Opportunities for people to compare personal experiences
are not as rare as they used to be before the Internet.
Chat Rooms and Groups on the web can be very time-wasting, but questions can be asked and other people's conversations followed. Many web contacts are short-lived and go nowhere - but for the sharing of ideas the 'Information Highway' has opened doors in a lot of people's minds.
However, face-to-face encounters can have a special dynamic.
Specific topic lecture/demonstrations at fetish events can stimulate the imagination as well as widen horizons.
Especially when followed by discussion, such get-togethers can be liberating / educational.
Practical 'Workshops' sessions can
offer a safe introduction to activities which may appeal but at the same time intimidate. If opportunity to gain hands-on experience is included, this may be inhibiting for some - but offer a gateway to others.
Even for non-participants such session can open the way to future enjoyment.
Informal group discussions where ideas are shared in a social atmosphere are less complicated to organise.
Whether as a one-off or part of a series, whether in a private house or 'club', such occasions can be valuable educationally and socially.
Both ideas and addresses can be exchanged. I call such social gatherings 'Talkshops' as distinct from Workshops.
All of the above offer opportunities for 'BRAIN-STORMING'.
Sometimes the results of such exchanges are preserved in print.
SEE BELOW