A Community Request

[Admin]

Hello all,

I wanted to take a minute to talk a little bit about the growth of our site and how you as a community member can help keep ThePlanet a warm and welcoming place.

We have a LOT of new members lately. Many of these new members are ALSO new to the Butch/Femme dynamic and many of them have never been a member of any kind of social internet community. Some of the new folks are trying to figure out if this community will fit their needs, how they identify, and where their desires are leading them.

I want to ask each of you to please understand that with the introduction of so many new folks on our website, that you might need to take some extra time to help a newbie understand what some of our terminology means or how to better navigate the myriad of ways that we all identify. Please be extra patient with folks who might be at the very beginning of their journey and try to remember where you were and how you felt when you were brand new to your identity or to the online world.

I also want to request that you take the time to *ask for and provide clarification* in conversations where someone may have inadvertently used an incorrect identifier for you or someone else or made an unglamorous or clumsy statement. Please stop and ask yourself if it is possible that the person might merely be new or if they might not yet have familiararity with your personal way of being.

Many of us have known each other online for 5 or even 10 years. Some of us for 12 or longer! I think that sometimes we forget that ThePlanet is bigger than our personal bubble of experience. That we need to embrace people who come to this community in search of family, friends, or fuckbuddies. That we need to welcome the diversity of new ideas, new experiences, and even new ways of identifying within the Butch/Femme dynamic and Trans communities.

There are a great number of younger people joining this site and even people from many different countries. We can learn just as much from them as they can learn from us and I hope that we all will remember that as the weeks and months spread out before us.

When Jack and I decided to go ahead and do this damn thing and started gathering people and ideas, we never imagined that ThePlanet would actually work as well as it is working. We never imagined that almost 10 month later we would have 1300 members, be getting ready for a Reunion, and be looking at a long and bright future.

This community is such an important space, not because we built it, but because all of YOU built it. I am amazed every day when I wake up and see another 10 members have come and joined this space. I am amazed when I see people reaching out across fences to connect. I am amazed that we are actually doing this. Together.

Im not asking you to be all woo-woo or make glittery kittens shoot from your nether-regions. I am asking you to remember the love. Remember how you felt or would have felt the first time someone said to you, "Hey, you're ok just the way you are!" or "Hey! I get it!"

Please join me in helping keep ThePlanet a healthy and welcoming space for everyone who is already here as well as those who find their way here. I beleive we have the most amazing community here and believe that we have the ability to affect change right here every day. So let's do that!

Thank you.
Admin

[little man]

i suspect you are a glittery kitten shot from some nether region or another...

[Apocalipstic]

Yeayyy! Thank you for being so cool Admins!

[TenderKnight]

I really like this post and these thoughts. Thank you for taking the time to post them.. I will always try to see things from the other side, hopefully, others will extend the same kindness to me.

Thank you again and I'm behind this thread, 100%.

Tony, who has had glitter shoot from nether regions, but never kittens..

[little man]

Originally Posted by TenderKnight

Tony, who has had glitter shoot from nether regions, but never kittens..

my sister has some kittens, if'n you're needing one or two.

[TenderKnight]

Originally Posted by little man

my sister has some kittens, if'n you're needing one or two.

awww.. Thank you! But I have to be honest, not sure I'd want that.. Kittens have those friggin wicked needle claws.. Not fun on the way out, even with lots of glitter to lubercate.. And they wiggle.. and pounce.. hmmm

[little man]

Originally Posted by TenderKnight

awww.. Thank you! But I have to be honest, not sure I'd want that.. Kittens have those friggin wicked needle claws.. Not fun on the way out, even with lots of glitter to lubercate.. And they wiggle.. and pounce.. hmmm

but...(or butt) i hear the wiggling is a good thing.

tell ya what, take a pair of them and they'll keep each other busy while we find something less scratchy for you.


ever helpful,

wil

[Oneida]

Timely, good post, Admins. And I thank you for recognizing the noise going on here from time to time that is unhealthy/detrimental the overall good and sustainability of an (this) online community.

When people feel they must preface and/or end their posts with caveats in order to protect themselves from what they certainly must feel is an imminent attack, well...that's not good. It happens too often here that folks feel the need to put on their armor (or worse, apologize in advance) in order to express a benign, personal opinion. Or, they just stop posting in the "meatier" threads...

Here's to thinking of others...for you never know the battle they might be fighting.

[waxnrope]

Thanks so much for this thread.
Since Tony already said something about nether regions in pubic, I will forego making a similar comment and risk getting into some type of difficulty. But, just thanks for some stuff to think about and mull over. Always learning here.

[Ebon]

Originally Posted by Admin

Im not asking you to be all woo-woo or make glittery kittens shoot from your nether-regions.

Thank you.
Admin

Awww man!!

[Arwen]

Originally Posted by Admin

Hello all,

I wanted to take a minute to talk a little bit about the growth of our site and how you as a community member can help keep ThePlanet a warm and welcoming place.

We have a LOT of new members lately. Many of these new members are ALSO new to the Butch/Femme dynamic and many of them have never been a member of any kind of social internet community. Some of the new folks are trying to figure out if this community will fit their needs, how they identify, and where their desires are leading them.

I want to ask each of you to please understand that with the introduction of so many new folks on our website, that you might need to take some extra time to help a newbie understand what some of our terminology means or how to better navigate the myriad of ways that we all identify. Please be extra patient with folks who might be at the very beginning of their journey and try to remember where you were and how you felt when you were brand new to your identity or to the online world.

I also want to request that you take the time to *ask for and provide clarification* in conversations where someone may have inadvertently used an incorrect identifier for you or someone else or made an unglamorous or clumsy statement. Please stop and ask yourself if it is possible that the person might merely be new or if they might not yet have familiararity with your personal way of being.

Many of us have known each other online for 5 or even 10 years. Some of us for 12 or longer! I think that sometimes we forget that ThePlanet is bigger than our personal bubble of experience. That we need to embrace people who come to this community in search of family, friends, or fuckbuddies. That we need to welcome the diversity of new ideas, new experiences, and even new ways of identifying within the Butch/Femme dynamic and Trans communities.

There are a great number of younger people joining this site and even people from many different countries. We can learn just as much from them as they can learn from us and I hope that we all will remember that as the weeks and months spread out before us.

When Jack and I decided to go ahead and do this damn thing and started gathering people and ideas, we never imagined that ThePlanet would actually work as well as it is working. We never imagined that almost 10 month later we would have 1300 members, be getting ready for a Reunion, and be looking at a long and bright future.

This community is such an important space, not because we built it, but because all of YOU built it. I am amazed every day when I wake up and see another 10 members have come and joined this space. I am amazed when I see people reaching out across fences to connect. I am amazed that we are actually doing this. Together.

Im not asking you to be all woo-woo or make glittery kittens shoot from your nether-regions. I am asking you to remember the love. Remember how you felt or would have felt the first time someone said to you, "Hey, you're ok just the way you are!" or "Hey! I get it!"

Please join me in helping keep ThePlanet a healthy and welcoming space for everyone who is already here as well as those who find their way here. I beleive we have the most amazing community here and believe that we have the ability to affect change right here every day. So let's do that!

Thank you.
Admin

In case anyone doesn't actually want to read backwards. I think this bears revisiting often.

[Medusa]

bumpity bump

[Arwen]

Bumping for peace. These statements of Medusa are good to remember for how we treat ALL members of the Planet.

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by Arwen

Bumping for peace. These statements of Medusa are good to remember for how we treat ALL members of the Planet.

I second this!

Let's orbit with good communication!!

[Nat]

I ran across this today and thought it was advice I could use. So I thought I'd share.

"Disagreeing agreeably requires two behaviors up-front and one more as a refinement. The two required behaviors up-front are:

1. Acknowledge the other person's idea is valid.
2. Assert that your position is different. Not better, just different.

The refinement that helps you avoid a defensive reaction is to keep listening to their idea longer than you normally would. Ask questions. Be curious. Really hear them out.

If you can accept that the disagreement of others doesn't diminish your ideas, then you can afford to be patient and generous."

- Tom Henschel

[Arwen]

Originally Posted by Admin

Hello all,

I wanted to take a minute to talk a little bit about the growth of our site and how you as a community member can help keep ThePlanet a warm and welcoming place.

We have a LOT of new members lately. Many of these new members are ALSO new to the Butch/Femme dynamic and many of them have never been a member of any kind of social internet community. Some of the new folks are trying to figure out if this community will fit their needs, how they identify, and where their desires are leading them.

I want to ask each of you to please understand that with the introduction of so many new folks on our website, that you might need to take some extra time to help a newbie understand what some of our terminology means or how to better navigate the myriad of ways that we all identify. Please be extra patient with folks who might be at the very beginning of their journey and try to remember where you were and how you felt when you were brand new to your identity or to the online world.

I also want to request that you take the time to *ask for and provide clarification* in conversations where someone may have inadvertently used an incorrect identifier for you or someone else or made an unglamorous or clumsy statement. Please stop and ask yourself if it is possible that the person might merely be new or if they might not yet have familiararity with your personal way of being.

Many of us have known each other online for 5 or even 10 years. Some of us for 12 or longer! I think that sometimes we forget that ThePlanet is bigger than our personal bubble of experience. That we need to embrace people who come to this community in search of family, friends, or fuckbuddies. That we need to welcome the diversity of new ideas, new experiences, and even new ways of identifying within the Butch/Femme dynamic and Trans communities.

There are a great number of younger people joining this site and even people from many different countries. We can learn just as much from them as they can learn from us and I hope that we all will remember that as the weeks and months spread out before us.

When Jack and I decided to go ahead and do this damn thing and started gathering people and ideas, we never imagined that ThePlanet would actually work as well as it is working. We never imagined that almost 10 month later we would have 1300 members, be getting ready for a Reunion, and be looking at a long and bright future.

This community is such an important space, not because we built it, but because all of YOU built it. I am amazed every day when I wake up and see another 10 members have come and joined this space. I am amazed when I see people reaching out across fences to connect. I am amazed that we are actually doing this. Together.

Im not asking you to be all woo-woo or make glittery kittens shoot from your nether-regions. I am asking you to remember the love. Remember how you felt or would have felt the first time someone said to you, "Hey, you're ok just the way you are!" or "Hey! I get it!"

Please join me in helping keep ThePlanet a healthy and welcoming space for everyone who is already here as well as those who find their way here. I beleive we have the most amazing community here and believe that we have the ability to affect change right here every day. So let's do that!

Thank you.
Admin

We proved in Little Rock that we can do this in real time. When you forget how to do it in cyber, read this again. Or, read this Reunion 2011 thread to recall/learn what it means to be this way in face-to-face AND cyber. And read every word on every page. Love you. Me.

[Apocalipstic]

I wish there was a way to keep this thread and these reminders front and center!

[Medusa]

Bumpity Bump Bump!

[WolfyOne]

I happened to see Medusa bumped this thread just before I left for work this morning. I was hoping when I came back from work, I'd see some new posts here and read what was on the minds of others. Is there no one that hasn't posted in this thread interested in adding their 2 cents. I happen to think community is important. Especially for those of us that don't really have any around us where we live. Also, with the Reunion coming real soon, many of us will get a chance to see and meet those that have been posting in this community. Those that have voiced their opinions in many ways. Those that aren't as bold, but feel what they write in a post may help another. Those that post that may have different opinions than others. Just know, everyone that posts in threads matters to someone here, even if another comes and corrects you or asks you to explain yourself. We have such an awesome community here at The Planet and I for one, always look forward to reading what others write anytime I'm in any thread.

So, to the newbies and those that have been here awhile or forever, lol...please post, I want to read what you hagve to write.

[BullDog]

Well said Wolfy. I am very happy this thread has been bumped. I believe very strongly that new people should be welcomed and given the chance to get their sea legs.

We were all new once, and most people do not have a lot of real time butch femme community where they live. Those that do often find out about these communities or groups of friends from being on a site like this.

If someone seems harmful you can give a heads up to the owners and moderators. Otherwise why not just give people a chance and time to get the hang of things. Community is important for all of us.