(Some content below may require parental advice and is given for informational purposes, only. I have also written this post, to prompt teens and their parents to have frank and open discussions regarding their teens' possible online activities.)
I've had the privilege of visiting some personal discussion boards (online communities) on the web.
On these boards you can find people who have lost lovers that they want to reconnect with, others who have a romantic interest in each other and some who have had chance meetings that they'd like to happen, again.
And they write messages on these boards in the hope that the person they wish to meet or hook-up with again, will actually hang out on these boards and respond.
Thanks to the Internet, we get a birds eye view into (very close view of) these people's lives...with others on these discussion boards joining in on the conversations.
Some members on these discussion boards are sympathetic to these couples' plight, while others are downright nasty.
But no matter the response, you are guaranteed to be entertained.
But why do some people leave their emotional and romantic lives exposed in this manner?
Why do they need a message board to jump-start their love lives?
Well, I think most people realize by the time they're 25, that sometimes love happens, but at other times, you have to help it along. :)
There are some people whom you meet once and will never meet again...no matter how memorable the meeting.
And then there are others whom you've met, that you could meet again, if you made positive moves to do so.
The businesses owning these online communities, assume that people who hang out at the same places, are familiar with these boards and will use them to meet.
And they're right!
This happens all the time, and these boards are raking in the advertising dollars as a result!
Being on these boards is also a (very thin) protection mechanism, as some members are aware of other members who are trouble-makers and will alert members as to their presence.
Interesting, huh?
=======
Well I found it very interesting too.
I was introduced to one (via a Google search) that was very popular in California, at the time, called Craigslist. I used it to find an apartment complex for students, that I stayed in, while I was a student, there...and then stumbled across the Personals section on their site.
(You can add Google Search, to your browser's toolbar, by clicking the following link:
)
Craigslist is an online community whereby which you can find events, jobs, housing/apartments to rent or to buy, buy and sell items, and yes, the Personals section of the site, does allow you to meet and hook-up with people.
It is extremely popular with its users and its popularity has now extended outside of California and the US, to other parts of North America, as well as to Asia, Australia, Europe and South America.
So the next time you've met someone, that you'd like to meet again, and you're over 18, maybe you should check one of these discussion boards and just type, "Would You Like Us to Meet?", along with the description of the person, and where you met.
You may just find the person that you were looking for, or someone who knows him/her.
Please bear in mind, that predators, do visit discussion boards. Our post, "Beware of Online & Electronic Predators!", posted on January 23, 2007, empowers you, so that you won't be their next victim!
[Please also note that the Personals section of Craigslist is for adults only (people 18 years old and over). It contains adult content. You will find both straight and gay people using this site.
(Craigslist originated in the San Francisco Bay Area and defaults to the Bay Area, when you click on the site. Homosexuality is tolerated in the Bay Area - so please don't waste your time sending Craigslist hate mail, or making hate posts - they will be discarded.)
You use this and other discussion boards (online communities) at your own risk. Please read the posts on these sites carefully and read the instructions and warnings on these sites, before making and responding to any of these posts!]
Nuff said! (Jamaican, meaning, I have said enough.)
Gillian
"Girl With a Purpose" Blog is pleased to present our brand new section, "Hot Deals Mondays!!!™".
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