Why join?

Everybody can view the content on this site, and comment on blog entries or respond to forums. But there are other ways to be involved, and if you want to participate in them, then you need an account.

Of course membership is completely free and the only real personal information you need to provide to get an account is an email address where your initial password and instructions can be sent. That means you can become a member and remain anonymous. (Some members of our community use different names in different parts of their lives, so this is important to us.)

So, why become a member?

For one thing, accounts come with the ability to make and search profiles of other members. In other words, you can get to know each other better.

This is a collaborative space, and members have more say in setting the agenda. Members can create new forum topics, and can post "Take Action!" items, book reviews, polls and new web links.

If you are a member and you contribute regularly in a way that helps develop this community, you will be offered "regular contributor" status, which will get you a blog on the site, and the ability to post events and other kinds of updates, information, or newsy things on the front page.

We also have editors who are like regular contributors, but have access to some of the administrative features of the site, and administrators who have complete access.

Our goal here is to build community, and specifically to build the kind of community where discussions of sex as it affects all areas of our lives are held openly, freely, and in ways that move offline and improve the quality of our face-to-face communities too. So while we welcome all visitors, we'd love to have you become a member and a regular contributor to our public square.

And of course if you have suggestions, please let us know!