FAQ

Q: I’m wondering whether to sign up for both programs (to do my work every week) or not. Thinking thinking thinking. Yes I do like the structure of doing the processes and am just wondering about my energy levels to keep it up for the duration.

A: What I’ve observed is:

People who used to get voted off the island all the time when I only offered the “every week” format, do very well on the alternate-week format. They actually post consistently for a full week when they know they have the next week off.

People who (on the old format) routinely posted seven days a week and occasionally even did two processes in one day — they don’t like the alternate week format.

• They feel like their energy is being interrupted on the “off” weeks
• Especially if they’re getting some breakthroughs on a Wednesday or a Thursday, then suddenly things close down on Friday — it feels like the rug gets pulled out from under them.
• If they have a few crazy days where they take a shortcut and do a quick list of appreciations, they feel like they lost value when the week is suddenly over and they didn’t get many ‘meaty’ processes done. (Because crazy days don’t always politely wait until the “off” week!)
• When doing it every week, if you have a week when you just want to take a break — you can do it, knowing you’ll be able to get right back to posting on the coming week. But if you’re on the alternate week program and just ‘have to’ walk away from the computer on a ‘posting’ week, then it can be two weeks before you can get back on again (depending on when in the week you threw in the towel). That can be a long time. 🙂

Q: It looks like you have these scheduled to start on a Sat. Will we be posting just the weekdays or all 7 days?

A: Yes, we’re starting on a Saturday. It works well for new participants because most people have a little breathing room on the weekend to explore how to format their post and use the processes. When someone is on alternate weeks, it helps to have the weekend to get back in gear.

It’s a seven-day week. There is one day of grace allowed.

However, there are some people who do not post on weekends. By starting our week on Saturday, they can wait and log in starting on Monday then post for five days.

Q: Are both groups actually at 7:00 am? 🙁 I was hoping to join, but that’s too early for me.

A: There is no set time. The groups are online anytime. You just need to log in sometime each day and post.

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Q: I am new to posting things on a forum.

A: You’re not the only one who’s new. I’ll tell you up front, there will be a learning curve. If there are enough people to do so in advance of the start date, we’ll assign groups early and begin pre-posting lists of appreciations. That way you can see the format in advance and start to get familiar with how to use the discussion board

Q: As you know, I’m a bit slow with computer stuff, but I’m sure I’ll figure this out as I go. I may ask for tech support from you as time gets closer for all of this.

A: Please do ask for tech support. In response, I will create posts to help others who may have the same challenges.

Q: I want to tell friends about this but I don’t want to fret about them reading my personal work.

A: I want you to feel very safe here. I will make sure that you are in different groups from the people you don’t want to share process work with. Just drop me a line as early as possible to let me know.

If you’re using an alias, please keep in mind that if someone knows you well, processes can be recognizable even under an assumed name. Trying to sanitize all of that in the day-to-day of processing tends to make people self-conscious and brings in an artificiality that doesn’t work.

In the early days of the online processes, we often used initials when talking about other people. We’re no longer doing that. It became too hard for me to keep track of who was who because I was reading so many different people’s processes every day. “J” was one person’s husband, and another person’s boss, and another person’s daughter.

Now I ask people to use names, and it’s fine to make up names — just be consistent. (For example, if Mary is “Jennifer” in your processes this week, then make her Jennifer forevermore so I have the benefit of my memory of your past processes. Make a cheat sheet so you can keep track of the names of your cast of characters.)

Q: I tried to create an alias but I think it recognized my email address and ‘outed me’. 🙂 I’d like the alias.

A: Email me and we’ll get that taken care of for you. Meanwhile, there are some criteria to creating the alias.

The alias needs to be a real-sounding name. Select a name that’s similar to your own name as your alias. “Similar” as in:

If you are a man, choose a man’s name
If you have an “ethnic” name, then choose an ethnic alias. So Juan can be Carlos but he can’t be Charles.
If you go by a nickname, then choose a nickname as an alias. So Johnny can be Charlie but John would be Charles.
Follow the same guidelines when selecting aliases for the “co-stars” in your processes (friends, family, coworkers, etc.)

The alias is for general internet privacy, not to hide identities from others within the group. The less you mask, the easier it will be. You can even just use your own first name and omit the last name — unless you are well-known or prominent, in which case: please use an alias.

I also ask people to use their real photos, even when using aliases for names as a way to feel a connection to each other and develop ties within the group. If you have a concern with facial recognition technology, please contact me privately and we’ll work out an alternative. A photo alias will need to “look” like you (age, weight, ethnicity, “style”).