My Thoughts- Reel in Support

The team in my classroom that presented their idea of “Reel in Support” seemed very confident of their idea. Many people go through a lot of troubles and it can create a snowball effect of endless internal pain. I know many people who do not know how to handle certain situations and a lot of times they simply need someone to listen to them. Throughout the years, I have observed people from my schools who have so much going on that they feel that no one understands them. When they would meet someone in a similar situation as them, their mood seems to become more genuinely positive.

                What I like about this project is the general idea to help people. I enjoyed watching the presentation and thinking to myself about people that would benefit from such a website. Sometimes people that need advice or someone to talk to, do not want to face anyone. Therefore, I think this would be beneficial in such cases. I also enjoyed the organization of their website and the catchy name.

                I do have concerns about how many people would actually be willing to use this website. The reason for my concerns are that in many cases, it is difficult for someone to even accept the fact that they need some type of “help.” Also, many people who need some help show it in other manners than just “talking it out.” A suggestion I have for that is that I think it would be a good idea to make less obvious the fact that this website is for people who are troubled in some way. Maybe the team could even incorporate a minor social part to the groups in the website. I also think that it should not be exclusively for chatting with others or searching professional help because for a lot of people it would be nice to have a friend who simply understands them. However, meeting friends through the website poses a security issue.

                Another concern of mine is the cyberbullying. With a website like this, it is like putting all the candy in one basket for predators. Some people are simply mean and do not care about the effects of what they say. Because cyberbullying is a huge problem, I think it threatens the realization of “Reel in Support.” A suggestion I have for this is a sort of software that can disable a comment.

                Overall, this was a pretty good idea. I think it has the potential to be successful even though there are many similar websites and professional help that people would directly seek if they realize they need help. The team did a great job presenting and keeping the audience engaged.