the tickling community: How?

[LD_Tickler]

It seems to me that as far as a fetish community goes, we win. The tickling community is so unified, and yet so big. This seems to be an anomaly.

We have two huge forums, the TMF and TickleTheater - with smaller, psuedo related forums like the ATF. The result is a giant, interconnected node of individuals sharing media and having discussions. Tickling material producers are deeply integrated into this little node, using us as their market. They can observe their target demographic and deliver through already-existing distribution networks, and we can communicate directly with those producing the material we consume.

Now, the TMF has about 80,000 members. I'd guess offhand that for every member, there are 10 lurkers. So by random speculation, I'd guess there are close to a million people connected to our fetish community. Yet, the unity we see in the online tickling world is the kind of thing you'd expect to see surrounding a really esoteric, obscure fetish with few followers, where websites and producers are scarce and hard to come by.

I've never encountered a fetish community online whose niches and bubbles are so integrated, while still containing so many people. Why do you think has tickling coalesced in a way that no other big fetish seems to have done?

 

[LD_Tickler]

Alright I'm bumping my own thread.

Seriously though. Are we an unusually organized fetish community, or is it my imagination?

 

[Skipadeedoodah]

No idea -- maaaayyyybeeee......cause tickling is social by nature? So we kinda can't help it...maybe? 😀

 

[LD_Tickler]

Hmm, could be. It could explain why tickling is more unified than like... bug stomping, where you don't need another person.

 

[Artoo]

It seems to me that as far as a fetish community goes, we win. The tickling community is so unified, and yet so big. This seems to be an anomaly.

We have two huge forums, the TMF and TickleTheater - with smaller, psuedo related forums like the ATF. The result is a giant, interconnected node of individuals sharing media and having discussions. Tickling material producers are deeply integrated into this little node, using us as their market. They can observe their target demographic and deliver through already-existing distribution networks, and we can communicate directly with those producing the material we consume.

Now, the TMF has about 80,000 members. I'd guess offhand that for every member, there are 10 lurkers. So by random speculation, I'd guess there are close to a million people connected to our fetish community. Yet, the unity we see in the online tickling world is the kind of thing you'd expect to see surrounding a really esoteric, obscure fetish with few followers, where websites and producers are scarce and hard to come by.

I've never encountered a fetish community online whose niches and bubbles are so integrated, while still containing so many people. Why do you think has tickling coalesced in a way that no other big fetish seems to have done?

I wouldn't put the number as high as 1 million people, including lurkers, because you need to sign up to look at attatchments like images and videos.

A quick search in the members list shows that out of the 80 000 members on this forum, only about 13 000 have ever made a post at all. So the community is closer knit than it first appears.

 

[LD_Tickler]

I wouldn't put the number as high as 1 million people, including lurkers, because you need to sign up to look at attatchments like images and videos.

That's true, I forgot about that. So you think we're so unified because we're actually a pretty small group?

 

[Artoo]

That's true, I forgot about that. So you think we're so unified because we're actually a pretty small group?

I think so; in terms of the spectrum of human sexuality, we're relatively few. Which is why I think it's fantastic that we have so many resources at our fingertips.

 

[Cy/MiG]

Alright I'm bumping my own thread.

Seriously though. Are we an unusually organized fetish community, or is it my imagination?

I suppose we are organized...

So... we should let our presence known in the world, right?

We strike at dawn, tomorrow! Spread the word!



OK, but seriously:

Why do you think has tickling coalesced in a way that no other big fetish seems to have done?

I'd have to agree with Artoo on the one hand that our 'community', while still large, is not as 'tightly knit' as we perhaps perceive it (through sheer numbers alone).

However, (though I am not aware of the total number of members of other fetish websites) I'd say perhaps we are more 'organized' or larger because tickling, while sexual, is not entirely based in such.

Tickling can be many things, other than just plain sexual (technically and apparently it's not even considered a 'fetish' by textbook terms).

So perhaps that's part of it, too? Our 'not so vanilla' interest is 'a little vanilla' compared to other 'true fetishes'? (Just spewing thoughts, please don't take offense or personally).

And one last thought; perhaps more people are willing to 'come to terms' with a 'fetish/paraphilia' like tickling as opposed to something that seems a little 'darker' by the mainstream?

Like I said, tickling can always playful, so you could make enough excuses or justifications for your behavior if and when you tickle someone.

But if you say... like to go to the bathroom on someone before/during/after sex...

You see what I mean?

PERHAPS our 'interest/kink' is a little easier to accept, come to terms with than and/or express others...? (again, just a thought)

Or PERHAPS our 'interest/kink' is more complicated or has many more 'angles/dimensions' to it than others...?

Whose to say?

 

[TMF Jeff]

In terms of our numbers, we used to have ten times as many guests as members online at any time (you can see the ratio at the bottom of the main page.) But once we started allowing attachments, and you had to sign up to see them, that ratio started changing more and more.

Now we always have about twice as many members as guests.

As for the 80,000, I think that's a very soft number. People create multiple identities, or forget their password, or otherwise end up with more than one name. I think the real number is probably 65,000 registered people in our eight year history. So considering the two-to-one ratio of members to guests, which seems to have stabilized, I would guesstimate our numbers at around 100,000.

Of course, that could be a completely bullshit number.

What I can say with certainty is that we generate 8 million page impressions per month, which is a ridiculously high number. We're not a small community, whatever the real number ends up being.

 

[LD_Tickler]

Alright, thanks for that info Jeff.

Alright so my original estimate was using the old system, so let's take Jeff's estimate and say there are about 100,000 of us. Given how much this community is visited (especially 8million loads per month), like Jeff said, we're still a big community.

So, the question stands, why is tickling so centralized on the web, when the only other really centralized fetish communities out there are the really small, really obscure ones?

Cy/MiG

I would that both of the things you've mentioned - the complexity of tickling, and the mainstream appeal of tickling - would make tickling even LESS centralized.

Shouldn't each of those things lead to splinter groups on the web each focusing on their own particular angle? Why would all of these complexities come to be expressed in one place?

 

[Cy/MiG]

I would that both of the things you've mentioned - the complexity of tickling, and the mainstream appeal of tickling - would make tickling even LESS centralized.

Shouldn't each of those things lead to splinter groups on the web each focusing on their own particular angle? Why would all of these complexities come to be expressed in one place?

Because, thanks to the hard of work of many people, some still here, the TMF is the 'internet tickling capital' so to speak.

And if you think about it, we are 'splintered into groups'.

You've got:

-Gatherings
-Chat
-Tickling discussion
-International TD
-General Discussion (which is made up of Sports, Politics AND humor)
-Artwork (A myriad of styles)
-Videos (mainstream and fetish)
-Stories (Each based on PREFERENCE)

The TMF is a diverse culture, centered around the tickling interest, kink, fetish, paraphilia, enjoyment, whatever.

Whatever kind of tickling you like, you'll find it here.

That's why it's 'centralized'. Because the TMF has got what everyone of just about any interest likes. We're like the ultimate 'Tickling Buffet'!

 

[MrMacphisto]

This might be me being optimistic, but I think it has a little something to do with the prevalence of tickling fetishism. I think there are certain aspects of tickling that are more popular than people really notice on the surface.

As Euphoricy said, what we happen to like is social by nature, but we just look at it slightly differently than the average person does. Yet, I think there's something appealing about tickling that has mainstream potential.

I think the amount of members we have speaks for itself. We must have a rather common fetish, when you add up the number of members we have and then consider that there's probably still a lot of lurkers here. There has also been a bit of research done of fetishism in general, and we happen to tie into one of the most popular fetishes -- feet. So I'm guessing the proportion of people who have been drawn into this fetish through foot fetishism is probably pretty high.

Then, add in the fact that we're lucky to have some highly organized managers of this forum, and it's a great mix between having a significant demand for material and having good organizers.

Tickletheater is pretty big in its own right, and with the number of vendors specifically devoted to tickle videos, I'd say we must be a much larger demographic than is known to the mainstream.

With demand, there typically comes a certain amount of effort toward organization. (Ok, enough economic psychobabble from me... 😀 )

 

[Wildtime]

...so let's take Jeff's estimate and say there are about 100,000 of us. Given how much this community is visited (especially 8 million loads per month), like Jeff said, we're still a big community...

A physical community of this size, or even just a quarter of that would be designated a small city.

 

[Artoo]

A physical community of this size, or even just a quarter of that would be designated a small city.

That'd make for one awesome city. 😀

 

[LD_Tickler]

That'd make for one awesome city. 😀

I'm pretty sure it's called Kittletown 😀


As for the idea that with demand comes organization... well, take say, spanking. That's a pretty common fetish. But there isn't a giant spanking capital of the interwebs. There's a zillion different websites, and any random consumer or interested individual can get whatever he needs from one of several equally organized locations.

So why aren't there tons of dissociated tickling groups, websites, stores out there, with no contact with each other? All the ones we have seem to use TT/TMF as their base of operations.

 

[Cy/MiG]

So why aren't there tons of dissociated tickling groups, websites, stores out there, with no contact with each other? All the ones we have seem to use TT/TMF as their base of operations.

Lets face it:

It's because we're smarter.

I could speculate, but it'd be based on nothing concrete.

 

[Evil Dave]

I say we all chip in, buy a nice sunny island and declare independence from the rest of the world.

Or am I being a bit ambitious here?

 

[TMF Jeff]

I say we all chip in, buy a nice sunny island and declare independence from the rest of the world.

Or am I being a bit ambitious here?

I second that.

 

[Artoo]

So why aren't there tons of dissociated tickling groups, websites, stores out there, with no contact with each other? All the ones we have seem to use TT/TMF as their base of operations.

The thing is, there used to be (actually there still are) loads of tickling related communities out there. The TMF, TickleTheater, the UKTF, Tickle City, Stickly Tickly Forum, PureTickling, etc. The TMF and Tickletheater just happen to be the most prominent of those.

 

[LD_Tickler]

The thing is, there used to be (actually there still are) loads of tickling related communities out there. The TMF, TickleTheater, the UKTF, Tickle City, Stickly Tickly Forum, PureTickling, etc. The TMF and Tickletheater just happen to be the most prominent of those.

But do most other sizable fetishes have sites that are unquestionably the most prominent?

 

[ViperGTS]

I also think that our fetish, tickling in and of itself, is by nature one of the safest and the most fun fetishes out there. Most people enjoy being tickled to some point, and therefore are more open to accepting it as someone's "interest." Also, some other fetishes have inherent dangers built into them that experienced players know how to precaution - but if a vanilla person looks at, say, knife play, they might go, JESUS CHRIST YOURE GONNA CUT THEIR THROAT IF YOU SLIP! But if a vanilla sees the tickling fetish, what are they gonna say?

JESUS CHRIST YOU MIGHT MAKE THAT POOR GIRL....UM...GIGGLE!

 

[LD_Tickler]

I also think that our fetish, tickling in and of itself, is by nature one of the safest and the most fun fetishes out there. Most people enjoy being tickled to some point, and therefore are more open to accepting it as someone's "interest." Also, some other fetishes have inherent dangers built into them that experienced players know how to precaution - but if a vanilla person looks at, say, knife play, they might go, JESUS CHRIST YOURE GONNA CUT THEIR THROAT IF YOU SLIP! But if a vanilla sees the tickling fetish, what are they gonna say?

JESUS CHRIST YOU MIGHT MAKE THAT POOR GIRL....UM...GIGGLE!

That seems reasonable. Also it kind of jives nicely with Skip's idea that tickling is a social activity.

So perhaps the tickling fetish does have a unique web/community configuration, and it's because the fetish itself is more accessible than average.

Thanks guys. A nice, cohesive analytical theory. That's what I was after 😀