I'd Rather Get To Know You Than Small Talk

There's something deeply refreshing about someone who goes beyond the superficial and decides to open up their very being to you. It becomes a privilege to hear or read about what makes them who they are, from their early experiences in the world to the present moment sharing whatever comes to mind. I find people are most interesting when they're honest with themselves and sincere towards you, willing to take a chance to be vulnerable to allow that deeper connection. Putting the effort in is far more rewarding for both parties involved, but it does help to have some chemistry and substance there from the outset.

The beauty of places like SW is that we have the opportunity to learn and enjoy one another no matter where we are in the physical world and it feels like a terrible missed opportunity to pass that by for the sake of bite-sized twitter like responses. I continue to hope humanity is better than that.

jesten · 26-30, M

Honestly, THIS is one of the things I wished SW had more of, posts with honesty and integrity.

What made Experience Project (SW's predecessor) so amazing was the ability to let yourself be free with each group you were a part of. You got to expose a little of yourself in each of your own experiences and meet similar people through those experiences. There was an opportunity connect with people who could understand you and get to know you for who you are. This could have been that one place on the internet to meet people with sense of reality rather than a place of casualty and meaningless conversations like most networking sites.

Hopefully there will be more people like us who can take advantage of SW's ability to be real with others.

SolitaryFriend · 41-45, M

Yes, trust can certainly be an issue for some, but I don't feel it's worth living in fear of that when you have the opportunity to share exactly who you are with a world full of people. It doesn't have to be something you want to keep secret, just something that's real, coming from the heart, with a decent amount of effort put in to it. If people want to discredit you, criticise you or judge you for that then so be it; it shouldn't have to change how you feel about yourself.

SolitaryFriend · 41-45, M

Thanks Kerennya! Yes, it certainly can be energising. It really makes a difference when people put the time in effort in to reach out and start a meaningful conversation. It's what I personally live for.