Lifering Online

What’s it about, what does it offer, what can it do for you,

as individual or convenor?A look at Lifering Secular

Recovery’s many different online support and informational venues.

Lifering has six main online venues

A sample page from the Delphi Forum bulletin board

About the Delphi Forum bulletin board:

Delphi Forum page 2:

Questions or comments about the Delphi Forum bulletin board?

The homepage from LSRMail, Lifering’s oldest email group

About LSR’s email lists

About email lists, page 2

About email lists, page 3 The Lifering Sober Living list is oriented toward

people with longer-term sobriety who wanted to discuss changes in life from that perspective.

LSRBody list is for those with body image, food &related issues who want to address them in a non-Step way.

The LGBTQ Portal provides a supportive environment for people in recovery who identify as LGBTQ.

The WO-list is a women’s sobriety list. There is a Workbook study e-mail group.

About email lists, page 4

Questions about Lifering’s email groups?

The homepage from Lifering’s Ning social networking page

About Lifering’s Ning site

Ning is somewhat like Facebook. But, from its start, it was oriented toward groups, not individuals, starting sites on about anything they wanted to.

People can personalize their page with preset template schemes, them further personalize colors, fonts, etc.

Ning has advantages of the Delphi Forum and then some. People can do blog posts, start comment threads, post music, video and photos to their individual pages, etc. In other words, it’s a way for people to share sober living and growth. An example:

My page from Lifering’s Ning social networking site

Lifering’s Ning site, page 2 Within Ning, people can, and have, stared

subgroups. For example, there’s a subgroup for people who’s primary, or semi-major, problem was with marijuana, not alcohol.

Ning is Lifering’s largest online venue, with nearly 900 members.

One good/bad is that Ning IS Google-searchable. It’s good for Lifering “marketing,” but it is not “private,” unlike Yahoo groups. Hence my alias, changed from what was a blog “name.”

Questions about Lifering’s Ning social networking page?

Lifering’s online meeting and chat room

About Lifering’s meeting room

Questions about Lifering’s online meeting and chat room?

Lifering’s online meeting and chat room

Help on Lifering’s home page

Questions about Lifering’s homepage resources?

Lifering Online’s future?

1. The future of online meetings: From time to time, users have asked about the possibility of audio and/or video meetings.

As Internet speeds advance and prices drop or at least remain static, this is certainly viable and may draw more interest. Overall, this has both good and bad sides.

(Note: Thoughts presented here are my personal speculation and not official Lifering stances)

Lifering Online’s future, 2

The good is that it would increase the connectedness level. The not-so-good? With video, many people might not like the intrusion on privacy, a reason they're in a chat room in some cases, when f2f is available. With both audio and video meetings, it might be harder for a convenor to manage a meeting. And, audio or video meetings/chats will surely cost more in terms of chat server hosting. Finally, a “Loved Ones” meeting is an area wide open to growth

Lifering Online’s future, 3

2. The future of Ning: As long as we can keep a reasonable level of Ning service with little money (our current level of service is presently sponsored by an advertiser), this seems like an area with room for additional growth.

With Ning having various apps, and the variety of ways it can be personalized, I have no doubt we will soon break 1,000 members.

Lifering Online’s future, 43. The future of the two general email lists and the

Delphi Forum: I see slow but generally steady growth here based on how people are looking for various particulars within online sobriety support.

Delphi’s structure won’t change; Yahoo Groups in general may have changes.

4. The future for non-online, non-face-to-face venues: Former board member Mona hosts a call-in meeting using a teleconferencing service. This, too, has potential for growth.

Lifering Online’s future, 54. The future of special-interest email groups: As

said before, I hope that face-to-face (and online) convenors promote the Loved Ones list.

This email list needs an active leader, one who would, I hope, be comfortable at some point with leading an online meeting, too.

The food/body group, given projections about our future in this area from no less than former FDA head Dr. David Kessler, has potential for more use. The LGBT, long-term sobriety, etc., have potential.

Lifering Online’s future: YOU

You are part of what will make Lifering’s future what it is, including its future online presence.

Your feedback to board of directors members, regional representatives and others will help make that happen.

The floor is open for discussion and feedback.