Need someone to talk to anonymously and conveniently? “Listeners” at 7 Cups of Tea lend an “ear” to people around the world. The anonymous, online chat service provides members with a person that simply listens, without judgement or interjection. Described as “an online emotional support service,” members are invited to discuss specific hardships or just vent. Members can chat with listeners based on availability or schedule a chat with a specific listener.
While it seems that most listeners do not charge, a rate is listed for each profile along with a picture, first name, languages spoken and brief 7 Cups of Tea user history. After chatting, members rate listeners on helpfulness, professionalism, empathy and response time. An overall score is generated, which is monitored by the site to ensure quality.
To become a listener, a person has to complete training, score a perfect score on the accompanying quiz, and pass a background check. Then, listeners can earn “cheers” by participating in chats and promoting the site. To individualize profiles, badges are awarded by members, listeners or 7 Cups of Tea staff. Badges can be earned by completing specific courses in topics like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, parenting and work related stress. Other badges recognize availability. Taking 30+ hours of night calls warrants a Night Owl badge, while working on holidays calls for a Holiday Helper badge. Members can also recommend listeners on a variety of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and more.
Alluding to a Chinese poem, 7 Cups of Tea hopes to help support people around the world whether through chats, blog posts or guidebooks. So, have some tea and sympathy- the online way.
Would you consider being a member or listener at 7 Cups of Tea?
What do you think of the listener training and review process?
