Over the years I've personally fielded numerous queries as to the purpose of Lifesupporters.com. Of course I've always endeavored to answer the question as articulately as possible but I've found that this answer has continued to evolve each and every time it's given.

In simplest terms, we're a community of people like you who actually care for our fellow man and just want to make a difference. In broader terms however, I truly struggle with adequately outlining our purpose as it grows with each new member who gets involved within our community.

What follows is my attempt to tackle some of these questions on a somewhat point form basis. I feel quite positive what follows should help with some of the images outline but suffice to say, it's people like you who provide the color and these colors are vibrant indeed.

Why are we here?

...because at one time or another, all of our parents failed to practice safe sex.

As ridiculous a remark as this may be, you cannot deny that it's the one thing that connects you, me and everyone around us. The real question is, do you believe this to be the only thing that connects us?

The fact is that with very few exceptions, we all need a shoulder to cry on, someone to listen, a sympathetic ear and/or a need to purge our demons. The difficulty lies in finding people you can trust within your personal life to act in your best interests and to do so without compromising your relationship at some unseen level. It's not uncommon to bottle things up simply because issue importance is somehow less weighted than immediacy which often leads to internalizing (sometimes serious issues) which is never a good idea.

The simple truth is we can all use someone in our lives to listen without judging and offer understanding first and then insight but only upon request. This formula put to the test in a forum environment comprised of caring members from around the globe often translates to insight from directions you've never previously considered.

When you consider the fact you're neither first nor last to experience issues it becomes extremely interesting to hear how others may have worked through similar experiences.

Oddly enough this isn't even the best part. What is truly awesome about this environment is even if you fail to get a concrete answer to your particular issue, at least your communicating about it openly and honestly. This in itself is rumored to be half the cure to many issues so you may immediately find yourself halfway there before anyone even has a chance to respond.

Better still, you've managed to find a place where it's obvious you're not just a username but a part of a family that cares about each other.

...this is the essence of Lifesupporters.com.

Lifesupporters.com

Maybe it's not the best name for a website but after 30 days of mulling over a list of between 25 - 50 potential names, I settled on Lifesupporters.com and Lifesupporters.net. Of the two I still prefer Lifesupporters.net because when abbreviated Lifesupporters.net = LSn (listen) which I feel best encapsulates our sites main purpose (Lifesupporters.com = LSc, doesn't exactly flow off the tongue me thinks).

Of course by the time I made the connection that LSn flowed better it was already too late as many had already come to know us by our .com extension. Regardless of which name is actually better, you can always find us by both url's, Lifesupporters.com and Lifesupporters.net.

Lifesupporters came at a time in my life when I was experiencing issues from all sides all at one time. I just couldn't get past the feeling that talking about all these issues was actually becoming a burden to those few I trust which only added to the weight of my situation. It's bad enough when you're hurting but it's made unbearable when you begin to believe you're pushing loved ones away in the process.

At the time of this realization, I'd been staffing at a few interactive webforums online and had vented a small percentage of issues I was experiencing during that time. What I found was that it wasn't the responses that helped me but the actual posting of my issues was making a difference. While I can't say for sure it was helping with my mindset at the time, it was helping me to draw a clear picture of what my issues were and helping illuminate a path toward addressing these issues.

None of these sites I was working were really catered toward openly discussing these issues however so I took it upon myself to create a family friendly and safe haven online for just that purpose and Lifesupporters was born.

What I like most about this site is we're not only facing our issues in an openly supportive environment, we're creating a running catalog of social issues that is reachable online from all corners of the globe. This means that others who are suffering similar issues can find us via a simple search and perhaps gain insight to their situation. In other words, by helping ourselves it's quite likely we're helping others in the process.

Lifesupporters and You

Regardless of your age, sex, race, religion, political stance, financial background, or intellect, you hold one possible key to many issues that could be overwhelming someone to the point of muddy thoughts including their own mortality. We've all been there at a time in our lives when we were so low we didn't think lower was possible.

...that is until we fell to it.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a support structure to help them through these troubling times so why not provide it online?

Lifesupporters.com is made up of many people just like you. It may be that none of us are perfect but the combined efforts of a group comprised of caring people like you has the power to be the perfect resource. Even if you don't have an answer or input into a particular issue, just understanding and offering emotional support is often enough to help many not feel so alone.

What you get in return is a satisfaction beyond words; a satisfaction in knowing you may have truly helped someone who had nowhere else to turn. I simply cannot put into words how satisfying an endeavor helping your fellow man is, especially in this day and age, it's something you need to experience for yourself.

Lifesupporters Structure

I would so love to write that Lifesupporters is a structured program with clear goals and outlooks on what we plan to achieve and who we plan to help but that would be a clear lie. For many, clear structure is key in much of what they do but is this always a good thing?

The one side effect of structure I've personally experience is how it easily transforms into tunnel vision. Sure you're clear both in goal and direction but this clarity means you may be missing all the beautiful scenery without so much as a passing glance.

Our discussion forums are probably the best example of how Lifesupporters.com is structured in that most of the forum categories we currently offer were suggested by our members.

Lifesupporters and Family

The last decade has seen drastic changes in what constitutes family. It is estimated that close to 55% of marriages end up in divorce and as such, all of us know many who live in somewhat broken families.

Turmoil can make it extremely difficult to open up to people within your circle hence the reason we've provided a community well beyond your circle. Being an online and anonymous entity, you don't have to posture or worry about being judged by those you look up to because you don't know any of us personally and as such don't have to carry the burden of worrying how we feel about you.

Lifesupporters and Family Friendly

Our focus is to discuss issues that may affect any and all members within a family unit. We also aim to provide this content in a manner that allows for discussion within the family unit.

In the early days of Lifesupporters.com, we had a member who actually had her children register within our forums. Not only was this an interesting dynamic it allowed for 3 completely different views of virtually every discussion. It was really amazing to see just how much opinion could vary within the family unit but also to join in the discussions and learn from it.

This member admitted that it was the most she'd ever learned about her children and it opened an entirely new dynamic within their family unit.

Lifesupporters.com was based on the principles of not just discussing social issues within a forum environment but to take these discussions into your daily life and use them as the basis for discussion within your own family unit and/or circle of friends.

Lifesupporters and Communication

For effective communication to flourish, honesty is key. It's not only imperative that we are honest with one another but that we are honest with ourselves. You are the one person you cannot fool but if you can't be honest with yourself, what chances are there in healthy relationships with others when the foundation is shaky at best?

None of us are perfect and the most imperfect person in the world is the person who thinks their perfect.

Lifesupporters and Support

We do not offer professional advice nor do we claim to have any level of insight into what your issues may be. What we do have however is a community of people who truly care about their fellow man and who are here to listen and understand instead of judge.

Lifesupporters Community Forums

Our discussion forums really is the center piece of Lifesupporters.com and in many ways, is the heart and soul of the community.

Lifesupporters in the future

I don't know where we'll be in 2 months, 2 years or 2 decades but if I'm still alive during this time we'll still be online; here's hoping you'll join us.

Lifesupporters Family Friendly Directory

Complete information on this resource can be found in our Family Friendly Directory News Release.

Lifesupporters Hosting

I thought I may as well add this because of my horrific experiences with Webhosts, some of which you may know.

At this time we do not offer a formal web hosting program but that is not to say we won't host your site if reliability is what you need.

As in many aspects of our site however, we're picky about who we choose to work with because working with nefarious and abusive users hurts us all.

Lifesupporters and Advertising

Like many sites we do run ads from popular ad programs in some areas of our site. We also offer many tiered advertising programs suited to fit both your budget and your niche, assuming of course you live up to our Family Friendly Guidelines.

Who owns Lifesupporters?

Lifesupporters is owned, operated and maintained by Ken Lindberg (aka Duke).

As stated time and time again however, I provide the body and it is fine folks such as yourself who provide the soul.

Sincerely,

Ken Lindberg (aka Duke)
Lifesupporters.com Founder

Last modified Saturday Apr 11, 2009 by Duke.

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