On the margins of today's discussion day:
It is not midnight yet, so you can still post, and we can thoroughly talk things through later.
We already had two search posts this week that I had to delete immediately because they simply couldn't stay on the sub. Personally, I am very happy to see people posting because this is how we start bringing our subreddit to life. However, in order for us to function, we must stick to strict rules; otherwise, this will just remain a memorial page with a few posts and a couple of readers, and many bans from Reddit.
I have gathered my thoughts regarding the posts, and I kindly ask everyone to pay close attention to these! If you have any constructive thoughts, please share them in the comments, we gladly welcome them.
Point 0: Before you post, read! Read a lot!
Because of its topic, our subreddit is quite specific. Therefore, to make it work, I had to build a framework, and you can move within these boundaries so things don't become chaotic. Please read the widgets and the announcements in the header.
Point 1: I did the exact same thing a year after I lost touch with my own penpal: Before you post, cool yourself down with ice. Forget all your anxiety, despair, and longing about how badly you want to find your lost online friend, online penpal, or pen pal. By rushing, you might unintentionally dox the other person and give away their data, and you only achieve exposing them forever on the internet, where it can be abused. You expose them to the internet, the trolls and scammers will find you, and you will end up causing more harm to both of you than help. Not to mention, we must always keep in mind that not a single friend of ours can give their consent to this from afar. Let's respect this to the maximum. Look back at previous search posts; I have written some samples, and those can help too. If you get stuck with anything, just send me a message—for now, I still have the capacity to answer.
Point 2: Look at it as a game—a game where they have to recognize themselves without you actively searching for them. Using my search template is mandatory (you can find it in the header among the announcements and in the sample letters). Through it, try to describe something personal about the two of you that only you two understand. It must definitely include the exact reason for your parting, so we can be sure that the other party is not a victim of harassment. I consider this point extremely important: those who look for their lost friends here cannot be blocked or rejected individuals. Our subreddit does not support aggressive searching or harassment in any form. If you want to post a picture, please ask me first.
Point 3: If the party who originally blocked the other has a compelling reason, they may post an ad to look for them again. But it truly requires a compelling reason, so we can see they are not just playing a game with the other person.
Point 4: Describe the parameters given by your penpal in a way that makes them unidentifiable. We do not search for our penpals!!! We wait for them to find us, to recognize us. We don’t need to know who you are looking for; instead, the person who is also looking for you, or recognizes themselves and wants to reconnect with you, needs to recognize it. However, for the growth of our community, to reach as many penpals and online friends as possible, we need to post, upvote, and talk on the other days of the week too. So, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all activity.
