Listening Session: Kindness Cards, May 5th

[Airbnb]

Hello,

Many of you have had questions around the Kindness Cards program. We will be hosting a listening session on May 5th at 6:00PM GMT (London time) to share some more information about how this program works and gather some questions and further feedback about the program. 

Register in advance for this meeting here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We hope to see you there. 

[Gordon0]

While this is a step in the right direction, a clearly-worded online response to the (many) questions asked would save peoples' time, surely? And I understand it's already kicked off, so why now?

Thanks.

@Susan17 

[Jennifer1421]

Speaking of "kicked off" @Gordon0, word on the street is that @Susan17 has been banned recently.

[Ute42]

.

@Jennifer1421 

That's right, she's been banned. I know it for sure.

[Mark116]

@Ute42 Banned from the forum or her listing was banned from the platform?

[Ute42]

.

@Mark116 

Banned from the community center.

[Stephanie]

Hiya @Ute42 and @Mark116 ,

I've mentioned to @Jennifer1421 already but for your sake on this thread, I'd like to iterate it here also. This is a personal matter, so I’m do not think it is fair to go into specifics, however we have been working with her for some time now regarding the CC Guidelines, which all CC members agree to by joining this forum.

Unfortunately, it has come to a point where we had to restrict her access moving forward. This is of course, an incredibly rare thing in the CC, involves many discussions, and never something we do lightly.

Out of respect for the user, we would ask that you reach out to myself or any other EN community manager with any concerns rather than publicly discussing further.

The CC is a place that welcomes feedback (I’m sure you will agree if you look around many discussions here we are open) and ultimately we want to make sure we are always improving things for you and other community members.

Please do DM me if you would like to speak further,

Stephanie

[Paul60]

@Stephanie Thank you for the post Stephanie.  However would it not be a good idea to discuss  it.  What guidelines were broken? Might help  community members.  

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Stephanie (and hierarchy..)

This is the second time these alleged possible misnomers have been posted. Both times have been completely unnecessary as no discussion was ever ensued, merely a transferal of information. Should we now all expect an “information sheet” in the style of an unwanted “kindness card” emailed to each and every one of us so that we all ‘get the gist’ on Airbnb’s position with hosts posting substantiated evidence based facts in this community?

You obviously don’t like it. We don’t live in a bubble. Airbnb need to grow up and face the truths.

I sincerely hope the evidence to back up the exclusion of @susan17 is equally as substantive and evidence based as her posts always are.

[Lizzie]

Hey @Gordon0,

Thanks for your response here. 

The main aim of the listening session is to help everyone get a better understanding of the feature and hopefully this will help to provide insight on the questions being asked. We thought rather than sharing lots of screenshots, which still might not help to show exactly how it works, we would host a live session with a member of the team that has been working on this specifically to walk through the feature, from both the host side and the guest side. Also, it gives an opportunity for you and other hosts to give further feedback based on what you see. 

This was our initial idea based on the feedback many of you were sharing here in the CC. I acknowledge it would be a heck of a lot easier to just share some screenshots, but I hope for those who do attend it will be a useful session and an opportunity to learn more about the thinking behind it, as well as what the guests see. 

To add, I know there is a lot of frustration around this feature here in the CC and many of you think your feedback hasn't been listened to because the feature is still being launched. But, I think it's good to remember that your feedback had a major impact on the opt-out function being put in place and we need to find a balance between those who are supportive of this feature (not just in the CC) and those who aren't keen. So it's not always that straightforward. Having said this, we are still gathering feedback and it is still very important, as it get rolled out–so please continue to share it. 

I hope this all helps and would hopefully you can make it. Always open for more suggestions going forward. : )

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Gordon0]

I'm sorry to say, @Lizzie, that despite being quite forgiving of Airbnb's recent behaviours (including Brian's most recent EC policy update u-turn hours after releasing his video), even my glass-half-full approach is waining.

'Listening sessions' are traditionally used to quantify/seek feedback on what you're going to do, not what you've done, and the opt-out option isn't really that, however it's dressed up.

Many don't want to have any part in this (me included) and an 'off button' is the only thing that's necessary, or the system that was employed for the Christmas cards we used to have the option of sending.

Getting engagement right at these times is essential, but I fear Airbnb have a lot to learn, and it's a little too late. 

[Jennifer1421]

@Lizzie @Airbnb 

For those of us unable to attend the listening session, will there still be screenshots provided here on the forum, or in a help article, so that we are able to see the emails being sent out to our previous guests?

Further to that, will we be notified of same, either in this thread, or in one of the others on the subject (or all of them) when the screenshots do get posted?

[Sarah977]

@Lizzie  I won't be at the listening session, because it's a waste of my time when there is only one point I wish to make. We need an option to opt out of all of this- both the cards and the contributions. Anything less shows total disrespect for hosts.

Having the ability to opt out of the entire thing in no way hinders those who think the cards or the donations are a good idea from opting in. There is no reason whatsoever for Airbnb to force this on hosts-our guests being asked to send us "Kindness Cards" has nothing to do with safety, Airbnb's profits, or anything else of import, and has the potential to irritate or anger a lot of guests.

Airbnb's never-ending arrogance and intransigence in never being able to let go of any idea they come up with, in the face of tons of opposition, reminds me of the song from Monty Python's "Meaning of Life"- "Every sperm is a good one, every sperm is great!"

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Sarah977 , I couldn't help but chime in when I heard you quote MP.  One of my favorites and oddly apropos here is "always look at the bright side of life", Stay well, JR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_-q9xeOgG4

[Helen350]

Wonderful tune! And orchestration!  And cheery words, so long as you don't listen to the words too closely. I'm so grateful you didn't post the film background. @Melodie-And-John0