New K1 subforums?

[TracyTN 237]

we can't get mad or annoyed at people for something that is not really under their control...

Indeed.

Those of us who have been here ages know that. It's more difficult to convince the new members.

*finds wall to bang head against*

AGAIN - CSCers are not mad or annoyed AT VSCers. Its situational - its not their fault that they fly by while we languish. Being 'mad' at the people who get to file through VSC is stupid.

It is frustrating and upsetting for CSCers to see their 'oh no' posts after 2 weeks have passed, but as has been said ad nauseum, that is just a symptom of their situation and their frame of reference.

I'm not sure how to make that point any more clear, but obviously I'm failing somehow.

As for the forum ideas: maybe "Visa Journey milestones" ? Hopefully by moving the 'where is my NOA2!!!???' threads to that forum, people would understand that it can be used for celebrations AND frustrations.

[rebeccajo 14]

we can't get mad or annoyed at people for something that is not really under their control...

Indeed.

Those of us who have been here ages know that. It's more difficult to convince the new members.

*finds wall to bang head against*

AGAIN - CSCers are not mad or annoyed AT VSCers. Its situational - its not their fault that they fly by while we languish. Being 'mad' at the people who get to file through VSC is stupid.

It is frustrating and upsetting for CSCers to see their 'oh no' posts after 2 weeks have passed, but as has been said ad nauseum, that is just a symptom of their situation and their frame of reference.

I'm not sure how to make that point any more clear, but obviously I'm failing somehow.

As for the forum ideas: maybe "Visa Journey milestones" ? Hopefully by moving the 'where is my NOA2!!!???' threads to that forum, people would understand that it can be used for celebrations AND frustrations.

Tracy....

The only thing I was trying to say (perhaps not very well) is that with all the EMPHASIS on timelines and 'who is processing where', newer members get to thinking these things are what drives the community. Hence they continue to stress about the stuff, and perhaps get upset - perhaps with people and processes.

[rebeccajo 14]

Um, I'm repeating myself, anyway - but just wanted to say, I think a separate forum for congratulations and celebrations is a great idea, and maybe those monthly-filer threads could go in there too. Nothing against the monthly-filer threads, but when it takes CSC months to approve a petition, you end up with half the front page being filled with 'March filers', 'February filers', 'January filers' etc, not to mention the 'about-to-be April filers' etc...

'Monthly filer' threads are a newer phenomenon. I don't know who started the idea, but they never used to be part of any forum.

[TracyTN 237]

we can't get mad or annoyed at people for something that is not really under their control...

Indeed.

Those of us who have been here ages know that. It's more difficult to convince the new members.

*finds wall to bang head against*

AGAIN - CSCers are not mad or annoyed AT VSCers. Its situational - its not their fault that they fly by while we languish. Being 'mad' at the people who get to file through VSC is stupid. Do we need to compile, say, three of the suggested forum names and have a poll later today to decide?

It is frustrating and upsetting for CSCers to see their 'oh no' posts after 2 weeks have passed, but as has been said ad nauseum, that is just a symptom of their situation and their frame of reference.

I'm not sure how to make that point any more clear, but obviously I'm failing somehow.

As for the forum ideas: maybe "Visa Journey milestones" ? Hopefully by moving the 'where is my NOA2!!!???' threads to that forum, people would understand that it can be used for celebrations AND frustrations.

Tracy....

The only thing I was trying to say (perhaps not very well) is that with all the EMPHASIS on timelines and 'who is processing where', newer members get to thinking these things are what drives the community. Hence they continue to stress about the stuff, and perhaps get upset - perhaps with people and processes.

Ok - that makes sense. Maybe I was reading wrong. I am sleep deprived.

And yes, I do fear that is what lurkers or noobs will think 'drives' the community. I hope we can decide on this forum name soon and get it going.

Edited March 28, 2007 by TracyTN

[Andy 2]

Just as another idea, how about renaming the existing K-1 forum from 'K-1 Fiance(e) Visa General Discussion' to K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Questions and Help' and then adding a new one underneath called 'K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports'

[TracyTN 237]

^^ I like it!!!!!!!!

[Otto 83]

Reading/following this thread is like watching our Congress on CSPAN.

A lesson on how a very simple idea (which by the way, people have already begun doing on their own) has turned into Grandstanding, Filibustering (talking w/out listening), Over-Sight Committees, Lobbyists, Study-Groups, Opinion Polls, Pork Belly Ad-Ons, and Historical Reminiscence.. it's no wonder nothing gets done in government...

~Rant

And poor Capt.Ewok..stuck in the middle...

[lisaf 0]

Reading/following this thread is like watching our Congress on CSPAN.

A lesson on how a very simple idea (which by the way, people have already begun doing on their own) has turned into Grandstanding, Filibustering (talking w/out listening), Over-Sight Committees, Lobbyists, Study-Groups, Opinion Polls, Pork Belly Ad-Ons, and Historical Reminiscence.. it's no wonder nothing gets done in government...

~Rant

And poor Capt.Ewok..stuck in the middle...

amen

[jlvr 1]

I was going to say last night - 'dungeon' is just a tad on the overdramatic side.

Yeah, I tend to be dramatic. It's for effect.

contribute nothing to VJ other than to post hundreds of copied-and-pasted 'CONGRATULATIONS!!!!' messages to anyone and everyone every couple of weeks!

I think you're understating that one.

I can't be the only one who's noticed questions that are awaiting an answer, not to mention threads that were right at the top and in the middle of an interesting discussion actually about something, getting bumped back to page 2 or 3 when the 'congrats on your NOA1!!!!!!' brigade comes along. It devalues the K1 forum a lot, IMO... you click on it, take one look at the first page, think 'jeeesh...' and click back out again.

Yeah, I get that part and I agree that it gets in the way of real questions and information. I just don't want that part of VJ that allows us to pour out our anxiety and excitement to go away or fade away because no one knows where to do it. Even now as I see announcements from other posters, I hesitate to congratulate them on getting approved. And I don't feel I should (hesitate) because it's a step they've achieved, gotten past and there are plenty more steps before it's over. Every little bit of encouragement helps.

I have no idea what goes on in those threads (there was no 'October filers' one, as far as I know!), but if it's just a load of people hanging out and whiling away the wait together, it makes sense... I just hope questions that might be of interest to a wider community than the people who happened to file during that calendar month get posted separately on the main forum, where someone who didn't only just file the previous week, and might reasonably be able to help, will see them!

From what I have seen in the one I started, we just keep each other updated on our progress. Other questions get posted in the main forum or in other appropriate forums. Once we have received approvals, we would be split up in the regional forums. This thread is a way for us to continue to know what's happening with each other.

Even the post-whorey types would know where to go when they feel the need to congratulate 50 random strangers in the space of half an hour on the fact that their case has been touched...

[Andy 2]

Reading/following this thread is like watching our Congress on CSPAN.

A lesson on how a very simple idea (which by the way, people have already begun doing on their own) has turned into Grandstanding, Filibustering (talking w/out listening), Over-Sight Committees, Lobbyists, Study-Groups, Opinion Polls, Pork Belly Ad-Ons, and Historical Reminiscence.. it's no wonder nothing gets done in government...

~Rant

And poor Capt.Ewok..stuck in the middle...

It's the same consequence as trying to design by committee, but to trivialize the contributions and ideas of those who have concerns at the way the forum works and that it is best able to meet it's objectives is not all that helpful in itself!

[jlvr 1]

Just as another idea, how about renaming the existing K-1 forum from 'K-1 Fiance(e) Visa General Discussion' to K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Questions and Help' and then adding a new one underneath called 'K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports'

Yes, that sounds good.

Reading/following this thread is like watching our Congress on CSPAN.

A lesson on how a very simple idea (which by the way, people have already begun doing on their own) has turned into Grandstanding, Filibustering (talking w/out listening), Over-Sight Committees, Lobbyists, Study-Groups, Opinion Polls, Pork Belly Ad-Ons, and Historical Reminiscence.. it's no wonder nothing gets done in government...

~Rant

And poor Capt.Ewok..stuck in the middle...

I'm trying to figure out which committee I've fallen under.

[TracyTN 237]

Reading/following this thread is like watching our Congress on CSPAN.

A lesson on how a very simple idea (which by the way, people have already begun doing on their own) has turned into Grandstanding, Filibustering (talking w/out listening), Over-Sight Committees, Lobbyists, Study-Groups, Opinion Polls, Pork Belly Ad-Ons, and Historical Reminiscence.. it's no wonder nothing gets done in government...

~Rant

And poor Capt.Ewok..stuck in the middle...

It's the same consequence as trying to design by committee, but to trivialize the contributions and ideas of those who have concerns at the way the forum works and that it is best able to meet it's objectives is not all that helpful in itself!

I agree, although the levity itself can be refreshing!

I'd rather have a discussion about something like this among the members it will effect instead of an administrator who just does what he/she wants to do without seeing what everyone wants.

And jvlr: I guess don't see how having a 'new place' for the pouring out of excitement or anxiety totally removes that as a feature of VJ.

[GrenadianCrix 1]

I just spent most of my morning reading this whole thread. I have to say it was full of emotion and made me feel a range of guilty about being a VSC filers, angry that all of the VSC filers get lumped in together as whiners or somehow expecting better service, and then relieved that the thread ended up coming up with a reasonable solution as it appeared as most people got to air their feelings and be acknowledged.

One comment I wanted to add is the responsibility of maintaining tone. I know that when I joined in February I had an important question that I needed answered before I filed the next day (I stumbled on the VJ site while trying to research the answer on my own). I was very glad I was able to ask the question (it was not something included in the guides) and got some great insight from Rayma who had gone through a similar situation. I was immediatly thrilled about the helpfulness and huge resource I had just found. But being new, I did as the Romans did. It appeared to me that the culture here had month by month postings (there were ones for previous months when I had signed on) and it seemed like we all shared our small successess and frustrations with appropriate congrats or support from the community. I know even as my process has come along I am not so enamored with publicising every small detail of my journey. But for the first leg of it...I wanted to scream it from the mountain tops.

I am not worried that newbiews will conform to whatever the 'culture' is, if they are shown. We just need to be good models and help people understand how things can be done to accomodate everyone. I think it is a great suggestion to add the milestones/chit chat string as that will be a step i the right direction.

I have more to say about this whole VSCer/ non-VSCer debate but I don't find it will be of any use to share it. I hope there truly isn't hard feelings because it is very hard trying to navigate the line between excitement over our own process and how to be sensitive to others who are having a very different experience.

I hope things settle down and that VJ can continue to an incredible resource to us all. I don't know what I would have done without the hours of late night reading I have done on this site.

My two cents (I think we should start actually collecting these two cents and do something like end world hunger...lol)

Sue

[kari lina 0]

Um, I'm repeating myself, anyway - but just wanted to say, I think a separate forum for congratulations and celebrations is a great idea, and maybe those monthly-filer threads could go in there too. Nothing against the monthly-filer threads, but when it takes CSC months to approve a petition, you end up with half the front page being filled with 'March filers', 'February filers', 'January filers' etc, not to mention the 'about-to-be April filers' etc...

'Monthly filer' threads are a newer phenomenon. I don't know who started the idea, but they never used to be part of any forum.

Just to put my 2 cents in...

I may be too much of a "newb", but I don't think that the monthly filer threads are completely bad (although it does get a bit ridiculous if you start dividing it between early in the month and late in the month). I've met some great people from the december filers thread. It makes you feel part of a team (an even tighter team than the whole VJ group which is great too of course). But I do agree that these monthly filer threads could be moved to some other place on the forum, so that the real questions on the K1 forum can get the attention they deserve.

Karoline

[TracyTN 237]

I just spent most of my morning reading this whole thread. I have to say it was full of emotion and made me feel a range of guilty about being a VSC filers, angry that all of the VSC filers get lumped in together as whiners or somehow expecting better service, and then relieved that the thread ended up coming up with a reasonable solution as it appeared as most people got to air their feelings and be acknowledged.

One comment I wanted to add is the responsibility of maintaining tone. I know that when I joined in February I had an important question that I needed answered before I filed the next day (I stumbled on the VJ site while trying to research the answer on my own). I was very glad I was able to ask the question (it was not something included in the guides) and got some great insight from Rayma who had gone through a similar situation. I was immediatly thrilled about the helpfulness and huge resource I had just found. But being new, I did as the Romans did. It appeared to me that the culture here had month by month postings (there were ones for previous months when I had signed on) and it seemed like we all shared our small successess and frustrations with appropriate congrats or support from the community. I know even as my process has come along I am not so enamored with publicising every small detail of my journey. But for the first leg of it...I wanted to scream it from the mountain tops.

I am not worried that newbiews will conform to whatever the 'culture' is, if they are shown. We just need to be good models and help people understand how things can be done to accomodate everyone. I think it is a great suggestion to add the milestones/chit chat string as that will be a step i the right direction.

I have more to say about this whole VSCer/ non-VSCer debate but I don't find it will be of any use to share it. I hope there truly isn't hard feelings because it is very hard trying to navigate the line between excitement over our own process and how to be sensitive to others who are having a very different experience.

I hope things settle down and that VJ can continue to an incredible resource to us all. I don't know what I would have done without the hours of late night reading I have done on this site.

My two cents (I think we should start actually collecting these two cents and do something like end world hunger...lol)

Sue

Only have a moment to reply but I can say that I don't have 'hard feelings' towards anyone here, particularly VSC filers. I've tried and tried and tried in this thread to explain the feeling that CSCers have about watching the VSCers whiz by, but that's getting me nowhere. I am clearly not explaining it in a way that is easy to understand. But I wish like the devil that it could be understood - but perhaps only CSCers who have waited recently, in this 'month by month' culture - can understand.

I also think that you said something very important - that as a noob, you felt the culture here WAS the month to month thing. That is SO not what I experienced as a noob, and I feel it does this site a disservice to be seen in that way.