Has anyone tried doing any prayer or perpetual CathInfo related discussions via Skype or Google hangouts, etc.? I don't like either of those brands as I hear they have shoddy privacy policies, but I was just wondering about our technical capacities and about expanding the conversation using the tools we have so we can solve these crisises quicker and obtain more graces.

Perpetual CathInfo TinyChat? Anyone know any good programs they'd recommend for this purpose?

Not video, but Google Plus yes. Just a few of us who share interests, or want to chat about non-CI, off-topic things ("here's a pic of my youngest!" or "look at this recipe!"), but honestly Google Plus is quite harder than I expected.

And Facebook is out because too many Freemason accounts whose purposes are questionable (or, if impersonating priests, just plan evil! De fide!). And you have to friend your fellow parishioners and that can cause trouble in the Church (or the church), esp when some are very politically-oriented, or vulgar, or fruity, etc. I've been fooled by fake accounts, as well; it gives me the heebie jeebies to think of who had access to my real life pictures and information.

I'd still like the Google Plus thing to work, since I don't think Google Plus will ever get off the ground really, and there are good privacy settings if you dig deep enough (Google doesn't appear to want private conversations or sharing, though, so it's difficult). But theoretically, if you decide you don't want someone to see your baby's pictures, you can remove that someone from that circle without hurt feelings, and still remain in contact.

The idea is nice because sometimes you need a pick-me-up, or a "look at my new flowers!" without having to worry about dogmas and always saying the right thing. And especially with like-minded people who seriously care about you and yours, and you can let down your proverbial hair a bit more (unlike on Google-botted forums, where posts remain forever even if you were just having a bad day). And there would be some self-censorship; no mods needed. Ideally.

Is there another platform (not just video; no offense, Pelly)? Google is just too hard and confusing. Maybe Matthew could open up a silly, non-vote section just for posting everyday things without judgement? But would he want to gunk up CI with pictures of our gardens or our paintings or Pinterest links? (And could he keep bots off the section so the posts wouldn't be permanent and archived for the world to see?)  I'm not seeing it. I think we "friends" here could have another server to "gunk up" with fun things or play games or whatnot (video chat too, though I couldn't partake). But so far, my G+ "test" hasn't been overly successful. Maybe it will pick up! It's got the video stuff built-in, after all.

:pc:

I agree with ggreg that there's more than enough around already to distract me from the things I should be doing.

I also shudder when someone suggests moving one of my yahoo groups to a newer platform like facebook or google. No thanks.

fwiw, SCG, the Cathinfo men's and women's subforums are not viewable by the internet at large.

Thanks, Pelly. I've tried diaspora (we have one, but haven't used it in years! I can't remember what it was for, even... one of my husband's projects for work, if I recall, but it never really got off the ground and the posts I saw basically became political).

I agree with ggreg that there's more than enough around already to distract me from the things I should be doing.

I also shudder when someone suggests moving one of my yahoo groups to a newer platform like facebook or google. No thanks.

fwiw, SCG, the Cathinfo men's and women's subforums are not viewable by the internet at large.

1. Yahoo groups? Is that like old Usenet? Would you PM me more info? (I seriously need like, a spiritual outlet, even as a lurker I guess. Though never again Facebook. I even went on recently to prove a fraud, and they made it so my "delete date" is 6 MORE months away. Really not my thing!)

2. Actually, no I didn't know the male/female subforums weren't searchable through a google search or something. --lol, I guess that makes sense (sorry, duh!). Good to know.

Theres still one thing though: I wish there were a way that we could block our own posts from particular others, similar to what the Google+ thing had promised, and for a particular reason. Last year, and I had no idea how bad it was, but I had upset a certain gentleman on this forum to such a degree, unintentionally, that this year he up and called me out and wanted to make "amends". (With me and a few others.) Meaning that something which had meant little to me (after turning it over to Matthew) was something this poster remained quite angry about. Angry to the point of sin. And I blamed myself because that's generally what Catholics do.

:faint:

We'd had a few PM exchanges that were worrisome (one, he threatened self-harm! As he lived on another continent, there was no recourse for me besides prayer!) I just forwarded all the PMs to Matthew and blocked the fellow and tried to forget about it besides a prayer; hope it "went away". I mean, his original post is still here; his words -- the problem was that I had quoted him, seriously hoping to be helpful at the time, but it had upset him greatly in ways I still don't understand. So I lay low for a long time, and I had thought all was well. Months passed, and I unblocked him, and he seemed to have forgotten I existed. Shoot we even posted on the same thread a few times, and he didn't seem upset, so ...really, I thought all was well. --That is until there was this general thread a few months ago like, "let's apologize and start over" to people, and I was about #1 on the list!

But I do need a forum/outlet. That had been a bad experience, even worse for me personally than the transvestite thing elsewhere. I think it would be really nice if there were "an honor code" we signed when joining CI that if someone upsets you, you block them (or at least say something before you threaten to blow things up!), and then nobody gets offended.

And again, I really don't want to gunk up the forum here with cutsie pictures or videos. That was a concern I had. Tell more about the Yahoo Groups, please? (Mostly, are they traditional Catholics? Do you feel comfortable using your real pictures? Etc.)

I actually have a St. Cecilia's Girl @ yahoo address! I just never check it; I just got it to save it, I think.