~ ha·ven (hay-vin) n. a place of safety ~ A Guide for New Folks A few things you should know about Haven. Haven is a place to escape the challenges of the outside world, whether they are the everyday stresses of work and family or the challenges of a society that is unfriendly toward people of size. We're first and foremost a group of real people of both sexes who come here for friendship, fun, flirting and sometimes serious support. This is a safe place to be yourself without judgement. That doesn't mean that everyone will always agree with you, but it does mean you're free to express yourself and be treated like a person. Some people only join in after the party starts, some like to come early and help decorate...which one are you? We work hard to keep Haven lively and interesting. The managers can only do so much to keep things moving, we encourage and expect participation from members. Speak up, post, come to chat, make yourself at home, this is YOUR community. You'll get out of it what you put into it.  Where are all the men? The focus of this site is not on dating, it's about socializing. The women currently out number the men. We have a few men who make regular appearances but the others remain elusive. We would love to have more participation from the men but they don't seem to be the social creatures that women are and chose to remain in the background. Many of us are single and looking but we realize that no one can make a mate for us magically appear. It takes time and effort to get to know people. We hope that you make friends here and if you find love too that's sweet icing on the cake, but if you're a woman who has come here for no other reason than to find a boyfriend and has no desire to socialize with other women, I fear you'll be disappointed. On the other hand this is paradise for men looking for women. C'mon guys we know you're out there! Is this as busy as chat gets?  Six or seven people in chat is normal for us, we don't have the traffic of a public room. Our chat room is cozy and intimate but we would love for the numbers to increase. Drop into chat and stay for a few minutes, someone else is bound to come along soon. Be patient, if you pop in and see no one there, post on the message board that you're in chat and how long you think you'd be willing to hang out, more than likely someone will drop in to chat. Currently the people who usually host chat are on the west coast. People start coming in around 6pm pt / 9 pm et. If there's anyone in the Central or Eastern time zone who would like to donate a few hours a week to host chat a little earlier in the evening, please let us know. Excessive Email When you join there is a section called Messages for you to choose how you will view the message board posts, we recommend that you choose On The Web. If you choose to view them in your mail you'll be flooded with email and messages that may not make sense to you. If you're already a member you can change your setting on the left under Member Tools/Your Email Settings/Messages or click here. We hope that you'll make Haven your home on the net and feel comfortable enough to post and come to chat. For questions, suggestions, complaints or to donate time please write us. We hope to see you soon,   ©Cheezy Graphics, '02-'03 for the exclusive use of Our Little Haven.