What is Dimensions Online?
Dimensions Online began in 1994 as the web site of Dimensions Magazine, a size-positive
lifestyle magazine that was published as a glossy print magazine between 1984 and 2004 and then morphed into this site and community. Despite its size and many offerings, the website is free for all, though donations certainly help to keep Dimensions going and growing.
What do you mean by "size-positive"?
Dimensions originated as the newsletter of a "special interest group" of
NAAFA, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.
NAAFA, which was founded in 1969, fights
against the discrimination fat people are subjected to in our society. One
special interest group was for men who actually prefer fat partners.
Dimensions was created to be a newsletter and then magazine for those who
love fat women, as well as a size-positive community and forum for fat people and their admirers.
What do all of those abbreviations mean?
Like most groups and sub-cultures, the size acceptance movement and
Dimensions has its own set of special terms and abbreviations.
- SA - "Size Acceptance" - a civil rights movement started in 1969
when NAAFA, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance was founded.
The size acceptance movement seeks to eliminate discrimination against fat
people in all areas of life and generally make life better for people of size.
- FA - "Fat Admirer" - a term that describes a person who has a
physical preference for a fat partner. This is not fetish, just a
physical preference, like one for a tall blonde or an athletic red-head.
- FFA - "Female Fat Admirer" - a female who has a preference for
fat men.
- BBW - "Big Beautiful Woman" - a term coined and trademarked in 1979 by the
founders of the original BBW Magazine. The trademarks are now owned by
Dimensions Magazine and its parent company, the Aeon Publishing Group.
- SSBBW - "Super-Size BBW" - an extra large BBW, generally over
350 pounds, though there are no specific weight limits.
- BHM - "Big Handsome Male" - the male counterpart of the term
"BBW."
Is Dimensions just for men?
Initially (as in 1983) it was. But almost since the beginning Dimensions has been a forum
for both fat women and the people who find them attractive. For men,
Dimensions is a place where they can talk and learn about their preference,
and find lots of steamy fiction, pictures, bulletin boards, chat rooms, and plenty more.
For women, it's a place where THEY, and not their skinny sisters, are the
stars. It's a place where they can learn about their admirers and to see the
beauty and attractiveness in their bodies.
Is Dimensions just a social thing?
It would seem that way, but it is much more. We've always viewed Dimensions as a
size-activist place as well as a lifestyle place. While there is plenty of
sexually oriented material, Dimensions is about size politics, acceptance,
and mutual respect as much as it is about celebrating the larger figure.
What does the website offer?
A bit of everything. It is a huge website that you can literally spend weeks
and months discovering. The libraries contain a large number of articles
and columns from the print issue of Dimensions. The "Weight Room" contains
well over a thousand fat fiction stories. There are a number of bulletin
boards, some of which have several hundred new posts every day. There is
a large (though infrequently updated) links section. You can check up on
events and parties as well as social groups in the Events section of the Dimensions Forums. The
Dimensions store sells back issues of almost every issue ever printed, Dimensions and other videos, fat girl magazines, and other cool
stuff. We have chat rooms, polls on current and interesting topics, and
information and entertainment on just about anything that relates to large
size.
How often is the site updated?
Something is added pretty much every day, and the forums are so active that there is always something new and interesting. Dimensions Online is so
large that we can spend hours working on a particular page or project and
most people won't even notice. It's like a huge park where there's constant
maintenance and construction, but it is so large that you hardly see it. We
encourage you to explore and poke around; you're almost certain to find
something new every time.
What bulletin board software do you use?
Since 2005, we have been using vBulletin, with great success. But over the years Dimensions has used a variety of different software packages. For a long time, the
main boards used the thread-based WebBBS software that made for lively
discussion and debate. Traffic has historically varied. At some time the "Main Board" had the
most traffic and people got into heated debates there. These days, the "Lounge," the "Main
Board" and the "Plus-Size Paysite Board" have the most traffic. I should mention that we do not judge the
success of a board by how much traffic it has, though we now often have over a thousand simulataneous users. In general, web boards have a life of
their own. Sometimes they are very busy, then there are slow times. Gossip
and fights for example, always make for lots of traffic. We do not encourage
that. Another software package we used in the past was the UBB system. Messages were
listed sequentially there, and that made it ideal for quieter discussion of
special topics. We no longer use UBB, and replaced it with the much more advanced and powerful vBulletin, the software you are in now.
What are the different boards for?
The Main Board is for general discussion. That includes pretty much anything
that is size or Dimensions-related. We added The Lounge just for general community fun, games, and off-topic stuff. And then Hyde Park for more heated discussion. The Weight Board is more of an
adult/fantasy style board where people can discuss their preferences and
desires. The FFA/BHM board is for women who prefer big guys. The Plus-Size Paysite Board
is a place for paysite owners and their customers. The Fashion board replaces the large fashion section we used to have in every issue of the magazine. "Hyde Park" was added as a place for strong (but civil) opinions. The Foodee board is for those who just love to discuss food. The Health board was added to discuss general health issues and those that may affect fat people. And the WLS
Controvery board is for those who want to discuss that topic in a safe
environment. We're not in favor of WLS, but since the topic comes up so
often I'd rather have people discuss it in a safe place where they are
neither trashed nor bombarded with recruitment efforts from WLS clinics. New forums may be added as needed.
What is the reputation system for?
The reputation system is a feature of the Dimensions forums. If you like what someone has to say, you can reward the poster for exceptional posts by "giving rep." Reputation adds up and shows up on the form of green and gold "cans" (and more). Reputation is to be given out only when it is due. The system limits how many people you can rep in a day, and how you have to spread reputation before it can be given again to the same person. The rep system is meant to be used to reward good posts; abusing it to leave negative or hate messages is strictly forbidden and may result in reprimands or temporary or permanent loss of posting privileges.
How did the plus-size paysite board come about?
Several years ago the Weight Board saw more and more posts that were
advertisements for plus-size paysites instead of discussion. Those posts weren't exactly spam as
almost all came from within our community and many Weight Board visitors
were interested in commercial plus-size sites without the usual crap and
come-ons you find on sleazy porn sites. Still, those posts took over and
became disruptive to the discussions on the Weight Board. We took a poll and
considered the pros and cons, then decided to set up a separate board where
paysite owners could announce their sites and engage in discussion of their
sites. However, that board was not set up as just a place for free ads. Instead, it's a place where plus-size paysite owners can interact with their admirers.
What are the rules for the plus-size paysite board?
As stated in the prior section of this FAQ, the plus-size paysite board is
NOT a place for free advertising. Instead, it is meant, just like
Dimensions itself, to be a place where plus-size people and their admirers meet on
some common interest. In this case, those who have a plus-size paysite may
announce and discuss their site on the board (including links) IF they actively participate in
the board with a) posts and general discussion, b) posting pictures on this
board representative of what their paysite features, and c) address issues
or problems that may be brought to their attention. Those interested in
frequenting paysites, on the other hand, are encouraged (in addition to
expressing their boundless admiration of all that abundant beauty) to describe their
experiences, both good and bad, so that the board also works as a
clearinghouse, rewarding those who do a good job and encouraging
improvements where needed. As on all Dimensions boards, cantankerous behavior
and personal attacks are frowned upon and transgressors may lose the
privilege to post. The same goes for those who fail to respect these rules.
And needless to say, this is not a place for solicitation and anything else
that is illegal. Anything of that nature will immediately be removed and the
transgressors expelled or reported. As for the nature of images allowed to be posted here, those familiar with
the Dimensions philosophy hardly need guidelines. We celebrate abundant
feminine curves and beauty and there are plenty of ways to accomplish that
without resorting to explicity, which is frowned upon. Official rules are:
1) All posts must be completely legal and cannot solicit/link to sites that provide illegal services.
2) Anyone posting here must contribute to the community via pics and participation in discussions.
3) Pictures posted may not depict explicit sexual acts or activity, may not show genitalia, and may not show nipples.
4)No plugs for Yahoo Groups or personal site. The Plus-size Paysite Board is for those who have paysites. Please do not use it to advertise Yahoo (or other) groups or personal websites. That can be done in the Weight Board.
5) Turn off paysite link signatures when you post on another board. Some people use their signature to show links to their paysites. That is fine. However, if you have a sig with a paysite link, turn it off when you post on another board. At some point I hope we'll have multiple signatures or a way to automatically attach different sigs depending on the board we post. Until then, please observe this rule.
Can you help me get rid of that idiot on a board?
That depends. If we're dealing with a troll or stalker, yes, we'll try to
deal with them. If it's just a difference of opinions, you should hash that
out amongst yourselves. While doing so remember a few basic truths: No one
ever thinks s/he is wrong. Over the long run, even you are likely to be
right about half the time and wrong the other half. Time heals all wounds.
There are times when it makes no sense to engage in vendettas. These are
only bulletin boards, little words on a computer screen, it is not the real
world.
Do people get "banned" from boards?
That is a thorny issue. There are times when almost any public forum is
threatened in one way or another by people who have their own agendas or
refuse to play by the rules. But just like there are some generally accepted
rules on how we behave in a restaurant, a theatre, a doctor's office, there
are some rules on how we expect people to behave on our boards. If they do
not respect those rules, they may get placed on a list of posters whose
messages will be examined by a moderator before they go up. Unfortunately,
that can affect innocent bystanders whose posts may also be affected. In
rare cases someone is no longer welcome at this site at all. That only
occurs when a person shows a complete disregard for the rules and does not
react to repeated requests to stop offensive activity.
Hey, am I "banned"?
Sometimes people all of a sudden can't post to one of the boards anymore.
There may be a message saying that a post will have to be approved by a moderator
or something like that. Does that mean you're "banned"? Chances are that you
know whether that's a possibility. Have you broken the rules? If not, you're
either the innocent victim of a block against a real transgressor, or there is
something in your email or Internet address that attracts the attention of the
boards software. Example: the system tries to make sure that a poster has a
legitimate IP address. If it doesn't find one, the post is automatically flagged.
There are many reasons why an IP address cannot be resolved, and it may affect
people who have done nothing wrong at all.
Do I need to register and have a profile to post on a board?
Our current vBulletin forum system lets you view posts without registering, but you can only post or view pictures if you register.
But, but, isn't being fat unhealthy?
Some people are meant to be fat no matter how much they try to change their
bodies through diets and other dubious means. It is well documented that
dieting results in permanent weight loss only for very few people. For the
rest it is an unpleasant and often dangerous regime whose negative health
impacts can far exceed that of remaining at a natural higher weight. We
certainly advocate a healthy lifestyle, but it is not always clear what that
is, exactly. Every few years the "experts" come to new conclusions and what
is "healthy" changes. We believe that people should be accepted for who and
what they are, and that they can be sexually attractive at any weight.
But what about all that feeder and weight gain stuff?
That's a loaded topic for some people. The way we see it, everyone has
sexual fantasies, and some of them are pretty strange and hard to understand
for those who do not share them. There are some people who find the thought
of a sexual partner gaining weight a turn on, and there are some who find
the thought of getting fatter a sexual turn-on. It is imperative to realize
that fantasies are just that, fantasies. There is a huge difference between
fantasy and reality. We see nothing wrong with discussing fantasies and what
goes on betwee consenting adults is no one's business but their own. In taht respect, Dimensions stands what we consider "Freedom of Fantasy," as long as same are sane, safe, and consentual. However, please realize that opinions voiced by posters and chatters are their own and not those of Dimensions.
What about your chat rooms?
We've had chat rooms for years. They were initially installed by our former
web mistress who used both Java chat software and rooms located at the
BeSeen website. The Java software was never used much and we ditched it.
BeSeen shut down in August of 2002. As a result,
we began experimenting with alternate software that's running on our own server.
We installed two systems, one a relatively slow-paced HTML-based system which had some neat features: you could send secret messages to anyone in the room, you could set up a private room, and you could also create a personal profile and register your
chatting nickname. But it was a resource hog and so we closed it. We also installed an industrial-strength "streaming chat" system that
is much faster, also allows private rooms, has profiles, is extremely configurable, and
you can upload your picture so that people see who they are chatting with. This has been the main chat system for several years now.
Is there guidance for the chat rooms?
Chat rooms are wonderful but they can also be quite confusing. That's why you should
read our special chat guide, "Rules of Engagement -- The Thinking Person's
Guide to Chat." We strongly recommend that you read it, even if you consider
yourself a seasoned chatter (you might get a chuckle out of it). We established several rooms in chat so that people with similar interests can gather for discussion. Moderators keep the rooms safe and pleasant enviornments, and they can answer questions. The main room is reserved for generic "BBW/FA" issues, others more for special interests. Rooms can be added or removed easily, so the types of rooms may change over time. People who wish to take a discussion private can do so. However, keep in mind that we did not make Dimensions chat available as a pickup place and we do not tolerate inappropriate behavior or deceit in the rooms. Anyone breaking the rules will lose chatting privileges.
Since Dimensions was created as a size-positive place for fat people and their admirer, one that pursues both activist and social goals, we expect chat to adhere to that philosophy as well. Chat is a place to talk, learn, meet with friends and make new ones, and discuss issues of interest. Numerous people have met in chat, then in person and ended up getting married. Many others have come to love Dimensions chat as a great place to hang out. That is terrific, and we will strictly enforce our rules so as to keep our chat rooms safe and positive and free of sexual predators, abusers and people misrepresenting themselves.
What's the "Women we love" section about?
That section began as sort of the reverse of all the "Before and After" features
you see in diet magazines. While the general public thinks that all women
look better thinner, many Dimensions readers and site visitors think the
opposite is true. the "Women we love" section lists a number of celebrities
that we'd love to see fatter. It is a very loosely organized section. Some
"inductees' have fairly elaborate pages that have been sent to us by
contributors. Other names have been submitted by site visitors. If you are
interested in a specific person and have some "before and after" pictures,
you're welcome to create a page and put it up in that section which, sadly, hasn't been updated in a while.
Why don't you have more free pictures?
Dimensions is not a pictures site, theough we do have quite a few, not all in the same place. And plenty
more are being posted on the Weight and Paysite boards by generous women who share their beauty
with us. We used to have a pay-per-view "image mall" whith a selected number
of superb high-resolution scans. We closed it when the First Virtual pay-per-view
system closed down several years ago.
What's the status of the print magazine?
For many years Dimensions was a 64-page magazine full of stories, columns, features and pictorials.
It's sort of a "Playboy" Magazine for those who prefer the fat figure, only
Dimensions is geared not only to men but also to women who love to see their
own body type featured in a national magazine. We used to publish an issue
every other month, but we have not published issues recently. That's in part
because of the hugely increased cost of printing and mailing a paper magazine, and in
part to having much less time these days. All in
all, we have published 88 issues of Dimensions so far. Some of them have
become treasured collectors' items. Back copies of almost all issues are still available. Should a print version become financially feasible again, we'll resume print. We also contemplate publishing high quality online periodicals of Dimensions, likely in PDF form. For that we'd need volunteer columnists, models, writers, and nother help.
How come the fashion (or other) section is so out of date?
Some sections of the website are indeed out of date or have been neglected.
That's because we simply haven't had the time to update them, because a
volunteer who used to update them has left, because we simply forgot, or
because we just don't have the resources to offer more on what remains a
totally free site. However, the fashion section has been reborn as a discussion forum.
What happened to the personals?
Personals are so 20th century. :-) But a good question. The Dimensions print magazine used to have hundreds of
personal ads in each issue, and during the mid-90s we also had a 900 number
system with thousands of voice ads. The web changed everything. With
personal ads free on thousands of websites, the cost and effort involved of
running a personal ad program simply made it unfeasible. For a while we
placed all print ads on the website, but haven't done so since our full-time
webmistress vanished without a trace. We spent a lot of time looking into a variety of online personals
systems, but for a long time didn't find one that was both easy to administer and can
accommodate our special requirements.
What is the Dimensions Matching System (DMS)?
We also launched the Dimensions Matching
System, or DMS, in 2002 as a way to bring compatible people together. We heavily modified
the system to account for the special interests and needs of large people and their admirers.
You enter all your personal data into DMS, then describe what you are looking for in a partner.
The system then computes matches and you can contact them via private bulletin boards. The rest is up to you!
And, oh, there is also a "Quick Search" function where you can enter certain criteria and the system
will return all records that fulfill that criteria. You can then add those to your match list (whether they
reply is up to them, of course.) Shockingly, the Dimensions Matching System, with ist 5,000 registered users, is absolutely free (we must be out of our minds). It is also totally out-of-date and we're working on a much better replacement.
What's the "Fat Sims" section?
Another ancinet section. "The Sims" is a game where you can follow the lives of "Sims," little
simulated people. The game has become a cult classic with millions playing
it. Unfortunately, the Sims are all very skinny and at some point I felt
compelled on spending an inordinate amount of time figuring out how to make
fat Sims. As I got deper and deeper into it I found ways to make them
anatomically correct, able to retain their fat bodies in all situations by
creating entirely new body classes, and so on. It seemed very obvious at the
time and I meticulously recorded all my findings in that section. At this
point I don't remember much of the details, and our work does likely not apply to the many newer versions of The Sims.
Will the print magazine become available online?
As stated above, we have been looking into ways of doing this for a couple of years. There is
a section on the site that has parts of some issues available for free
download in pdf form (i.e. you need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the files).
In fact, a few of the final issues of the Dimensions print version are on the site right now,
but I won't tell you where ;-) It is quite possible that we will make online
pdf subscriptions available. Those might well be interactive as pdf files
can include web links. This means that you could click on even small images
and link to the high res files on our server. Likewise, we could link voice
files to images and do other fun stuff. |
