1) How did you find out about TFP, when you first joined? Did you lurk for a while, or jump right in with posting? What helped you open up and start posting?
I found out about the TFP through an ex, who didn't post here, but who asked some gamers he knew for advice on a good forum with mature topics and some mutual respect. I had tried some of his forums but didn't like the rudeness displayed by most posters and longed for somewhere civil yet interesting. He was pointed here and that is how I happened upon the TFP. From the start I found the TFP fascinating, and the way the topics were so diverse and everyone discussed everything openly and honestly. It wasn't long before I posted a thread (think that was my first post) which was about how I find it hard sometimes to understand and relate to other people.
2) From the beginning, how did you feel about the porn aspect of the board? (And the fact that as a result, there are far more male than female members here)? Has that ever made you hesitant to post more often here?
I only found out about the porn and how it had been the initial driving force for the TFP some time later. It doesn't bother me at all because I enjoy porn myself. It has educated me thoroughly too. That and the Sexuality forum have been very useful to me. I never thought twice about letting the porn negatively influence me in terms of posting or not. In fact, I find it titillating to some degree
3) What kind of "female" board topics/forums might encourage you to post more often, if you could vote for something? (E.g. a "wedding" forum, or something for parenting, or any other topic that might be interesting to you?)
Any topic which will benefit from a more female-dominated perspective will interest me to read and post about. I don't think weddings and parenting is the way to go. There are plenty of topics that have been discussed in the LL that are of interest to me and I always try and participate as much as I can. What would make me post more, specifically... maybe, like some ladies have mentioned, we could talk politics from women's perspective, away from the antics of the Tilted Politics forum. I suppose it seems a bit strange to shut the guys out, but if it works for us...why not? Maybe we need a less testosterone loaded environment to voice our opinions on that sort of topic. No-one ever said the LL can only discuss "women's issues". If we treat this like our private pub, there’s no stopping what we can discuss.
4) Can you think of anything we might be able to change on the boards, to make it more appealing to potential new members? What is it about TFP that has made you stick around this long?
I think the visual appearance of the board on first sight isn't the most appealing and that alone could be something to draw people to rummage through the board better. First impressions can count. We have interesting content, so maybe we need a new face?
Since so many ladies feel that sometimes the TFP can be intimidating for newcomers, in terms of the “superior attitude” given by some members, maybe we could consider a system where newcomers get assigned old-timers to show them around for the first week? May seem silly but it could help establish stronger bonds between people.
I'm sorry to hear some ladies don't feel valued or like they matter. I used to feel that to some degree, mainly because I'm way out here in Portugal and it seemed hard to connect with people. I feel it a little less these days. I want all you ladies to know, that you are valued, and when you disappear on us, you are missed. Since I joined the TFP I have never left it for longer than a couple of weeks. It has become a constant in my life that I hope to not give up. At the very least, I hope I have made some friends to last me a long time. Even though I have not met the majority of them in person. Isn't that crazy?
In relation to the male dominated environment, I have to say that has really never been a concern of mine. I didn't feel it even in the beginning, in fact some users who I thought were ladies later turned out to be men. Maybe I don’t feel it so much because I come from a pretty macho country so it seems normal to me? It does worry me that some of you feel intimidated that way. I do think though that overall our boys are quite tolerant generally and there is little reason for homosexual or bisexual people to not feel comfortable. The actual problem might be that the content we offer is not appealing enough in that sense (like abaya said of the Full Monty board), and is essentially heterosexually oriented.
abaya, I just want to say that this was a great thread idea and I’m really pleased to see the effect it has had on our ladies, especially the newcomers who have joined in and had their say! Your contribution is very valuable to us. Welcome!
