TIME FOR A RANT
I've just been tagged in a post on another Veterans Group with over 40,000 Members, it was on a post where one of their members put out a cry for help, its been nearly 30 mins since this happened with 22 comments with each of them recommending a different help line such as Icarus online, PTSD Resolution, Veterans Safety Net plus some others, all great choices but no links or phone numbers attached apart from 1 which was a poster with some phone numbers on it.
Now don't get me wrong its great that there are always Veterans keeping an eye out for each other but deep down are you really helping or just adding to his confusion? I know if I was a veteran looking for help I personally wouldn't know who to choose, when I was at rock bottom I know you do not think rationally, I know I've been there and you do the first thing that's recommended or comes into your head, so now lets just say I try the first 3 offers that mentioned in the comments, firstly I need to copy n paste, Screen shot the comment or write down the information and phone numbers, once I've found them, then after calling 2 of these phone numbers for it only to turn out they are not 24 hour manned but only 9 Till 5 office hours, do I then bother with the 3rd as I'm already at rock bottom or do I keep going hoping to find someone that fully understands what I'm going through and can help NOW and not in 6 months time, an organisation that has been there themselves and not just a signposting service.
The way our whole website is set up is as a neutral platform we don't care who gets the glory so long as the Veteran gets the best help they can and the quickest, I don't care if you already have a whole network you already run in every county or if you're a one man band and his dog, a veteran business directory or a major charity, how is a veteran supposed to find you when its needed if you don't have the information needed on your own websites and contact details? I know I've done a lot of the research when trying to add information to the VETNET.
We all have our own contacts and networks we work together with and all for the same reasons which is to help Veterans and their Families, The Armed Forces and Front line services so why is it so hard to use a free simple platform that combines everything under one roof on a fully interactive platform that comes with a fully loaded support map showing your nearest Help and an App with Social media groups, all run on a Veteran operated Platform that's not controlled by one of the other well known ones? There's only so much that I can personally research myself and no way I can know everyone and be in all parts of the Country when needed, its about networking, how am I supposed to know who is best to contact in Newcastle if I don't live there?
On every page of the website there is a comments box where you can ask for help or leave comments yourself on recommendations, all the buttons link directly to who it says on the Button, except our 24 Hour Emergency Phone numbers, this is set up differently.
Every button on the CRISIS page is directly linked to the phone numbers or message service, which means when using this on a tablet or a mobile when you press the button it will automatically dial the number provided, no more saving pictures and researching where to find contact details, all the HELP has been recommended by other veterans and can be added or edited within 24 hours, all you have to do is remember or save the link in favourites, 3 little characters F4V.
Now imagine if half of the members in that group, 20,000 were made aware that all those recommended in the comments could be found in the same place and under one roof, do you think they would still share the same comments in future posts if they knew about it? One day I'm hoping the Veteran community might wake up and realise that help has been there for over two years now but I'm still seeing the same posts repeated over and over in groups and you all wonder why we are still seeing losses and blaming the gov about lack of help when all the help is already provided by all the small veteran run charities and CICs if you know where to look.
Its not about us and never was its always been about doing what we set out to do which was to help where we can in the best way we know how.
Its amazing what you an achieve when you don't care who gets the glory.
