Do you feel like you fit in at AVEN?

[Grumpy Alien]

Pretty neutral. Some things I'm definitely different from the crowd. But I don't feel like a total outcast. So **shrug**

[trumpetchick]

I've found a lot of acceptance here even with my religious and political beliefs and my age. I expected more condescension for being a teen, but I'm glad that everyone has treated me the same way and has been incredibly kind to me.

[LaMaestra]

I feel I don't fit in with most Aven members,why !!!

Me and another Aven member was talking about this issue briefly last week via email. My biggest issue with some Aven members the last 6 years( mostly older Aven members over 40). What is this serious deal with " i want to be alone outside of Aven website or I can't meet Aven members offline". Some Aven members are just drive by poster on this site and are not open to supporting their fellow Aven brothers and sister offline. I think offline asexual meetup are very important and I also think creating frienship outside of this website is important too but there are allot of Aven members who just post and are not emotion available for friendship.

Peopel wants to know why some Aven members are depress,I believe one of the reason is not having friends for support

Not everyone is in a position to meet offline and this should be respected. Also not everyone can make friends easily.

[Xavy]

After a week here, yes, I think I can fit in here eventually, I say eventually only because I am still a newbie and feeling my way around.

[Jockey]

I voted mostly no, but I would have liked more sensitive options.

I feel that I do not fit into the AVEN demographics much, and I lack a common cultural background with a lot of you all.

I feel welcome... mostly. Understood.... a little bit. Included... mostly.

The threads that I have started have gotten replies like, "This is the strangest topic ever".

[shockkkk]

Not really.

-I find a lot of the threads (especially those outside PPS and Hot Box) hold very little interest to me, and I feel that my posts in the two aforementioned forums get misinterpreted at a much more frequent rate than in other communities.

-A lot of my major interests seem to be shared by an excruciatingly rare amount of people here, or even seen as unenlightened by some.

-I'm with starrynight with regards to cake culture, PC-ness, gender, and our apparently over-sexualized society.

-I often feel like I'm the resident conservative bigoted asshole on AVEN.

-What I feel like are my best posts tend to be ignored or get limited responses, while my posts that seem to get the most positive attention I think are rather mediocre.

It's still nice to have a place with people similar to you to talk to, but I feel I fit in much better with the sexuals in the real world, than with the asexuals on AVEN.

[Guest]

Welcomed: yes

Understood: yes

Included: sorta. The fact that I'm nonlibidoist ace that doesn't really comprehend *anything* sexual still has me feeling a bit "estranged" from most other aces that still do have sex drives, still might have an "itch to scratch" as it were, or at least still have some rudimentary understanding of why other people do so. Nevertheless, this community likely comes the closest to feeling like I fit in that I'm ever going to find.

Pretty much this. I don't really feel I "fit in" because most aces (at least that I have seen) still masturbate, most aces (at that I have seen) still watch porn, etc. So, to me, most of the ace community (I have seen) is still as alien as the sexual communities. But, this community is willing to ACCEPT that difference much easier than most people I know. I won't get called a liar for saying I don't masturbate, for example.

I try to avoid a lot of conversations because I know the differences between myself and the posters is too wide to bridge and I don't want to upset anyone, so I just avoid it (I especially try to avoid many of the ism debates). But, that is just everyone being different and that is anywhere. :)

So. Yes and no. Aven is accepting and understanding, even if I am vastly different in a lot of ways to a lot of the people that are here.

[belovedless]

Most days I feel okay here, but then I realize how I'm not very depressed or how I'm super out as ace to my friends or how I don't like TV or TV fandoms or how AVEN can be a little racist at times, and I feel less included. So, I'll just say neutral.

[JDP]

No, I can't say that I fit in at all.

what makes you say that?

My age, sex, marital status, life experiences, etc. I have nothing in common with most of the people here.

[paper_head]

Aven is the only online community I've ever felt a connection to. So ... apart from still being quite new ... I feel welcome and overall just happy to be here.

[Nekomata]

I don't participate enough to say, really~ xDD. I guess if I did though I may feel like I'd fit in more.

[sound_the_bugle]

I said mostly yes.

Welcomed: Very

Understood: Mostly (there'll always be communication snags, though. The trick is to navigate them as best as possible.)

Included: Entirely

[Waist of Thyme]

Welcomed: yes

Understood: yes

Included: yes

My experience with AVEN is completely positive. I have a lot in common with the people here and everyone has been polite to me.

[Elnae]

Yes to all 3 for me.

Aven is the first forum I've ever got really involved in and I love it. ^_^

True, there are many different types of people/cultures/orientations here but I don't feel left out or uncomfortable because of that.

There will always be people that you don't like or fundamentally disagree with but you aren't forced to have discussions or interact with those people if you don't want to (unlike real life when you can't always avoid them!).

I have made a number of friends on Aven and the fact that I've been here over 18 months with no signs of wanting out is a very good sign that I'll be here for the foreseeable.

I agree with what La Maestra said earlier about meet-ups. Not everybody is comfortable meeting people in RL, I've been umming and aahing about going to my first meet-up for over a year and while I'm a confident, extrovert person usually, I've been surprisingly reticent about actually doing it. I want to but I'm nervous for some reason I can't seem to put my finger on.

[ScorchedEarth]

Do I feel like I fit into AVEN... I'd have to say I fit in here as much as any new person would I suppose. It's a confusing place to me now, but based on the community I've seen so far, I don't see myself leaving anytime soon :)

[Philiarocks]

Do I feel welcomed? Yes. When I first joined AVEN, I was welcomed by a lot of wonderful folks like Starry Night, Law of Circles, Kitty Spoon Train, SPFX Lady, Aqua Ace, Guzica, and others.

That said, I initially joined AVEN to be an ally as I identified as straight. I got a few odd PMs basically asking 'what are you doing here?' which felt uncomfortable. Even now that I identify as ace, I am upset by some of the assumptions and generalisations about sexuals here-- after all, my wife whom I love and adore is sexual!

[Notte stellata]

Do I feel welcomed? Yes. When I first joined AVEN, I was welcomed by a lot of wonderful folks like Starry Night, Law of Circles, Kitty Spoon Train, SPFX Lady, Aqua Ace, Guzica, and others.

I'm glad that I was one of the people who made you feel welcomed. :) BTW, Guzica was KST's previous name. :lol:

[Philiarocks]

Do I feel welcomed? Yes. When I first joined AVEN, I was welcomed by a lot of wonderful folks like Starry Night, Law of Circles, Kitty Spoon Train, SPFX Lady, Aqua Ace, Guzica, and others.

I'm glad that I was one of the people who made you feel welcomed. :) BTW, Guzica was KST's previous name. :lol:

Well, this is embarrassing. Haha!

[The Great WTF]

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. The fun part of being in a mixed relationship and very sex-positive is that there's always someone telling me that I'm wrong or that my partner's abusing me in some way, even on AVEN. I'm not a very politically correct person, either, and I'm another one that thinks we go a little too overboard on the PC-ness.

That, and being a gun owner. The mere fact that I collect weapons seems to freak people out around here, much less that I own something as apparently taboo as a firearm.

[The Scrabbler]

More than I have anywhere else online. Even among my fb friends I don't feel so at home.

[Guest]

Do I feel welcomed? Yes. When I first joined AVEN, I was welcomed by a lot of wonderful folks like Starry Night, Law of Circles, Kitty Spoon Train, SPFX Lady, Aqua Ace, Guzica, and others.

I'm glad that I was one of the people who made you feel welcomed. :) BTW, Guzica was KST's previous name. :lol:

Well, this is embarrassing. Haha!

Took me embarrassingly way too long to notice that myself, but it's been a few months now since I basically went:

"Hey, KST seems really cool, I like their posts a lot. Much like Guzica's... wonder what happened to him, haven't seen him post owt in a good while anymore... *clicks profile search* Oh. OH! *facepalm*" :lol:

[.Mari]

not at all, feel more alienated than a sexual community tbh

[Perkins]

Accepted? Kind of. Some accept me some don't.

Understood? Hell no. I don't think anyone here understands me.

Included? Meh. I guess so.

[Guest]

I wouldn't have stuck around for so long if I didn't feel like I fit in. That said, I've definitely become more distant from the community compared to a few years ago.

[piratedeb]

Accepted: eeeeeeeeeeh

Understood: in regards to the lack of desire for sexiness, I suppose

Included:I suppose I am as included as I allow myself to be :D

Being over 25, not growing up with the concept, and having a more conservative viewpoint then others on here, I dont feel 100% like I belong.

In some respects, I DO feel like I have more in common with most sexuals... with the exception of sexual attraction, of coarse.

As a defensive mechanism, working with the boys in resturants and all, I have developed a very crass and perverse sence of humor, one that I feel I can NEVER EVER use on here.

I also have sex with my husband. It is not something beneath me nor is it rape. I am indefferent to sex, I dont get aroused, and even though it is an activity I dont enjoy, I love and respect him enough to understand that it is something HE enjoys, and I like spending time making him happy. Relationships are about balance and compromise. He goes with me to the organic market, I watch football with him on Sunday. I cook him food, he mows the lawn. He comes out to a bar(he doesnt drink) with friends of mine that he dislikes, I tie him up and spank him silly untill he gets off. :P

I also have a very respectful and understanding viewpoint when it comes to sexuals, our sexualized society, porn, naughty bits, and all... I dont necessarially like it, I certainly dont get off on it, but it doesnt repulse me...its life. You dont have to like it, but you can still learn about it and treat it with the same respect you want others to treat you. ^_^

I am happy finding out that I am not alone in my lack of sexual attraction, but the forums overall seem WAY too young and liberal for my tastes.

EH... To each their own! :)

[Zedekai]

I always feel welcome here, I'm thankful for that.

Do I feel like I fit in? *censored* no! Haha!

I'm loud, overly sarcastic, sometimes rude, preachy & a curmudgeon (wait do I fit in? =O)

Seriously, there are many variables that separtate me from others but by being here and being myself, helps to show the diversity that we have in AVEN. Which should be the same for all of you to some degree I would think in your own way.

For me, I hope that other comically grumpy, ill mannered but well dressed AVENites know they're not the only ones here.

But the site is awesome, I've been coming back to it for the last 6-7 years so something is going right ;)

[K!m]

Mostly yes. The only time I don't feel I belong is when cultural differences are manifested as I'm not of the "greater" part of the world unlike the majority of people here. But that can't really be helped, plus it doesn't bother me much, so it's all good.

[DexM]

I get out of AVEN what I want to get out of it. I do my thing. And I enjoy it. I don't know if I fit in or not. It's not something that I can compute. My brain box doesn't work in that way, never has done, I didn't fit in at school, but that made it all the more fun as I could just be me. There was no need to fit into anyone else's group.

I have made many great friends on AVEN and I owe them all a lot. I just potter about, and if people want to join in, then that's great with me. I have mentioned many times elsewhere that I like to stay on the periphery of life. I don't need to join in anywhere, it's just not my thing, and I am quite happy to let life pass me by as long as I can keep my issues under control. It's different with AVEN in that I have been a member for nearly two years now. Something sticks, feels right. That's the longest I have hung around somewhere since leaving school.

[Atheno]

Yes and no. I'm not asexual, just celibate, but everyone seems okay with that. I mostly read/post in Off-A or whatever. I consider myself more liberal than conservative on politics, yet I often find myself disagreeing with the majority of Avenites on these issues. But most Avenites seem pretty nice. I voted neutral, but overall I'd say it's a good community.

[Guest]

Of all the forums I've been a part of, yes I think I fit in here and only here. I once was a part of the neoseeker forums and those people are indescribably mean. Here I have people I can relate with and join conversations without getting my head bit off.