GayRomeo
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GayRomeo is a worldwide Internet forum, chat and dating community for gay, bisexual and transgender men. The site was established in October 2002 by PlanetRomeo GmbH in Berlin, Germany. According to its own figures, GayRomeo has more than 442,000 registered users worldwide and is the biggest German-speaking chat and dating community for gay, bisexual and transgender men in the web.
Because of its German origins the majority of GayRomeo's users come from the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria and Switzerland. However, since the site is also available in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, the number of user from non-German-speaking countries is constantly increasing.
In order to expand the international services of GayRomeo and in order to avoid legal problems with the comparatively strict German laws for the protection of children and young people, GayRomeo has been operated by PlanetRomeo B.V. located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands since September 2006.
Users who prefer to keep the site layout strictly non-sexual and inconspicuous, can use a graphical neutral version and a small GayRomeo-messenger available under www.planetromeo.com . This can be helpful while using GayRomeo from the office, a hotel or an internet-café.
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[edit] Social Coverage and Impact
In Germany, due to its high number of registered users, GayRomeo is often called the “Gay Registration Office” (schwules Einwohnermeldeamt) or “The Blue pages” (Die blauen Seiten), referring to the well known telephone directories the yellow pages and the white pages. Of course not every gay man is registered on GayRomeo, but GayRomeo reaches almost every social and professional class and includes people from all walks of life. In a satirical reference to the Nazis’ compilation of lists of homosexual men in the 1930’s, the German newspaper “Taz” printed the headline: “The pink lists are back”.[1]
Just like general Internet use, the use of GayRomeo varies depending on age, education level and other criteria. Even politicians are known to use the services of GayRomeo. For example, member of the German Parliament Volker Beck (Green Party) offered virtual consulting hours on GayRomeo during the election campaigns of 2005.
| Country | User |
|---|---|
| Germany | 261.000 |
| Switzerland | 20.000 |
| Austria | 17.000 |
| France | 13.000 |
| Italy | 11.000 |
| Netherlands | 11.000 |
| USA | 10.000 |
| Great Britain | 9.000 |
| Spain | 9.000 |
| Belgium | 6.000 |
| Other | 75.000 |
| Worldwide | 442.000 |
| updated: 04.03.2007 Countries with more than 5,000 users are rounded to the nearest 1,000 To be updated bi-annually |
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[edit] Controversies on GayRomeo
[edit] Real vs Fake
Fakers are a common problem of web communities. These are users who create inaccurate profile entries typically about age or body type. They may also use photos that have been retouched or that are of other people etc. Some users may even create several different profiles according to different preferences and moods. As a protection against fakers users on GayRomeo can mark each other's profiles as “personally known”. The more a profile has been saved as “known”, the higher the credibility of this profile and its owner.
Fakers are usually quickly reported to the support team of GayRomeo and are removed from the site. In general therefore the total number of GayRomeo users is only slightly influenced by fakers.
[edit] Safer Sex
Gay Dating Websites are often portrayed as encouraging unsafe sex (barebacking). To counter this trend GayRomeo offers detailed and high-profile information about safer sex, the risks associated with barebacking and other sexually transmitted diseases. Reflecting its community roots GayRomeo also freely gives its own point of view about such issues.
Contact information for HIV/AIDS support groups and organisations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland is also provided on the website. There is no censoring of user profiles that promote unsafe sex or barebacking, but in their profiles users have the option to state their position regarding safer sex to indicate whether they always or never practise safer sex or whether the issue for them requires discussion.
In addition to the health information available on the site, in February 2007 GayRomeo launched a live and online health advise service in cooperation with Germany's national NGO for HIV/Aids issues Deutsche Aids-Hilfe. The online supporters are trained in questions of health and healthcare, and all user's enquires are dealt with in the strictest confidence. In this way users are offered the same level of service as when Deutsche Aids-Hilfe do their outreach work in gay bars, clubs and saunas.
[edit] External links
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