2i. Meeting People And Making Friends On Rab
Description
This article is from the rec.arts.bodyart Welcome & Netiquette FAQ, by Heidi Anderson with numerous contributions by others.
2i. Meeting People And Making Friends On Rab
Do you live in a rural area where it is difficult to meet other
bodyart-friendly people? Are you tired of being rejected by your
dates, who find your tattoos and/or pierces repulsive? Looking for
others who can relate to your desire for bodyart?
Rec.arts.bodyart is a *GREAT* place to meet people and make friends
who understand and relate to your interests!
However, you might be wondering *HOW* it is you can actually meet
these people. Whatever you do, do *NOT* post a personal ad. This is a
no-no in rec.arts.bodyart. The readers of RAB decided that personal
ads didn't belong in the newsgroup, because there are many other
newsgroups (in the alt.personals.* hierarchy) that exist specifically
for this purpose, including alt.personals.bodyart.
Where does that leave a lonely person? Here are some suggestions!
1. Go to the tattoo conventions and meet people (but you have to be
very friendly and outgoing).
2. Become great friends with your tattooist, and volunteer to work
there cleaning floors and you'll meet others.
3. Read and post regularly here on RAB, but have something to say.
Make sure you follow netiquette. Don't turn other readers off. Try
to let your personality show through.
4. Attend a RAB munch (success rate is higher if you do #3 first).
First of all, the way you meet people is NOT to barge into an ongoing
cocktail party and say "Hi! I'm so and so and oh boy, I'd really love
to meet a nice person with a nose ring from Oregon!" Do THAT, and the
Oregonian with the nose ring is liable to hide behind others! :{
This extends to the newsgroup environment as well.
What you should do is to read the newsgroup regularly. If you find
threads that are of interest to you, pipe in with some interesting
comments of your own! What I mean is, don't just say "I agree!", but
include some of your own opinions. If you start posting occasionally
(and I recommend you get yourself a nice four-line .sig file so people
recognize you), people will start warming up to you as a regular and
you won't feel so much like a stranger. That *doesn't* mean post 50
posts in two days. That means post at least weekly with something
significant to say (or something funny; that's always good) that
contributes to the ongoing discussions.
After a while, you'll feel comfortable being a regular--enough to
where OTHERS may email you with private email. Otherwise, YOU can
send private email to others whom you think you connect. If you *do*
connect, you can continue with the private email and take your
friendship from there.
With most RAB couples/friendships, they started by knowing each other
online, and taking it to private email from there, *or* by meeting
in person at a munch.
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