Adoption Rules + Information [READ THIS FIRST!]

http://www.wiwi.tu-freiberg.de/engli.../Data/note.gif The rules, some of them fundamental, are often debated. So don't be too surprised if there is a variation. -Kaniaz

NOTE: Please read this entire thread before posting a question to streamline things. Thanks!

Welcome to the Adoption Program here on Dream Views! The adoption program was developed so that users just starting out with Lucid Dreaming (or wanting to refine their methods, etc.) could be paired up with a more experienced mentor, who would provide advice, guidance, and encouragement to the less experienced user. This program has been in effect here for some time now and has proved quite successful. To continue to keep the program running smoothly, it continues to change, and this is currently what you need to know to participate:

1. New users seeking adoption must be members here for no less than 2 weeks before they state interest in joining this program; this makes it more likely that the user is going to remain a member here and not quickly disappear.

2. Potential adoptees (those seeking adoption) are required to scour the board and search for a current member who they would like to be adopted by. It is absolutely necessary that the potential adoptees determine for themselves who they would like to be adopted by because this ensures dedication to the program and also helps alleviate the work required by the Dream Guides. Potential adoptees can get to know other users via reading old threads, participating in new threads (including the perhaps more personal conversations that can develop in the off-topic forums), and of course by using our chat program. While searching for a potential adopter, potential adoptees should keep in mind that the requested adopter may already have too many on-going adoptions; the adopter's signature should identify the current adoptions that user is involved in.

3. Once the potential adoptee has located someone whom he or she would like to be adopted by, then he or she should contact a Dream Guide--perhaps, if desired, the very same one who originally welcomed him or her to the board--and state his or her interest in the program and the name of the user who he or she would like to be adopted by. The Dream Guide will then take care of contacting the potential adopter to see if the arrangement can be made. Those who contact a Dream Guide in regards to being adopted should keep in mind that if the requested adopter does not respond to the Dream Guide's PM then the Dream Guide may forget to get back to the adoptee who made the request (simply because Dream Guides are constantly PMing new users), so the adoptee may need to follow-up with the Dream Guide.

4. If the potential adopter agrees to the adoption then the Dream Guide should post a message in the Adoptions forum declaring the adoption.

5. Potential adopters do not need a certain number of posts to participate, nor do they need to be here for a certain amount of time. It is assumed that those willing to adopt can be trusted to have some experience and ability.

6. Potential adopters are welcome to express their interest in adopting in the Adoptions forum. Those seeking adoption should not count on this though because many people simply need to be approached about joining before they will become interested.

7. Individual adoptions are supposed to be short-lived; this ensures that there are always users available to adopt. The adoption itself should probably last somewhere between 1 and 3 months.

8. Please keep in mind that it is incumbent upon the adoptees to ask their adopters questions! Adopters are people too and probably have many different things going on in their lives, so they may not be able to provide prepared lectures and whatnot. Thus, adoptees should have a clear idea of just what they need help with and ask specific questions to their adopters. Adoptees need to continue to show their adopters that they are interested in maintaining the relationship; perhaps if an adopter has not heard from his or her adoptee within a couple weeks or so then the adoption should be ended so that someone else can be adopted.

9. If you posted your adoption request in here and have been adopted, your "adopt me" threads will be deleted to reduce clutter.

If you have any questions about the Adoption program you can post them in this forum, or PM a Dream Guide.