I Am Confused By People Who Think This Is A Dating Site
A LITTLE HISTORY
It is once again time for me to step back up on my soap box so please indulge me while I vent for a few moments.
Once again I have explained to a gentleman, and yes this one was a gentleman, that I am not using SW as pick up site. I had to explain that I was a member Experience Project since the time that it was a support site and that I have never used either site as a "hook up" site not do I cheat on my lover.
For those that are unaware, Experience Project was started as a support site for those with multiple sclerosis and their friends and family members in late 2004. The founder of the site had a friend and he just wanted to help her on her journey. It started out as an amazing idea and soon he found that people were more open in the anonymous environment. He stated in multiple interviews that was when he decided to branch out and support other chronic illnesses. Experience Project quickly became a place of refuge for many people that weren't accepted in mainstream society. You had people that had horiffic diseases that they couldn't share with people in their real life or didn't want people to feel sorry for them. Some with cancer, pancreatitis, AIDS, and many other diseases. You had people that had mental illnesses that were ashamed to admit in their real life that they were dealing with something like that disease. You had women and some men that had been sexually assaulted either in adulthood or childhood. Things that would cause a stigma in their real life if they told, became. Dialogue for them on EP and they were able to talk about on EP. It was far from a pickup site or an online dating site. When Similar Worlds was advertising their new site, they billed themselves as "the new Experience Project" but for them to be that they have to recognize the founder's purpose of the original site, and that was to be a support site above anything else. Social networks are great and they serve their purpose but we have Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram and Snapchat for that. If SW is to be the next EP then it needs to embrace the support mentality. It needs to be less the dating site and hookup site and more the support interaction site.
I enjoy interacting with many of you here but I'm not here looking for a lover. I'm here because I like to read and write and I like to pass on the genuine support and love that I was shown when I first joined Experience Project so many years ago. For me, it's not about being the most popular person on the site. It's not about finding someone to spend my life with either. It's about a connection with someone, and possibly forming a friendship but mostly it's about showing and getting support when it's needed. The developers have said it is up to us to decide what we want SW to be, so the question remains do we want this site to only be one where people come to hook up, cheat on their spouses, and bully one another or do we want to create a place that is similar to the original Experience Project before the trolls and bullies took over. Do you want a place where you can express your innermost feelings and thoughts without fear of being attacked or do you want a place similar to Facebook where everyone is just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame but very afraid to remove their mask and be themselves. The beauty of EP was that we were able to do that and coexist with others that were very different from ourselves. The developers have made it clear that it is up to us to determine the path of the site. Where do you see SW going in the future? I would like to hear, or should I say read your comments and as always thank you for reading my post.
It is once again time for me to step back up on my soap box so please indulge me while I vent for a few moments.
Once again I have explained to a gentleman, and yes this one was a gentleman, that I am not using SW as pick up site. I had to explain that I was a member Experience Project since the time that it was a support site and that I have never used either site as a "hook up" site not do I cheat on my lover.
For those that are unaware, Experience Project was started as a support site for those with multiple sclerosis and their friends and family members in late 2004. The founder of the site had a friend and he just wanted to help her on her journey. It started out as an amazing idea and soon he found that people were more open in the anonymous environment. He stated in multiple interviews that was when he decided to branch out and support other chronic illnesses. Experience Project quickly became a place of refuge for many people that weren't accepted in mainstream society. You had people that had horiffic diseases that they couldn't share with people in their real life or didn't want people to feel sorry for them. Some with cancer, pancreatitis, AIDS, and many other diseases. You had people that had mental illnesses that were ashamed to admit in their real life that they were dealing with something like that disease. You had women and some men that had been sexually assaulted either in adulthood or childhood. Things that would cause a stigma in their real life if they told, became. Dialogue for them on EP and they were able to talk about on EP. It was far from a pickup site or an online dating site. When Similar Worlds was advertising their new site, they billed themselves as "the new Experience Project" but for them to be that they have to recognize the founder's purpose of the original site, and that was to be a support site above anything else. Social networks are great and they serve their purpose but we have Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram and Snapchat for that. If SW is to be the next EP then it needs to embrace the support mentality. It needs to be less the dating site and hookup site and more the support interaction site.
I enjoy interacting with many of you here but I'm not here looking for a lover. I'm here because I like to read and write and I like to pass on the genuine support and love that I was shown when I first joined Experience Project so many years ago. For me, it's not about being the most popular person on the site. It's not about finding someone to spend my life with either. It's about a connection with someone, and possibly forming a friendship but mostly it's about showing and getting support when it's needed. The developers have said it is up to us to decide what we want SW to be, so the question remains do we want this site to only be one where people come to hook up, cheat on their spouses, and bully one another or do we want to create a place that is similar to the original Experience Project before the trolls and bullies took over. Do you want a place where you can express your innermost feelings and thoughts without fear of being attacked or do you want a place similar to Facebook where everyone is just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame but very afraid to remove their mask and be themselves. The beauty of EP was that we were able to do that and coexist with others that were very different from ourselves. The developers have made it clear that it is up to us to determine the path of the site. Where do you see SW going in the future? I would like to hear, or should I say read your comments and as always thank you for reading my post.
51-55, F
