My mom is cool with me finding online websites for people like me. (I'm out to my family) But when I told her this site has moderators who are adults, and lots of other people looking out, for possible bad things, she doesn't believe me—"How do you know for sure, maybe they're lying about their age, how can you trust them, etc?" I would say I'm pretty safe when it comes to the Internet... But my mom still worries. Does anyone have proof for me that EC is as safe as sites come?
Ok first of all why should age matter if their giving you honest good advice then it's perfectly fine, and you make those choices anyways don't let anyone here influence you to do ale thing you don't want to. There's no real way other than show her. She might not still believe but it's the best you can do. Hope that helped.
1. No one can send you private messages as long as you're a Regular Member. It takes time to become Full Member, which allows you to send private messages, and you can send them only to other Full Members. 2. It is strictly forbidden to share personal info or anything that can lead to you on the site. 3. Creepers and violators are actively banned. 4. Your mother is right, you can't be sure that EC is safe. But it is safer than other places on the Internet.
Hello, Linus. Yes, EC is as safe as they come. It's not safe by nature, but from what I've seen, the staff work very hard to make and keep it safe. Said staff do go through a screening process, and we are who we say we are. The site actually has a page destined to address your mother's concerns. You may want to show it to her. As forums go, EC is great for younger people because it's easy and, in fact, mandatory to remain anonymous on the public forums. A regular member (such as you) has no way to contact another member that is truly "private," and no way to be identified by someone else on this site. The site isn't flawless. No forum where anyone can sign up can be. But it's monitored, and inappropriate behavior is very quickly noticed. It's made very clear to anyone who joins that EC is not a hookup site, and flirting is inappropriate. Predators don't have the patience to make 50 quality posts and go through the screening process required to become a full member so they can contact other people. I don't know how to address your mother's concerns without knowing precisely what she's afraid of, but I have to say I personally have a hard time imagining a safer forum than EC, which is heavily moderated.
No only do I agree with the above, you could also add this: In almost every other forum I've been on there have been blatant haters, trolls, and people spreading misinformation. The people here try to give genuine advice and share stories that relate to the topics at hand. They actually care that what they say helps instead of hurts. I've even seen people apologize when something they wrote offended another! Yay for maturity! Also I have not seen "LOL!!!111!!!!!!11!!111!!!!!! First Post!!!!!" here. Ever. And that speaks to a community that responds with maturity and grace. The best thing you could do is to ask your mom to read the site. Have her post in the Families section with her concerns about having her child talk to strangers on the internet, and we'll give stories that might help clear up her fears. If she reads this: Hi Mom! :smilewave
Advice is advice. Why would age matter? As long as you take what's good from our opinion, you're the one to win. While I don't agree with your mother's point of view, I believe she is only trying to protect you as much as she can. As pinkpanther pointed, not sharing personal info keeps you as safe as you may be.
It's a good thing that your mom is concerned and actively paying attention to where you are posting. That's a sign of really good, involved, concerned parenting. Your mom is also right to be concerned about your posting on any online community. Unfortunately, there are creepers everywhere, and it's always wise to be on your guard. The previous posters have already described the security policies in place to help ensure that EC is among the safest, if not the safest, community on the web. One of the things that sets us apart from other online communities is the fact that we are owned and run by a 501(c)(3) public charity... Empty Closets Community Services. We are held to a higher standard than just a typical web community. We have two licensed social workers on our staff who are bound by their professional associations to maintain professional standards and report any inappropriate or unsafe behavior. And we have extensive checks and processes that go on behind the scenes that help to ensure that the community stays safe. Finally, our community itself is very protective. Many of the reports of problematic behavior first come from another community member letting the staff know, and the staff then takes quick action. No community anywhere can be guaranteed to be 100% safe. But we believe that the checks and balances and controls we have in place for EC set it apart from just about any other community out there. If your mom has any questions, she is welcomed to get in touch with us (adminteam at emptyclosets )
Thank you all! I will show some of this to my mom, and I think it will ease her mind. Also, I'm really glad myself that EC is such a safe, accepting, and helpful society.
Why don't you encourage her to make her own account here and see for herself? Perhaps she could also find a few interesting conversations in the Family Members of LGBT People section.
