Ask the experts

[Toolip]

I just saw the new forum and I thought it was a pretty cool idea but then I started reading about all of the specialties and I started getting worried about what this was going to look like. So now, instead of going to other mamas on this board (who were the standing experts) for advice on sling shopping (for example) you can instead ask the "expert?" It doesn't sit right with me. It seems to take away from the egalitarian nature of going to your (extremely smart, wonderful, and well-informed) peers for advice. This site is about connecting mamas, right? That's what I always thought. Maybe that won't change. Hopefully everyone will keep posting in the regular forums and not going straight to the "experts" but that is my concern. Maybe it will be really great. It's cool to have a "direct-line" to some very knowledgeable people but I guess I'm rubbed a little bit the wrong way to see a forum of "experts" represented. I don't know... I guess it seems like it would be cool if the "experts" popped into the relevant forums or something. I don't have an answer, just some thoughts.

Thank you for working so hard on this site. I hope it remains a wonderful place for mamas to learn and grow. I have really liked some of the changes you have made so far, it is a very beautiful and wonderful place.

[Cynthia Mosher]

Hi Toolip and thanks for sharing your thoughts about this.

I don't think the feature will take away from the sharing of advice, information and experience that is found in the MDC discussions between members. I  think people will take advantage of both. If someone does choose to ask one of the professional experts about something specific rather than other mothers  then that's certainly their choice and decision to make and I don't think it will take away from the rest of the discussion on the site. Everyone will benefit from the information the expert gives. 

Our main drive for bringing the experts here is because we had them on the Mothering.com side and the form and feedback setup for them there is very troublesome and not at all user-friendly. Everyone is excited about getting their space here and we hope it will be a great new feature for the community. However, if the posting level gets to be too much for the experts to handle we will place restrictions and that will limit posting. 

Thank you again for your feedback and especially for your kind words.