I love this website. I come multiple times daily. I have found friends on here, support and laughter. I access it from my phone, home and work. I was just curious how everyone else - "saw" the PC Forums.

i see it as 1 big mantion, and all of living their are family supporting each other and having some fun along the way.

yeah.... about right.

[unaluna]

(((SS))) good one! - if the mansion is PeeWee's Playhouse! Lots of fun and interesting playmates, from all walks of life, and tons of different things to do. But also - it's like the Starship Enterprise in TNG, where people's problems have been solved and we pretty much DO all get along here - we just have problems with the aliens outside our ship!

[Sabrina]

I would not cope without my daily (several)visits of several hours at a time. I have made (and lost) wonderful friends here. I would seriously need to question my life without PC. For me there is no match.

[lonegael]

It's a place where we definitely are in the same boat, can't tell if it's the Ghost ship, Love Boat, Flying Dutchman or the Titanic, but there we are, and it's better than bailing alone

It's like a friend on your phone ... In your pocket , instant support just add Internet .

[Line]

It's become a place where i can realize (as i need to do a lot) that i'm not alone and there are people who care.

I come here mostly because I am lonely and PC offers me some kind of refuge from talking to myself all day

[Line]

Originally Posted by Mr. Venomous

I come here mostly because I am lonely and PC offers me some kind of refuge from talking to myself all day

I talk to myself frequently ._.

[Jordang]

A way for me to vent and talk to like minded people.

[LiteraryLark]

I love this website. I probably check the forums 20 times a day. I have some friends here, though I'm not big on me leaving messages on others' profiles. This is a very safe place, and though some things I'm not comfortable talking about, I know I can find support and security.

When I first joined, I was in the adolescent section of Y!A and I was more used to the drama that went on there that I was a bit lost and disoriented. Now, I'm trying to help other people out when I can, and I know I can be way too straightforward about things. I like helping other people. And now that I've been here for a couple years I can say I've really grown to the people here and feel like I'm part of something, like apart of a nutty family with big hearts (was that a little too cheesy?)

I come here to seek serenity and peacefulness. I haven't been on the games because I've got a lot on my plate atm, but just reading the forums here is so calming and gives me something to think about. This is a wonderful website and I hope it stays this wonderful.

[di meliora]

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Attributed to several.

Originally Posted by hankster

(((SS))) good one! - if the mansion is PeeWee's Playhouse! Lots of fun and interesting playmates, from all walks of life, and tons of different things to do. But also - it's like the Starship Enterprise in TNG, where people's problems have been solved and we pretty much DO all get along here - we just have problems with the aliens outside our ship!

well, we better hope no aliens come aboard then!
*sits in the corner of the ship, and wonders when someone will come sit with me

[CastlesInTheAir]

I don't know where I would be without this place, I imagine not somewhere good. I feel like I fit here and don't feel so alone in my head....

[dillpickle1983]

It means a continuous support place for me to come too. I love PC so much. I probably am on the site 4-5 hrs per day.

[smilehopeandlive]

I am still waiting to amke firends....is something wrong with em.....I got the chat regularly but havent made friend syet....

Well it means several things to me i suppose.....its a place i can come and whine and people will actually understand where im coming. Its a place where i feel i can make a valuable contribution and hopefully support others. Its also a place where i can socialise with people who are like-minded and fun to be around. In essence PC is a life line - i struggle with agoraphobic tendencies, i don't go out all that much anymore and with friends who are always busy working and getting on with their lives PC is important in making me feel...important, i suppose. I recognize that im probably here far too often but whatever works right?

[lynn P.]

I had/have a marriage problem that I couldn't share with anyone in real life and had kept it in for 2 years. I was like a pressure cooker and found PC - it gave me an outlet to vent. Due to the mental abuse I've gone through, its isolated me from having real friends. How can I have a friend, if I have to hide my suffering. Most people think I'm lucky and live an easy life. I've met the nicest people here and when I'm on, its feels like a mini brain vacation....where I can temporarily forget my problems and fears.

[eskielover]

I started coming here almost 8 years ago right when my mom had just had cancer surgery & I knew things weren't going good. The stress of my new foal who got injured at 3 weeks old that I was caring for & the stress of my mothers condition & also the asthma attack I had that summer from the smoke of a forest fire triggered my anorexia to start again, so that was my first area of support I experienced. I had no idea that just a month later I would be going through a horrible trauma with the home care person that caused the anorexia to get even worst & end up with PTSD issues on top of that. The support I got through the trauma & afterward when I was in the medical hospital & when my mother died was amazing....something I had never experienced before...knowing & caring people who I could even try to care back to with what little support I had left inside of me.

I kept coming here through my recovery....the support with the PTSD issues & the anorexia were wonderful......2 years later, the support I got after leaving my husband & driving the moving truck 2100 miles across the US to my new farm was also beyond words.....every night, the ability to check in & look forward to that, made my day go so much better......getting settled in a new home where I didn't know anyone, I think PC helped with that also because it was like having one stable place in my life that I knew & that wasn't completely new to me.

Life grew & I formed IRL friendships & wonderful IRL support while still holding PC as my stable constant that I always enjoyed spending hours at each day. Had some financial issues came up with the person who installed my heat pump when I changed over from propane. He was a crook & because of that ended up having my electric bill run up into over $1500 that winter........never thought at the time that PC under DocJohn's guidance would band together & help me out with a huge financial help through one of the fund raisers that he has since set up to help people in financial trouble......wow, the help that was & how much everyone cared really helped me know even more what a wonderful community we are, sticking together to help each other & give support even when the financial ability isn't there when rough times hit.

Giving support as well as getting support here I think is the most wonderful part of PC.....it makes us the caring family atmosphere that truly makes PC different is such a good way. I have come to be very close with several of the social groups the new platform created almost 4 years ago now.......there is a close bond between those of us who's beliefs are brought together closely through the social groups......while there is a closeness & acceptance by all here. The acceptance & the civility that exists proves that it is possible.....just wish that the whole world could figure out what PC has accomplished. We don't have to have the same beliefs of the same backgrounds to be able to care & support those who are in need around us.

It will be 8 years this October that I have been here. PC has seem me through my bad times & my good times & they are still helping me through the stress that is hitting again while finally being able to get the divorce I have been waiting for so long & dealing with the foreclosure issues & how to protect what I have from the stupid financial issues that my stbxh has pulled yet again. It's amazing looking back over the last 8 years & actually having the archives of what has gone on throughout those years.....but also what support I have been able to give others during the time that I have been struggling myself I think is the greatest part of PC because it helps take our minds off of JUST OURSELVES to realize that others are hurting too & our experiences can also help others who are going through similar issues & sometimes just providing another way of looking at things not only helps them, but helps ourselves also.

OK, PC has been such a huge part of my life for these last 8 years....I'm entitled to write my famous novel length posts about it...lol.

[whenwillitend]

I haven't been here as long as others, but I have found a lot of love here, lots of caring people, this is the only place where I feel I can really be myself, where I know I won't be judged, where I can take off that mask. I don't have to hide anything, I don't have to pretend anything. I don't have to worry that people will abandon me when I'm having a hard time.

I come here several times a day as well. I just wish I was better at helping others and giving advice. Sometimes I reply, and then I read the next replies after me and just feel stupid because they are so much better. So a lot of the time I stick with hugs.

Edited to add: Holy Cow, I just realized I've been here for going on two years!! Time truly flies. I could have sworn I signed up late last year.

[OctobersBlackRose]

I have only been here a few month but this forum has given me a feeling of not being alone in my mental health issues, and has helped me to get back into therapy and to get formal professional neuropsychological testing to try to find some answers and reasons for why i have these issues

[LiveThroughThis]

I too see this as a mansion of family members---some I disagree with and don't feel altogether warmly to--but also, mostly, a group where I can find people who relate to what I deal with---moreso than I've found in a long long time. And being able to share my experiences in hopes that others won't feel so alone.

Basically what everyone else said,

[IchbinkeinTeufel]

To me, it means a place I can go to talk to people about casual humdrum stuff, but also to talk about some of the touchier subjects, without much in the way of fear of ridicule. This place also means some dodgy memories.

[Harley47]

To me, it makes me feel good to offer what limited help I can. I can't always post in some topics (a lot of it is outside my realm of experience/knowledge, thus making me a little uncomfortable posting), and sometimes I can talk myself into a hole, but every hug or thanks or PM (some of which have been really touching) I get...it's just nice to know that someone somewhere is feeling better because of me.

[Sameer6]

Originally Posted by smilehopeandlive

I am still waiting to amke firends....is something wrong with em.....I got the chat regularly but havent made friend syet....

Online chat is not going to help.Its waste.Rarely one can make good friends in online while many others experience bad chat and becoming friends with people who later behave in a different way.