a safer amble

i've got to be honest. when i included the survey question "could you describe your most negative experience with amble", i wasn't expecting the sort of stories i would end up getting.

some of you felt unsafe. some overwhelmed. some disappointed.

my heart ached a little reading some of your anecdotes.

when you build a platform that aims to build genuine human connection, i guess you have to expect the broken sides of human nature to come through too. the anxious attachment, the fear of abandonment, the primal harassment, the carelessness when dealing with fragile emotions. at this point, it's a little tricky to heal all these traumas at one go. i'm yet to get certified for that. not yet at least. someone sponsor my training? kidding.

what i do know is that i genuinely want our users to feel protected while exploring new connections.

so as we think about how to enable you guys to grow your new connections in healthier ways, we do have to bite the bullet for a bit. we're taking "reports" more seriously.

previously, you could only report matches you were in using the /report command. now, you can report any of your past 5 matches via a new tab in your profile. you get to select within a list of reasons, and expound further on your report reason. and users that have gotten flagged multiple times would have their accounts frozen.

this means that even if you got someone's telehandle, if you were a jerk to them after moving to PM, you could still be reported. there's no avoiding it now! so please, it isn't so hard to be kind.

i know it sounds strict. but we really want to keep amble a safer space for all. if we want to promote vulnerability, we need to carve out the conditions for you to do so.

as always, feel free to chat more with me via our instagram. i'm always out to listen to alternative perspectives.