Social networking sites are plentiful on the internet. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Livejournal, yadda, yadda, yadda. But how many do we need, really? We all should be at least vaguely willing to accept that one's ego plays a part in the desire to participate on these sites. Why do we think it's so important to incessantly update our status and let the world know what we are eating for breakfast, or watching on television, how many drinks we've had at (insert any name here) party, how we hate Monday's and love Fridays or that we're tired? We think the world cares and if the world doesn't care, we at least hope our friends on our "friends list" care. Truth is, while some of them might, most of them don't. And now, we add to that long list of social networking sites, Volentia. The networking site that "celebrates the vegetarian lifestyle" and it's members get to socialize with others in the vegetarian community. Vegan Month should not pass us by without giving this brand spanking new site a mention!
My first reaction to discovering this site was "Oh no. A breeding ground for pompous vegetarians and vegans to puff out their chests and put on a show for each other about how educated they are for choosing this lifestyle." Admittedly, I was quite cynical and skeptical. After some thought, I imagined that such a site could be a great asset to the vegetarian/vegan community, but certainly, such a site has the potential to backfire as well. Backfire in that it would invite non-vegetarians/vegans to join the site for a "bash fest" and the purpose of the site would then get lost and be minimized. Yet, my curiosity got the best of me and led me to create my free account one month after the site was launched in September of 2009.
Shortly after creating my account, I learned that Ben Van Wyk was behind the creation of the site after being "friended" by him. I still wasn't sure what I thought about the site, but I did learn that Ben was just as interested in participating in this site as he was with creating it. He is real, down to earth and accessible. All too often the creators behind these sites are not as interested in interacting with it's members as they are just being the figure-heads behind the site and cashing in.
As a member of Volentia, you are able to post blogs, status updates, join groups, create groups, chat with other members, private message other members, upload photos as well as a few other cools things such as post Vegetarian/Vegan events to make others aware of what's going on in the community. The site is easily navigated, with a clear and organized layout. There are several themes to choose from when customizing your page with advanced options. Volentia isn't quite like Myspace in it's set-up and options but not quite like Facebook either, instead, Volentia, seems to have adopted the best features of both sites and mixed in it's own flare. Could it use more tweaking? Sure, maybe. But what site couldn't?
I can admit when I'm wrong, my concern of Volentia being a breeding ground for the pompous vegetarians/vegans to showboat has been disproved. The members are passionate about their vegetarian/vegan lifestyles and occasionally there are heated debates between members pertaining to such issues as vegetarianism vs. veganism or PETA. It appears at the end of the day, no matter the differences or the debate, the members respect their differences and meet on common ground. The members are all at various stages in their vegetarian/vegan lifestyle and are eager to not only teach each other things they've learned a long the way but to also learn from each other. The support displayed by the members is one of the things that stand out on Volentia. Ben sums it best by saying "Promoting the vegan lifestyle is a common goal that can unite us all." A site such as Volentia is a great venue for it's members to meet and interact with like-minded people, since all too often, vegetarians/vegans are surrounded by those who aren't.
Okay, so you've heard the pro's and now want the con's. Well, relax, there aren't many. In fact, I really only have one and it's not due to any fault of the site itself. My concern that such a site would entice a few bad apples to join just to cause trouble has proven to be valid. In my short time as a member, I've been a target of someone who joined solely for the purpose of picking fights with the vegetarians/vegans. This person commented on blog posts instigating feuds and belittling things that vegetarians/vegans believed and said. I blocked this person from contacting me while another member reported this person. Ben acted quickly and disabled the person's account. A positive reinforcement that making Volentia a safe place for it's members is taken quite seriously.
For those who are on Facebook and a bit hesitant to join another networking site, check it out, you can become a fan of Vegetarians Rock, a page on Facebook that Ben is also behind.
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