that idea with fire. First off that implies that users are being paired up with many other users, not one-to-one (otherwise there's no way for a user to build up 'ratings') which makes it sound more like a subject-specific message board than a "pen-pal" service. More importantly, wtf? rating individual users? On a service whose purpose is for people to empathetically "be there" for one another? Seriously? "Bob's really lonely and hurting, but he's also kind of dull. One star." No. No no no no no.

amelius 9y ago
Ok, I changed my wording a bit. What I meant is that the other person (the penpal) could be paid by the company. As such, I don't think it is bad if they are being rated.
- outsidetheparty 9y ago
  That's even worse. I guess it solves the "Peeple" rating problem, but at the price of making the whole service transparently artificial. ("It's an internet friend you have to pay for! Also they're not really your friend, they're just paid to pretend they are!")
- schoen 9y ago
  In this case I think you are effectively offering something like psychotherapy/counseling/coaching/advising. It's not necessarily bad if some these things are provided by people without certain kinds of training, although there are some serious and complex problems that really are best handled by a professional. I have three thoughts about this: * You should think carefully about your marketing about the nature of the service that you offer (as you can see that some people were really rubbed the wrong way by the original description). * Similarly, you should be sure to be clear about the scope and nature of the relationship. * You should consider the issue of things that "escalate quickly", e.g. customers who behave inappropriately toward your staff, or customers who threaten to harm themselves or other people, or who seem to be in need of more extensive professional help. You might think this is unlikely if your service isn't marketed as psychological counseling, but all of these things are going to come up eventually! Overall, I think it's pretty useful and valuable to have more places and options that people can turn to for conversation, interaction, and advice. I agree that it's really tough that so many people feel isolated and don't know where to turn for connection or how to talk about their experiences. (Edit: People in this thread seem really upset about describing the other person in this interaction as a "friend". And indeed, if I pay someone to interact with me for various purposes, I wouldn't describe that relationship as "friendship". It is a professional relationship, not a friendship. But it doesn't mean that the relationship isn't beneficial. There are all different kinds of relationships that involve payment that can be enormously beneficial. Maybe you can even develop some new ones!) (Edit 2: It doesn't have to be presented and marketed as something like psychotherapy. It can still just be corresponding about one's situation. But the parameters should still be as clear as possible.)
  - earlyriser 9y ago
    Thanks for your comments. I was an Educational Psychologist at some point. This wouldn't fall under the umbrella of traditional therapy, but it will be certainly a professional relationship that will need some clear framework (ethical and operational). And I agree also with you in how beneficial is to have multiple choices for interaction and advice. I was delighted when I read philosophical counseling is a thing.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]

amelius 9y ago

Ok, I changed my wording a bit. What I meant is that the other person (the penpal) could be paid by the company. As such, I don't think it is bad if they are being rated.

outsidetheparty 9y ago
That's even worse. I guess it solves the "Peeple" rating problem, but at the price of making the whole service transparently artificial. ("It's an internet friend you have to pay for! Also they're not really your friend, they're just paid to pretend they are!")
schoen 9y ago
In this case I think you are effectively offering something like psychotherapy/counseling/coaching/advising. It's not necessarily bad if some these things are provided by people without certain kinds of training, although there are some serious and complex problems that really are best handled by a professional. I have three thoughts about this: * You should think carefully about your marketing about the nature of the service that you offer (as you can see that some people were really rubbed the wrong way by the original description). * Similarly, you should be sure to be clear about the scope and nature of the relationship. * You should consider the issue of things that "escalate quickly", e.g. customers who behave inappropriately toward your staff, or customers who threaten to harm themselves or other people, or who seem to be in need of more extensive professional help. You might think this is unlikely if your service isn't marketed as psychological counseling, but all of these things are going to come up eventually! Overall, I think it's pretty useful and valuable to have more places and options that people can turn to for conversation, interaction, and advice. I agree that it's really tough that so many people feel isolated and don't know where to turn for connection or how to talk about their experiences. (Edit: People in this thread seem really upset about describing the other person in this interaction as a "friend". And indeed, if I pay someone to interact with me for various purposes, I wouldn't describe that relationship as "friendship". It is a professional relationship, not a friendship. But it doesn't mean that the relationship isn't beneficial. There are all different kinds of relationships that involve payment that can be enormously beneficial. Maybe you can even develop some new ones!) (Edit 2: It doesn't have to be presented and marketed as something like psychotherapy. It can still just be corresponding about one's situation. But the parameters should still be as clear as possible.)
- earlyriser 9y ago
  Thanks for your comments. I was an Educational Psychologist at some point. This wouldn't fall under the umbrella of traditional therapy, but it will be certainly a professional relationship that will need some clear framework (ethical and operational). And I agree also with you in how beneficial is to have multiple choices for interaction and advice. I was delighted when I read philosophical counseling is a thing.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]