The internet has vastly changed and enhanced our ability to find and communicate with others. Networking has never been easier! But where do you start? The internet seems endless. One of the best tools for networking is the search engine. There are many popular ones for general searching and there are more specific ones too like for Pagan related websites.
General search engines:
Yahoo - Hotbot - AltaVista
Pagan related search engines:
AvatarSearch - AraidneSpider
A few key points:
When networking over the internet things seem rather annonymous, people use pseudonyms a lot and you may not be able to tell the age, gender, location, or real nature of the person you are communicating with. Always use common sense, be respectful, and safe. An easy way to keep safe and protect your privacy is to get a web based email address. You can check your email from any computer with the web capabilities and not worry about someone using your private home or work address. Some popular ones are:
Hotmail - Yahoo
Just click on the link to what you want to know. Enjoy!
I want to use a Pagan related message, bulletin board, or forum.
I want to chat with other Pagans in a chat room or through instant messaging.
I want to communicate with other Pagans using email.
I want find other Pagans through a personal profile or listing.
I want to use a Pagan related message, bulletin board, or forum.
Message or bulletin boards are easy to use and a good way to correspond with others. People just post questions or topics and others respond and soon a string of conversation is taking place. Some websites have bulletin boards for every subject. In this case use its search feature to find one related to Paganism. Suggestions for message and bulletin board sites:
MSN WebCommunities - Six Degrees - A Mystical Grove - Witch/Pagan Resources
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I want to chat with other Pagans in a chat room or through instant messaging.
There are many, many chat rooms for all kinds of topics including Pagan ones. If you use AOL just search on keywords to find related chatrooms. On the internet there will be popular websites devoted to chatting and usually have rooms for various subjects. Then there are Pagan websites which have their own chatrooms. Or you can download a chat program which will have its own rooms or communities. Chat programs tend to have more bells, whistles and faster chatting - even "real time" chatting which is very nice. If you are familiar with chatrooms then you know how they work and what types of people maybe lurking. If you are not be warned: no matter what type of room you are in and no matter what rules are posted people will be people. Smart, friendly, sincere folk hang out there but also immature, rude, and hateful as well. Use absolute common sense and decresion!
Here are some chatrooms and programs:
Pow Wow - TalkCity - The Park - MidnightGarden - Witch/Pagan Resources
Instant messaging ( IM ) is much more private than a chat room but more social than email. It usually requires a program to be downloaded. You also usually need to add the person to some sort of "buddy list". This enables to see who on your list is online and send each other messages ( like chatting) back and forth. You may also be able to leave messages for your friends when they are offline, send files, websites, and special greetings. It depends on the program. ICQ is the most popular IM program and actually has communties you can join based on topic.
Here are some Instant Message programs:
ICQ - Yahoo Messenger - MSN Messenger
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I want to communicate with other Pagans using email.
Email is faster then the old fashioned letter but slower then chatting/IMing. It can be a great way to get to know someone or share ideas. Its perfect for a penpal situation. Usually people will exchange email addresses after they have been chatting online and develope a trust. People also list their email addresses in profiles or listings - see details in that area below. It is not cool to email someone who has not knowingly given you their email address! If you see someone's email addy listed on a website, email them, and they do not respond back in some time - please do not harass them. Just let it go. Like wise if someone is emailing you whom you do not want to correspond with it maybe better to just delete it and not respond back.
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I want find other Pagans through a personal profile or listing.
This seems similiar to finding a date via a personal ad - but it works! Using the personal profile or listing someone can look for others or write about themselves. Feel free to include anything about yourself and what you are looking for. Examples: spiritual path, interests, coven vs solitary, age, gender, regional location, etc. You can sometimes include a picture. It is probably not a good idea to include your physical address or phone number. But referencing your homepage or email address is great. Profiles such as these can be searched via location, age, gender, or path. Witch's Voice probably has the largest listing for globe and you can find people who are living in your town. This makes it possible to meet people online and if all parties agree to meet offline too.
Here are some Pagan listings and profile sites:
Witch's Voice - Pagan Profiles - WiccanWeb.Net
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I want to learn about Pagan Networking Offline
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