Email only

[bjedrick]

I am completely confused by social media, and am hearing-impaired, so only communicate via email. I would like to make new friends who share my interests.  I have detailed those in my profile but don't know if anyone can see that information.  If you can, and would like to email me, I have read that you have to send a private message, where hopefully you can include your email address so I can email back.

If you cannot see the information in my profile, let me know and I will include it in another post to this topic.  Hope to hear from someone who can at least explain what I have to do to start email-only conversation with someone.  I think the inability to display an email address is overkill since by now everyone is well aware of spam and can just delete and/or block unwanted emails. 

Hope there will be some response to this, otherwise I give up.

[fffred]

hello @bjedrick!

I read your AARP profile. Message received loud and clear!

I find your profile and comments interesting. I understand some, don't understand others. I sympathize with some but then disagree with a few more. But on the whole I would likely find you a sympatico person...as I am sure many others would.

Like you I appreciate the written word (the typed word, hand written, etc). My hearing is diminished and I can still enjoy the spoken word as well, though I always have subtitles on videos. I do listen to a lot of music though I no longer have "golden ears".

I have participated in many "forums" via the internet; beginning back in the mid-1990's. (I even met the woman who is now my wife through one of those early forums...and it was not a lonely hearts type of discussion group either). Some of these forums were professional, related to my engineering career. Others were for personal interests, of wide range. I enjoy reading the forums for what I can learn, and I enjoy writing for the forums in reply for what I might be able to offer someone who is looking for an answer, as well as posing my own questions or comments...on a very wide range of topics!

So I make a suggestion to you that you might consider participating in forums as an outlet for your desire for the written word. I don't think this in itself will preclude your desire for direct correspondence with someone (or several "someones") but it can add to your overall enjoyment. And participating in such forums will present you to a much vaster audience than your post here in the AARP forums (which forums are not particularly highly participated in) and you may find someone with whom to correspond directly with... maybe several such people with a different area of interest for each!

There are tons of forums on the internet, with so many different areas of interest. Some of better better quality than others. I don't consider the forums to be "Social Media" like Facebook, etc. They are "social" in a sense but are not at all like Facebook (the AARP forums are generally representative of what other forums may be like, though other forums are more highly trafficked and have a wider array of interests). Best thing is you don't have to share any or too much personal information. And you can use a made-up name for security (what? you all thought my real name is "fffred"?)

You might consider forums such as: Reddit (huge!), the forums at CityData.com (https://www.city-data.com/forum/index.php ...forums on life in states/cities as well as general and specific topics), and so many others depending on your interests. You can use Google or other search service to look for anything you might like... politics, literature, cooking, music, life in the 1950's, etc.

What do you think?

Good luck!