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TIME FOR CHANGE & SOMETHING NEW WELCOME TO POZQUEERS! |
POZQUEERS POZVILLE - ONLINE SOCIAL & PEER SUPPORT COMMUNITIES FOR HIV+ POZ GAY MEN HIV+ POZ QUEER MEN HIV+ POZ BI MEN HIV+ POZ HET MEN and WOMEN MARCH 2010 UPDATE We moved to a new dedicated private server. Please Go to http://www.pozqueers.org |
POZQUEERS is a FREE COMMUNITY for all HIV POZ MEN AND POZ FRIENDLY NEG PARTNERS who want to connect with others, whether it be for making new friends, or looking for a LTR. ALL POZ BEARS, POZ BIKERS, POZ LEATHER, POZ BDSM, GAY, QUEER, & BI MEN ARE WELCOMED! PLEASE RESPECT EACH OTHERS' COMMUNITIES WITHIN THIS COMMUNITY! POZQUEERS community was created to serve many desires and needs of those of us who live with HIV. Tired of the frustrations of seeing faceless & informationless profiles, the time consuming search to connect with others, seeing more spam in Yahoo Groups than Hormel packs in a lifetime and other online frustrations motivated me to start this new community. Sharing ourselves can help empower others living with HIV and helps us connect with each other. Sharing photos of places, art, sunsets, and other stuff that has brought new meaning to your Life is a wonderful expression of who you are. The power of images, music and video does much for our spirits. It is a simple expression of WHO we are, what we love. "The BEST part of any journey is the people we meet along the way." Sharing who we are may help others and in our sharing we truly enrich ourselves and those we meet along that journey. The time you take into your homepage and profiling connects others to you. So does participation by expressing yourself in many other ways. Your chances of achieving your goals and making your dreams come to reality increase through participation, whether it be sharing your photos or sharing your thoughts and opinions. |
ABOUT WWW.POZVILLE.ORG AND WWW.POZQUEERS.ORG pozqueers.com pozqueers.net pozqueers.org is supported & maintained by HIV+ poz gay queer men for other HIV+ poz gay queer BI men - always free! YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND PERSONAL INFORMATION IS NEVER SHARED WITH ANYONE! HELP PROMOTE OUR COMMUNITY and CONNECT EACH OTHER! POZQUEERS COMMUNITY RELIES ON OUR MEMBERS TO HELP PROMOTE THE COMMUNITY. PLEASE INCLUDE A LINK IN YOUR WEBSITE OR YOUR PROFILES LINK OUR COMMUNITY USING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING WEB LINKS: http://www.pozville.net www.pozqueers.org www.pozville.org www.planetdingo.net PLEASE BE RESPONSIBLE & USE DISCRETION AS TO WHERE YOU LINK THIS SITE. I setup this pozqueers community for HIV+ POZ gay BI queer MEN. HIV Neg Men are welcomed only if they are poz friendly. POZQUEERS is not a for profit site. There are no sales pitches! POZQUEERS COMMUNITY is a fully featured online Internet experience that features blogging, groups, skins, profiles that you can customize, enhanced searches and many other interactive features. |
A BIT MORE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY FOR HIV+ GAY MEN "queer: historically, the word "queer" has been used as a derogatory term, a word that demeaned and disrespected the GLBTQ community. More recently, GLBTQ academics and activists have sought to reclaim the word and "reoccupy" its meaning, turning it into a vehicle of pride, resistance, and coalition-building. So phrases like "queer studies," "queer community," and "queer theory" are common parlance. But "queer" hasn't entirely lost its derogatory power, so it should be used with care and sensitivity." Quoted from OTTERBEIN UNIVERSITY GLBTQ DEFINITIONS. The name pozqueers was reclaimed for our Pride. We refuse to be disempowered by those who continue to foster & harbor prejudice towards HIV poz gay men. There is no shame in being HIV poz. The word We refers to our moderators and members, the word I refers to Jim Thurman aka the dingo. We are hiv poz gay men, who have a desire in wanting to make a difference, for other poz gay men who might be looking for change. We give our time and energy and do not ask anyone for money or solicit for donations. We do what we do because we enjoy doing it, and we have fun doing it. I am indebted and grateful to many of our members who have contributed their efforts, energies, suggestions, including their patience support and understanding during the recent makeovers within areas of this site. And to those who stuck it out during the Snapp transition. I am currently revamping and retooling many areas of this site to make it easier to navigate and find things. Learning HTML CSS video editing skills sometimes is challenging as I live with health issues that have affected my multi tasking comprehension functions. POZQUEERS continues to be improved upon and has evolved by fresh ideas based upon our members input and the interaction and participation we see happening throughout the site. The community opened October 2007 under the name POZQUEERS. We embrace all poz men, some prefer to identify as being gay, BI, fag, m4m or transgendered. Snapp Networks, our host, provides the software and servers necessary to operate this community for HIV+ poz gay men. Snapp Networks is partnered with Google Ads and AMAZON.COM aka the Wish List, which keeps our community free for us to use. The only ads appearing within our pages are the Google banner ads, one on top and the other on the bottom of each webpage. The Wish List items you see on our themed pages and within other areas of our community are placed by our moderators since they are often relevant to content we have created. We do this solely to show our appreciation to SNAPP because we sometimes use a lot of bandwidth. We acknowledge sources of content used whenever possible. This acknowledgment should not be construed as an endorsement in any way by us or our moderators. If you shop AMAZON please consider using the Wish List since SNAPP currently does not charge subscription fees for use of their network. All Google and AMAZON commissioned revenue goes to Snapp Networks. Our primary goal is to help HIV poz gay men make new friends, share information and maybe connect them with that special man they may be looking for. If you are an HIV NEG gay man who is not blinded by ignorance, been partnered or openly dated hiv poz men, or wish to have a better understanding of hiv poz gay men, you are welcomed into this community. It needs to be said that we do not allow bug chasing trollers who have nothing better to do than troll hiv poz gay men networks. "The best part of any journey are the people we meet along the way." Our community is made up of varying colors and lifestyles. I come from the old guard, respecting others rights to their opinions, freedom of expression & beliefs providing they are causing no deliberate harm to others. Doing so I believe serves to bond and empower us, bringing us all to a better understanding and acceptance of others. Our goals are to encourage everyone to express themselves freely within established guidelines and acceptable social behaviour. Those guidelines are simple and may not be perfect. Nothing ever is. Everyone thinks differently and our sensitivities vary greatly. Please be considerate of everyone. Think before you post. We respect our users' responsibility for the content they choose to share. It is our belief that censoring content is contrary to our policy and one that bases itself on freedom of expression and speech. In order to uphold these values, our moderators may occasionally need to curb abuses that threaten the freedom of expression we encourage or that violate our terms. The boundaries we've defined above serve to enhance our community as a whole. The golden rule in POZQUEERS is simple. While we may not always agree with each other, we should agree that it's OK to disagree. Within this community respect the rights of others to have their opinions freedom of expressions and beliefs. If something offends you just do not view it again. COMMUNITY "We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been, a place half remembered and half envisioned we can only catch glimpses of from time to time. Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power. Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Someplace where we can be free." --- Starhawke There were several reasons I embarked upon starting a community for HIV poz gay men. At the top of the list were the proliferation of sites and groups cluttered with spamming, webcam live junkies, hot jocks, wanna hookup tonight, hot men now online, and site owners whose aim is solely to harvest email lists. There are a few good HIV+ gay men sites but most are limiting in features and scope. Some give you free access and others use the word free as a baiting tactic. Then suddenly you find your email box getting blasted with sales pitches spam and everything else you do not want. POZQUEERS was also conceived as an alternative for those tired of seeing faceless & informationless profiles on other HIV+ gay men networks and groups. While we understand some have their reasons for not uploading a photo of themselves, we grew weary of wasting time looking at others who constantly hit us up but had nothing in their own profiles. The frustrations and downsides some have experienced also include rejection due to non conformity, speaking out, thinking differently than the mainstream, the DDF, healthy, - UB2s and other ugliness doled out towards hiv poz gay men, and being commercially exploited by email harvesters because of our HIV status. So I started this community for hiv+ gay men who wanted something different and who may need the empowerment from others. Many of us have at some time in our Life needed that empowerment and received from it by what we learned or saw from others. And there still are HIV+ gay men who continue to isolate themselves for varying reasons. Those of us who have been there can relate. The power of words, images, music and video we love to see and hear also does much for our spirits. They can be used as expressions of WHO we are, what we love. Sharing of ourselves helps empower other HIV+ gay men living with HIV, and that sharing serves to empower us as well, possibly helping us understand ourselves and others. In doing so we may be able to make a positive difference helping other HIV+ gay men who either are still living in isolation or shame, or just may need a boost and new perspective on Life. "Why is it so hard to find someone in a group of so many men to get to know and maybe have a relationship with and get together. Seems like everyone does not have a good profile or something is wrong in their lives. I am looking and hoping someday." --- Taken from a posted comment on a Yahoo hiv poz gay men group. It is not the first time I have seen this question and comments like this posted on the Internet. "Something is wrong in their lives." --- Maybe so then again maybe not. We all need a place at times to vent and air our frustrations. Sometimes when we do this others respond back with comments that may help us deal with those frustrations. If your expectations are genuine then those people who are not filling out their profiles or contacting you are not people you want contacting you anyway. Putting out a question or comment to others in a group is great but when you cannot take a few minutes to type out a THANK YOU to those people, or fail to respond to those who comment privately to you, it sends negative signals out to others that you really may not be interested at all. And it is bad manners. Many HIV+ gay men often find it frustrating when searching the Internet for a mate. Some HIV+ gay men don't always take advantage of the new technology that we now have before us. The interactive applications and features are tools that can work for you only if you use them and are willing to share of yourself. If you are looking for a partner, small hiv+ poz gay men social communities such as this one and others like it are good places to look. Going off the beaten path has advantages. Regardless of where you look you have to put yourself out there by actively participating in local events and causes, not just going or giving to them. On the Internet getting involved in discussions is a good start. Sharing your experiences, feelings, opinions and thoughts with others. Then those who have like interests or thoughts, and those who may disagree with you, will notice you. Either way a door opens to a potential possibility of a new friendship or intimate relationship. Let's get back to knowing each other a bit more. For me this is what community is about. With this said we welcome you to check us out. Loving and Living Life without fear Jim Thurman aka the dingo |
PQ SOCIAL NETWORKS HIV+ POZ Owned and Managed for HIV+ POZ Men and Women "Keeping it free, as it should be, with no agendas." No Sales Pitches! "Unique and Different" |
Basic Guidelines DO NOT UPLOAD PORN, NUDITY or FACELESS TORSO SHOTS FOR YOUR MAIN PROFILE PHOTO! The basic guidelines concerning erotic content and social conduct are outlined below. Our Network is dedicated to providing a safe fun network where you can openly interact. Participation is encouraged but keeping quiet is okay since I know people have different ways of approaching new people. If you are not the forward type feel free to look around and listen for a while. It is okay to watch. This social network is slightly different, more unique than most other social platforms. There is a little something for just about everyone here. You will find some basics on wellness, relationships, spirituality, hiv, and more. Visual arts, pets, video, music, scifi, fantasy, photos, humor, literature, national issues and politics are the spokes in our wheels. Respect others boundaries and parameters, treat others within this community as if they were guests in your home. There are a very small number of men and women who will join mixed poz het gay BI networks solely for the purpose of converting or sexually hitting up on others. Don't act like that here. Harassment and abusive behavior including sending unsolicited explicit images to others, privately and publicly, will not be tolerated. Any person who negatively mentions another member publicly will have their profile DELETED without warning. The golden rule here is simple. While we may not always agree with each other, we should agree that it's OK to disagree. Within this community respect the rights of others to have their opinions freedom of expressions and beliefs. I have zero tolerance for racism, homophobia, heterophobia, and hate mongering. If you received an invite from us it is because someone referred you to us. We have not obtained your email address from private sources nor will we sell or trade that email address with anyone. You may receive multiple invites during the launching of this community because there are three volunteers and other members generating invitations. I apologize for that. You can use the link in the invite to not receive any further invitations. Anyone over the age of 18 who is not blinded by others' race, HIV status, sexual orientation, lifestyle, gender, nationality, opinions, age, physical appearance, beliefs and lives or is accepting of alternative lifestyles is welcomed to join. An alternative lifestyle is a lifestyle generally perceived to be outside the cultural norm. Usually, but not always, it implies an affinity or identification within some matching subculture. Traditionally not all minority lifestyles are held to be "alternative"; the term tends to imply newer forms of lifestyle, often based upon enlarged freedoms (especially in the sphere of social styles) or a decision to substitute another approach or not enter the usual expected path in most societies. Examples include Hippies, fairies, pagans, Goth, BDSM, polyamory, bikers, modern primitives, punk, non conformists, BDSM, leather, fetish, transgendered - gay and straight. A limited amount of erotic content is permitted and featured within certain areas of this social network. The content contains both gay and hetero erotic material reflecting varying lifestyles and people. If you are easily offended by any erotic content or alternative lifestyles do not join this network. Read the terms and guidelines below concerning erotic content. I am still setting up areas of this private network; skins, site upgrades and other features are being developed and deployed by the social network provider, zocku.com(socialgo.com). Staying Active: New members who take the time to fully extend their profiles and who are highly active are given special considerations. Those who just do minimal profiling and who are not active within this community will be limited to the number of photo music and video uploads stored on this server. Not being active translates to parking a profile, ie, never logging in. If you can't log in at least once a month and check out what's happening with others here don't get upset several months later when you find your account has deleted. When You Sign Up: You may not create multiple accounts for yourself. Use your primary Yahoo, Gmail or secondary ISP email address. I do not share, sell or trade your email and other private info with anyone. The first 12 profiling "tick" Inputs are required. All other profiling areas are optional (opt). Last names are not required, input 4 or 5 letters into the field. Nicknames should not be vulgar, obscene or sexually suggestive. The monikers MACHOMAN DINGO and KEYSMAN may not be used as part of your nickname. After You are Approved: You will receive an email once you are approved. Activate your account after you are approved by verifying your email address so you receive ALL notifications for your groups, forums, comments and subscribed feeds. Because of Internet escort, scammer and spammer schemes, you are prohibited from making your profile private. Spammer activity continues to rise on all social networks. Spammers will ask for your email address or cell phone number. Some will give you an email address or telephone number asking you to contact them directly outside of a social network. Typically they will start doing this immediately or soon after joining a network. Social networks provide private messaging features to protect your privacy and reduce your chances of becoming victimized by spammers who sell or trade your email address to other spammers and scammers. If it does not seem right, it probably is not. Trust your instinct. READ this article about spammers, phishing scams, spyware and identity theft. Update Your Profile Image: This is a fully profiled private community with faces and customized avatars. To retain an account here take a few minutes to upload a photo of yourself in a normal social setting that clearly shows your face OR you may upload your own customized avatar or image that best describes something about yourself. Upload the image into your main photo album. The image may not contain a link to other sites. Faceless torso jock strap butt titty crotch shots including any nudity uploaded as main profile image are not permitted. Nor are they permitted in any of your photo albums for the purpose of soliciting sexual hook ups. BASIC TERMS Uploading or embedding extremely sexually explicit videos & images within your profile, albums, blogs, and public areas is not permitted. Video players from porn sites often contain malware. I will remove them if I see links or if I feel you are promoting YOUR sites. This is not a sexual hookup, video photo trading, and cyber sex network. You may not use our bandwidth for cyber video sex or to entice others into sexual hookups. Former NING Red Light owners may not park their files on our site. Using our social network solely for the purpose of doing business for yourself or others is totally forbidden. You may not promote your (and others) shopping networks, enterprises, commercialized adult AVS pay sites and related adult hookup photo trading groups or sites. Posting comments with links to these sites and enterprises is not allowed anywhere without our permission. Keith and I will link your nonprofit social networks and support groups who do the same for us. To be listed on our links page your group or site must be spam free and should not be associated with known email harvesting and other commercialized enterprises. Contact us for more info. Everyone thinks differently sensitivities and communication skills vary greatly. Do not join this community if you are easily offended by others opinions, beliefs, lifestyle or adult content. If you see something here that offends you just don't view it anymore. Some people may object to the use of known words that are associated with hate and prejudice. Words such as queer, fag, breeder, and other words have been reclaimed for various reasons as symbols of pride. HATEFUL CONTENT: Users may not publish material that promotes hate toward groups or individuals based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, sexual orientation and gender identity. VIOLENT CONTENT: Users may not publish direct threats of violence against any person or group of people. PORNOGRAPHY AND OBSCENITY: Pedophilia, Incest and Bestiality: Users may not publish written, image or video content that promotes pedophilia, incest and bestiality. Child Pornography: I have zero-tolerance policy against child pornography, and I will terminate and report to the appropriate authorities any user who publishes or distributes child pornography. Commercial NonCommerical Pornography: I do not allow content that exists for the primary purpose of monetizing porn content or driving traffic to any pornography site. POZVILLE - AN ONLINE ALTERNATIVE SOCIAL COMMUNITY FOR HIV+ POZ MEN and WOMEN (and "poz friendly folks") "We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been, a place half remembered and half envisioned we can only catch glimpses of from time to time. Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power. Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Someplace where we can be free." Starhawke "We refuse to be disempowered by those who continue to foster & harbor prejudice towards HIV+ poz men and women. There is no shame in being HIV positive." I am indebted and grateful to many members of pozqueers.org who have contributed their efforts, energies, suggestions, including their patience support and understanding during the recent makeovers within that community, which opened October 2007 and has evolved into something very different and unique. A few of them I know personally and others I have met within that community. I wish to extend my welcome to them here and thank them for being here as well. My primary goals are to help HIV+ poz men and women empower themselves if they need it, make new friends, share information and maybe connect them with that special person they may be looking for. To have some fun, meet new people and give each other a lift when we (they) need it. Many of us have at some time in our Life needed that empowerment or a lift and received from it by what we learned, heard or saw from others. Sharing of ourselves helps empower other HIV+ poz men and women living with HIV, and that sharing serves to empower us as well, possibly helping us understand ourselves and others. In doing so we may be able to make a positive difference helping other HIV+ poz men and women who either are still living in isolation or shame, or just may need a boost and new perspective on Life. Let's get back to knowing each other a bit more. For me this is what community is about. With this said I wish to welcome you here. Please remember, this network is new. It's growth starts with you. If everyone takes a few minutes to invite others, you are connecting each other! Loving and Living Life without fear Jim Thurman aka the dingo |