Vampirefreaks.com

VampireFreaks.com is an online community for the Gothic–industrial subcultures. It was created by site owner Jethro Berelson (Jet) in 1999. It began with a small number of forums dedicated to Gothic–industrial music.^[1] Over the years is has grown to be a large social network, with millions of members.^[2] Website features include user groups which are called 'cults' and allow users to create their own communities within the website. The website also has event pages, music interviews, models, and frequent design contests. Its very popular messageboard, though largely populated by all kinds of people and not just goths, is a major component of the site's success. Its main topic of focus aside from socializing is its music, and it hosts its very own digital music store. Jet regularly updates the site with information concerning not only bands, but various Gothic events. Many people have found love on the site, and this has been focused on during Valentine's Day.^[3] Couples that met through the site submitted stories of how they met their matches. "Premium Memberships" are also offered (for a fee), these feature the ability to upload more pictures, see who views the user's profile, and "powerbomb" the "unwanted" VF members.

Clothing Store

VampireFreaks had a clothing store, named after the site, located in New York City. It helps uphold and connect people of Gothic–industrial subcultures. The official Vampirefreaks clothing store located in New York City closed in 2011 after being open for over 3 years. VampireFreaks does have a successful online clothing store, called the 'VampireFreaks Store'. ^[4]

Events

VampireFreaks hosts a wide number of events and Gothic parties, mainly in the New York City area. Information of these events can be found on its website. Events include 'Cybertron' a gothic-industrial clubnight in NYC, and 'Triton Festival', a music festival that has attracted gothic-industrial bands from around the world. ^[5]

Controversy

VampireFreaks, much like other social network sites MySpace and Facebook, has been potentially linked to several violent crimes, and life changing things including;

• A triple homicide in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. A 12-year-old girl and her 23-year-old boyfriend, whom she communicated with on VampireFreaks.com, were charged in the murders.^[6]
• Two Toronto men were charged with carrying out the bidding of a woman they met on the site by stabbing a 12-year-old boy 73 times, killing him, and drinking his blood^[7]
• The site has been linked to an arson in Minnesota and to rapes of underage women in New York^[8] and Texas.^[9]
• In Australia, a 50-year-old man and his 19-year-old son are accused of using VampireFreaks.com to create fictitious characters to meet Carly Ryan, 15. The father travelled to Adelaide in January 2007 for the girl's 15th birthday. Carly was drowned and was found floating in the water at Port Elliot on South Australia's south coast a month later. The two men, who cannot be identified, have denied murdering the teenager.^[10] On January 21, 2010, a 50-year-old man from Victoria was found guilty of the murder of Carly Ryan. His son was found not guilty and has since returned to Victoria.^[11]
• In December 2007, in California, a 23-year-old man met a 13-year-old girl posing as an adult on VampireFreaks.com. They met and allegedly engaged in sexual activity. Police were tipped off, and he was arrested. In California, even if minors lie about their age, they still cannot give consent. When questioned on the stand, the minor couldn't remember any details of their dates or the sexual activity they engaged in. The case was too weak against him, and the man was found not guilty on two of the charges.^[12]

• Kimveer Gill, the 25-year old young man who perpetrated the Dawson College shooting, which left one dead and nineteen others wounded, before turning the gun on himself was an avid fan of VampireFreaks.

Jet has responded to some of this controversy, saying that the website does not influence its users to commit crimes and that "The goth scene is a very friendly, nurturing, non-violent community and we are very supportive of our users and do not condone any illegal activities" ^{[13] [14]}

References

External links

• Official site