Just a fun thought, maybe make a special section of the forum just for people who wanna do online dating?
It's extremely unlikely this would ever be considered, as it goes against the fundamental reason for which EC exists. One of the things people find most appealing about EC is the idea that it is a safe community where people don't have to worry about such things. Were we to change that, even in one section, it would change the entire nature of the community, and no one on the staff, admin team, or board has interest in doing that. In part this is because there are plenty of places out there that already do that, and likely do it better than we ever could... so we stick to what we know best
Hey. You were polite and clear about it. No worries. That is one thing that is really good about EC. No one bites your head off about anything.
I don't think it's a bad idea specifically because from reading countless EC posts, EC has a collection of incredibly nice individuals, some of which post specifically because they cannot find someone that's on their wavelength via dating websites. I.E. Trying to find someone that's loyal as opposed to people looking for Hookups. I feel safe on EC as most people seem very respectful, but if I were to apply to a dating website I would feel alone and always be conscious as to what type of person is looking at my profile. However I understand that this may easily change the type of person that comes here. So I would propose restrictions be imposed to make sure only the most proven genuine people can use it. Kind of like 'Full member' status but even stricter. And maybe you should be able to specifically apply for it, so that the subsection does not interfere with the experiences of those that have no desire to use it. Just an idea.
I mean it seems rather unlikely and unwise for it to happen. I'm assuming if so, there'd be an age restriction for safety- and tempt some teens to lie about their age. Full members can already PM, and if so desired and trusted, share contact info. It seems unlikely and unsafe, especially for the younger members out here who don't know much about internet safety/
Wouldn't it be better for the younger people to learn internet safety on EC as opposed to somewhere else? And EC members aren't stupid, if there's a suspected individual underage they can always be reported.
The problem would be that this overall approach contradicts itself, as we're talking about internet safety within the context of online dating. Unfortunately, online dating is a service limited to those over the ages of 18+, so the potential to educate younger people on internet safety when dating would be limited to those of a specific age-group. A fundamental aspect towards fulfilling duty of care is ensuring that the service you provide is compatible with your service usergroup. Whilst it's certainly true that those below the age of 18 are interested in relationships, it raises significant legal and ethical dilemmas due to variations within statutory law surrounding age of consent, online sexual interactions, child grooming etc. All of this would require an organisation to have rigorous safeguards in place to ensure only those who are verified as age-appropriate could enrol. Therefore, this would likely mean requiring everybody to submit photographic identification to be considered eligible. There would then also be the risk that if you start actively providing a service that provides dating resources, you then attract a base of individuals who wish to use it. If it was just another aspect of EC's support, you would have to rely on those using the dating service to not harass those who haven't opted into it or otherwise aren't eligible to, thus adding an additional layer of monitoring. All in all, it becomes a rather complex system that is needed just to ensure that EC fulfils its legal and ethical obligations for working with minors. All that is attention that is taken away from EC's primary purpose, which is to provide coming out support and resources. I'm not one to really say 'never' to a proposal, as it all depends on its practicality. However, the amount of effort it would take to really make this proposal work, and to integrate it into the site whilst keeping it distant enough so as not to affect those seeking other aspects of support, would be a massive drain. In my honest opinion, an organisation is strongest when it knows what it wants to provide and can focus on providing a specialist dedication to that scope. It would worry me that EC would inadvertently dilute itself if it tried to broaden its horizons and focus on things that it really has little business being a part of. If dating services are better equipped for handling these issues, then I would personally consider it wise to let them remain focused on that.
Would you really want to see your exes and ex-exes on here in the sad event that you break up? Uh no. We all have enough drama in our regular lives without adding it to online lives, especially EC. I think I for one would like to see EC remain the friendzone.
