So I’ve been experimenting with a naturist facebook page. Admittedly, not my REAL facebook page – the one that’s connected to all my family and friends and professional colleagues. Can’t really do that. Not gonna do that.
I opened a naturist facebook page for two reasons. First, I wanted a place where I could “like” some of our favorite naturist destinations, or various naturist organizations, thereby, the news of the day comes up on my newsfeed, and I’ve made some really interesting discoveries that way.
But secondly, I keep hoping that I will meet a few rational people that share some of our values related to naturism. We are not swingers. And at least by our definition, we are certainly not exhibitionists. No judgement intended upon folks who embrace either of those ideologies, but I have to say, when I click through on a potential ‘friend request’ to find some, shall we say, incredibly provocative (thought facebook didn’t allow that!) photos, I immediately bounce back and shudder… “Maybe this isn’t a very good idea.”
Of course, facebook is designed to create a world of obscured identities. At least in platforms like Second Life (though I’ve never done that) you know that you don’t really know who you’re talking to. But on facebook, it’s all over the map. While many participants are quite altruistic in their naturist ideals (as according to my definition of what I think that should mean – an admittedly biased statement!), they are simply in a situation similar to my own. While I am in no way ashamed of my naturist endeavors – it simply isn’t a good idea to go public with those if I wish to remain gainfully employed in a profession I’m very committed to.
So there it is. Are you a “real naturist?” (Sorry… there I go again!) Well, you can find me on facebook, and we can share a few tips on the best therme in Bavaria or that little beach in Hawaii that nobody really knows about. But I gotta say, if it gets too weird out there, Daniel O’Naturale will vanish in the haze, having meandered off to a social network fraught with fewer mine fields! We’ll see.
The Meandering Naturist – Daniel O’Naturale
I am all the way with you, Dan. Facebook is not the place to be for naturists. I have a naturist account there too, just so I can see updates that I follow from twitter that link to FB, but I don’t actively use that. Google+ is a lot better for me in that respect, although also there you can run into the “less desirable” folk.
Paul
Ha! Maybe I should cut my losses and run the other way! 🙂 Love your blog page by the way!
Daniel O’Naturale – it is a pleasure to have you as a FB friend – yes, it is a strange place where it would be easy to wander to far into the darkness of the collective unconscious which is somehow supported versus safe, in the light, naturism.
Darkness and light! That pretty much sums it up!
Just an addendum – FB is too weird for me so I have dissolved into the FB ether.
Gets pretty weird, for sure.
I think it warrants being pretty phlegmatic, Dan. There are dedicated naturist/nudist web sites that attract unsavoury characters just as keenly as Facebook and probably affect even less moderation over it. And by unsavoury I am not suggesting those indulging in sexual innuendo or harassment but just people who are down-right mean and unpleasant, whether they be naked or clothed or whether the subject be about naturism/nudism or not. And they do regard themselves as naturists/nudists, just like the rest of that loosely-defined ‘community’.
I say play it as you see fit but don’t let the plonkers put you off at the first hurdle. That after all is probably all that they seek for whatever boring and meaningless reasons they have. I called out one such self-important individual recently who called those who participated in WNBR London as “vile”. He wasn’t well-pleased but he did, nevertheless, continue on his merrily righteous way, rather tediously and predictably, as they are want to do.
Ha ha…. ha to look up the word phlegmatic! 🙂
Thanks for your thoughtful response. I’ve been working on another post about how the internet has actually been a key factor in moving the naturist cause forward, through forums, blogs, and access to booking at naturist places, but at the same time, the internet has been very harmful to the naturist cause as it has become so easy to share images without authorization, which indeed, fall into the hands of the unsavory.
With liberty comes peril.
Hello! Some time ago we discovered your delightful blog, browsed through it and were pleased to add you to our website’s listings of ‘Suggested SItes & Blogs’ (http://www.all-nudist.com/suggested-sites-and-blogs.html#.Uo_S9cRvO_g).
Somehow we missed this article until now so our suggestions may be outdated, but that never stopped us from speaking out anyway!
Firstly, you have a Facebook PROFILE, not a PAGE. There’s a big difference between the two and how you interact with folks. A profile is quite personal by nature, for both parties. A Page is in the control of its owner and no information is shared between individuals without consent. A Page need not vette and choose whether to ‘friend’ someone, but has full control to remove them if they prove to be creeps. A Page cannot, in fact, interact with individuals or know anything about them other than through the Page itself.
Our Page, for instance, cannot follow, like, or interact with your profile other than through sharing. Unfortunately, we don’t know when or what you post!
As far as undesirables are concerned, All-Nudist on FB has over 6,500 followers yet in our years on FB we’ve needed to ban only a handful. We established the rules of order from the start and most are happy to comply, resulting in a courteous, polite community which isn’t interested in trash OR trash-talk. In other words, ‘real’ nudists!
The main purpose of a FB Page, as regards a blog such as this, is to drive traffic to the blog where the real work is done. FB has been very good at doing that for us, sending hundreds each day to our site. That’s only a percentage of the day’s total, but each one of them is purposely going there for the content rather than finding the site through a search for porn! Many become good, regular visitors.
Your desire to interact with your readers is understandable, and the way a Page is set up can allow all of that you wish. We actually had to limit that interaction because we couldn’t handle the traffic!
There’s also a large community of nudist/naturist Pages (not Profiles) to interact with; we have over a hundred listed and most are pretty legitimately nudist. We don’t list or ‘like’ trash, with a few exceptions we just want to keep an eye on!
We also have used Twitter, G+, and Tumblr, among others, and found G+ and Tumblr not only to be virtually bereft of actual nudist/naturists (though we had plenty of followers!), but worthless as to driving traffic to our site. We only occasionally post on them now (usually when bored).
So there you have it. Bet you wouldn’t have thought you could get so much out of someone’s two cents’ worth of opinion!
Thanks! Excellent information and good food for thought
I’ve just discovered your blog and wanted to share. After years of solo nudist recreation at the beach I decided to share my passion for nude activities with family members, friends, and co-workers on my FB account. My brother said I had a Jerry Maguire revelation. I informed the people that mattered most through various eras of my life that I was a “nudist”. I even supplied a link to a blog where I inserted full frontal photos that were taken of me. I invited any and all to join me at the nude beach at Sandy Hook. I also discovered that some of my aunts and uncles had already been to a nude beach. My goal was to attempt to desensitize my inner circle. My announcement and blog link were the ice breakers so we will see how things unfold. I am a very “fit” 53 year old so many replied with, “maybe after I lose a few inches I will join you.” I know it took me a while to come out but I feel great about it.
Great story! An inspiration, in fact! Please send a link to your blog (and Twitter account if you have one) and I’ll send people your way.