In the Absence of Tara

[Sequoia]

When Tara's Nutrition Notebook started, Tara was online frequently to answer questions. In recent months, though, she's only been able to be here once a week or so.

This has had a couple of effects on the forum.

We chat among ourselves, sharing information that may not be entirely accurate and opinions that aren't necessarily applicable to other MSers' situations. I definitely include myself in this observation.

When Tara comes around, some of the threads have gotten so long since her last visit that sometimes questions buried within them go unnoticed and unanswered. (This is not Tara's fault! She's busy with her own practice as a nutritional counselor, and we're grateful for whatever time she can spare for us.)

My concern is that newcomers may be unintentionally misled by some of what they read here. I'm wondering if it's time to rethink the forum, so it helps as many people as possible and--hopefully--harms none.

[Sir-Voor]

I see nothing wrong with the current format; just like every forum everything in should be questioned. And great thing about all of MSworld forums every one posting is doing it for the right reasons.
And I have not seen anything harmful posted, also we all should know what works for some may not work or even be good for all.
For example I feel comfortable recommending trying Ampyra even though some will have bad side effects.

Tara’s input is always welcome and appreciated, but she is not and should be the only source of information for those in need.

maybe I just don't understand what kind of changes you believe would be helpful?

[Sequoia]

I see nothing wrong with the current format; just like every forum everything in should be questioned. And great thing about all of MSworld forums every one posting is doing it for the right reasons.
And I have not seen anything harmful posted, also we all should know what works for some may not work or even be good for all.
For example I feel comfortable recommending trying Ampyra even though some will have bad side effects.

Tara’s input is always welcome and appreciated, but she is not and should be the only source of information for those in need.

maybe I just don't understand what kind of changes you believe would be helpful?

"Just like every forum everything in should be questioned"..."we all should know what works for some may not work or even be good for all."

I agree, but not everyone has the same attitude. Some people are looking for someone to tell them what to do, some people have cognitive &/or fatigue issues from MS that prevent them from doing their own research and evaluating things for themselves, and so forth.

That's why I think we have to be careful not to come across as experts when we haven't had formal training in nutrition. When I first started posting on this forum, I tried to include something to the effect that "I'm not a professional" each time I gave information, but I've gotten pretty casual about that over time, and I don't feel good about that.

It's one thing to say, "Here's what X does for me." It's quite another thing to recommend that someone else do X, or to post a bunch of information about X without at least giving references.

"Tara...is not and should [not] be the only source of information for those in need." I kind of think Tara should be the only source of information (without references), since she's the only one who's really qualified to give it, or to counsel anyone about nutrition.

The rest of us need to be careful...careful as in cautious, and careful as in being full of caring for people who may read our posts and follow what appears to be advice without cross-checking what we've said with other, reputable sources.

Maybe all that's needed is some sort of disclaimer, with the other stickied threads at the top of the page, that only Tara is a qualified counselor. I don't know...I'm just concerned about all of this.

[Sequoia]

Sparky, I'm wondering if it would work for Tara to respond to the various questions she gets over a week's time in one thread, called something like "Tara Responds" with the date added, and stickied until the next week?

Maybe she could quote each question, give her response, then do another post for the next question, and so on?

It's just a thought.

As for where Supplements should go, I can see how separating it out would be a moderation nightmare! I doubt if we're going to come up with a really good solution, and personally I think leaving it where it is may be the best we can do. Oddly enough, MS boards aren't any more perfect than life itself is.

[Sir-Voor]

One little thing that will help is to have nutritiontara’s status changed from “Very Active Poster” to “Nutritionist” with a link to her homepage.
And about the same any other nutritionist or dietitian they can get to start posting.

[CocoH]

I think it's a great idea to have Tara's forum ONLY for questions directed at her & for her response. Could there be a second forum for supplements/nutrition that is for member conversing. You are right, many things on Tara's forum are things we all post to back & forth. It's always great/helpful to hear from other members who are trying different nutritional ideas. If you can separate I think it would be easier for Tara & for those waiting from a response from her. I can certainly see where it would add a lot of work for the moderators while people adjust.

[hunterd]

i can help with some dietary issues, having been diabetic for 39 years, i`ve learned a little about food and diets. and i`m willing to check the forum and awnser questions every day. just an offer, no hard feelings if you don`t take me up on it.

dave

[Twenty Miles]

I have never had a problem getting Tara's opinion along with the other posts. She seems to understand how the system works.

Some people posting here ask for specific opinions from other people for various topics.

Regarding misinformation, IMHO that is the nature of message boards and the internet in general. Rules will not stop that from happening. Sorry.

[hunterd]

Hunterd, thank you for the offer! I hope you understand that we cannot list you as an "expert", but you are welcome to share your knowledge about diabetes. side note: It's easier to take shots and adjust your diet when you know it keeps you alive, huh?!
in noway am i an expert, never took college credits, only opinions from me. thanks

dave

[Ranwah]

In my opinion that might be worth nothing to many, I think we need to split this forum, One for "Nutrition Tara" and One for "Supplements and complementary treatment". I personally learned from the patients in this forum more than from Tara, and that's likely because she is quite busy.


Ran

[Sequoia]

I personally learned from the patients in this forum more than from Tara, and that's likely because she is quite busy.

That's probably because you're relatively new to the forum, Ran. If you do an Advanced Search and type in nutritiontara, then specify posts rather than threads, you'll get everything Tara has posted since the forum began. She was very active for quite a while, and her posts were usually direct responses to questions.

You can arrange the posts in ascending or descending order (by date). You can also specify subjects that are of particular interest to you. There's been so much good information and advice from Tara; a search is well worth anyone's time.

[Twenty Miles]

In my opinion that might be worth nothing to many, I think we need to split this forum, One for "Nutrition Tara" and One for "Supplements and complementary treatment". I personally learned from the patients in this forum more than from Tara, and that's likely because she is quite busy.


Ran

I support that approach if it is necessary to have Tara only answer questions. I like all of the input from the other members.

[hunterd]

how about posting both in this forum, and in the general questions forum? and also, make this forum exclusive to be awnsered by tara.

dave

[nutritiontara]

I'm down for anything
Let me know how I can help.