FormerTexan was kind enough to re-activate my account for me. But I remain very leery of posting here.

This is probably unlikely, but it is an idea. If someone is going to go the trouble of buying a membership here, would it be totally out of the question to add *some* type of screening process?

I am not sure how it works. For a WOR, one is asked to do an intake interview by phone and to have a therapist send a letter of support. That would obviously be too much to ask, and probably not appropriate for someone at an early point in coming out as a survivor. BUT maybe there is something that would work? Something that would make people like myself feel safer here?

Obviously this would only be for the Members sections.

Thanks for reading.

I am going to turn my PMs and notifications back on. So I will be checking messages.

Love TW

Hi, TW, and glad to see you back, man. That's a good suggestion you have, too. I think an intake interview by phone with dues-paying members is a good idea. Of course, the question then becomes "Who does the interview?" The mods are swamped as it is with trying to keep things running, so it would probably need to be an administrative person. But even that can only go so far in that creeps could still deceive the interviewer. This latest round of fakes managed to get to the Members side in that at least one of the fakes was dues-paying member (I know - incredibly warped). I'm not sure what the answer is to all this, but it may be that we just have to learn to function with some level of trust here, learn to protect ourselves by not being too free with what we offer others, and then also be prepared for when a fake is eventually unearthed.

Again, glad to see you back, TW.

interesting idea... but i would not like it. i would feel like i have to prove myself. i cant prove my abuse happened unless i show you the tapes. so how is the person on the other end of the phone going to know that im real? and should i have to prove that i was abused enough to be here?

Jarrad. I understand your reaction and that is what I was afraid of people feeling in response.

I think it is more that I have the naive hope that actually spending five minutes on the phone with another real live person might make it harder for the fraud with any consience or shame to follow through with the lie.

I am particularly susceptible to feeling like I have to prove or convince anyone of my history. Noone should *ever* be forced to do that. Not what I meant.......

And PS, I for one would happily volunteer some time to doing phone interviews, if it would help get across to people that MS is a very rare and very necessary thing that should be taken really seriously.

TW,

I wish there was a 100 percent way to make this site safe, sadly there isn't. This site is as safe as we can make it but there is always room for improvement. The idea of phone interviews is a though but I don't feel it would work out. First off I would not have joined if I had to do a phone interview to join. The amount of time would be more then any of our volunteer staff could give at this point. Cost would also play into effect as we have members around the US and the world. Good idea about trying to screen and protect us but I don't think it would work. What other ideas do you all have?

Nathan

PS: Feel free to pm them to me if you don't want to post them.