Introduced to a new tool...Couchsurfing. Setting up an account isn't like any other account I've set up before. Normally, an account creation just takes an email, maybe a name, photo, basic stuff...this site wants your whole life story and more. I guess for those who want to use the site for it's best features and really getting to know others, it is best that the site verifies to the fullest. Personally, I haven't been verified, but I'm sure to complete the assignments associated with the site, I'll have to break down and do it. I'm just not sure of how "comfortable" I am with this site. I understand that everyone out in this world is not out to get me...but I am very cautious with my personal life, and I really try to keep it off the internet. Sharing your couch (in real life) with some random person seems kind of shady to me...no matter how "verified" they are. Maybe it's just me..but I tend to speak my mind, and no amount of convincing will make me think differently about meeting people on the internet. Anyway, I've tried to find classmates and have had difficulty finding them...the friend requests made it easy...thank you Alana and Brad. In comparing it to other media tools, I think it's a little too complex for someone just wanting to play around...and keep in touch. For the organization, I think Couchsurfing should be a closed tool, where you would be accepted...kind of like a membership, and the verification process should be more than just putting in an address or credit card for donation. If Couchsurfing is going to be a community that meets, the membership shouldn't be a free and open avenue for anybody that feels like they want to sign up that day. I guess I'm a little scorned from sites like this...they give people the wrong impression of safety...I had a friend that met someone off the internet (who claimed to verify their members) and the person she met turned out to be someone else looking to commit a crime. I'll keep trying with this site, and making referrals...
To be continued...
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