FetLife

FetLife is a social networking website that serves people interested in BDSM, fetishism, and kink. On its homepage, FetLife describes itself as "Like Facebook, but run by kinksters like you and me." FetLife distinguishes itself from competitors by emphasizing itself as a social network rather than a dating site.

History

FetLife was launched in January 2008 by John Baku, a software engineer in Montreal, Quebec. Baku has stated that the goal of FetLife’s design is to empower the BDSM and fetish communities. The site is free to join and requires no purchase to access the community features.

Features

FetLife users are encouraged to create profiles and to post to their profiles pictures, text entries, audio files, and videos. There is also a standard messaging system for private communication. Users can also create groups and events, and they can follow the postings of others by adding them as "friends". The site is not indexed by search engines and, partly because of this, critics have argued that FetLife presents itself as being more private than it is.

Criticism

FetLife has been criticized for its policy that users cannot report alleged rapes or other abuses to the police, but must instead report them to site administrators who will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to take action. This policy has been objected to by users who argue that it puts the community at risk.

See also

• BDSM
• Fetishism
• Kink (sexuality)
• Social networking service