When a BDSM novice comes to me to ask for advice I like to refer them to a few blogs that I enjoy who tell it like it is. A blog written by someone living and exploring a kink lifestyle is a valuable resource. What makes it difficult for any novice is that there are so many liars, fakes and misinformed people writing the ‘one true way’ of BDSM that could harm or disillusion the new explorers.
The multitude of blogs and websites giving poor information has led me to believe that the power of our community is failing in one of its most important tasks – education. Perhaps that isn’t exactly so, but the online arena, which has grown exponentially as the key entry point for new people interested in BDSM is lacking in trustworthy and reliable information exchange. Much of what we see online is a singular viewpoint, lacking in any substance and not backed up by any solid research.
There are essays about flogging for example, that try to teach how to flog, but don’t cover any anatomy or physics that might help someone learn correctly what to do with that leather whip. We have dumbed down versions for sure but most people say you have to learn from someone experienced in order to do it right. I’d agree for the more advanced techniques, but the basics really can be learned at home. Let’s face it… people are going to try it anyway even after hearing you spout the importance of learning from someone else.
The online community as a whole has a fantasy feel to it, and well it should, but I’d like to advocate that it can also be a very real place for people. The internet is the go to place for research and learning anymore. Why can’t we as a community really step up and produce better information? Each individual community has their small pool of articles, but no one can find them because they aren’t well known or in the first few pages of a Google search.
So how do we clear up the waters when it comes to correct information? What it really boils down to is having a few very strong places to go to get proper knowledge that is comfortable and easy to find what you are looking for. We need to have guardians of our online information; if that just means that someone develops a resource where everything can be collected no matter where it is online. We need people to make their articles part of public domain and share them with anyone who wants them. Finally, we need people to step up and produce articles that will help and serve as a witness to the safe way, the risk aware way or at least the consensual way we do things.
I don’t expect this to happen overnight and I really don’t know if it can happen at all. If there is any example, every news outlet that covers one story has a different lead or intention. Some news is more warped than others. But what we can do is have high-class recommendations that everyone goes to for telling it like it is.
How about it? Where do you go to get the solid information that you can actually do something with? How important is it for you to get good information online, or for it to be available for novices?