For me, it is many things:
a) How social the site has become - the profile areas, comments, feedback on stories etc..
b) The number of friendships myself and others have made. How many people have actually met in person, and the fact that a few are even getting married as a result of the site being created.
c) The vast number of excellent writers we have attracted in such a short space of time.
d) The story categories which are the most popular.
e) The number of colourful characters we have in the forums.
f) The willingness of people to help others, giving their time freely.
How about you?
So many things come too mind. I'm new here... so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
Here are the things I noticed about this site that makes it "better" than the competition
1. The Talent. There are some top notch amateurs here that I think should consider going pro!
2. That my anti-virus didn't go ape-shit like it does on most other "sex story" sites. I like that you aren't trying to sneak crap onto my PC (at least none that I can detect. *lol* .. JK)
3. That many of the stories here are more than just porn (ei: penthouse forum letters)
4. The lack of "flaming" (this is most refreshing.)
I didnt expect to fall in love with lush, I just thought it would be a way to waist some of my free time on, now I find myself making time for lush.
I didnt expect to like anyone on lush, I thought they would be rather creepy people, but now I find myself upset than some people have left without reason.
I didnt expect to get so attached to some of the stories on here.
The anonymity of the lush allows people the freedom to more completely share the intimate details of their lives without fear of judgment or rejection found elsewhere. While there are those who use the Internet to create faux selves, overall it's been my experience that most people are sincerely seeking support, encouragement, compassion and friendship in the area of their common need, interests or struggles. Bonds are formed far more deeply and quickly than through any other communication.
The best friends in my life are those I've met on the Lush. These friendships are as real as it gets. They know things about me and aspects of my personality I don't freely reveal to people in my face to face world. Not only did I meet my best friends on Lush.
When I have a crisis, I turn to my Lush friends. When I have something to celebrate I turn to my Lush friends. There are no more real friends anywhere than those on Lush.
I am not suggesting we replace our face to face friends with those on Lush. I'm simply saying that one is as real as another.
There are going to be those Lush friends who we may never get to see in person. However, with web cams, Skype, and other such virtual means of so-called real time visual communication, it allows for our relationships to become more and more real and meaningful.
I love that there are so many people here with a good, sane sense of humour, just like mine. Wait! Something cannot be defined in terms of itself, can it? Well, tough luck, there are people here with a form of humour that I can relate to, and those people put up with my sense of humour, so that's good.
I found Lush during a time period when I was working on a project somewhere else on-line, and it was taking a very long time for chapters that needed to be edited and corrected to get to me, so I had some time on my hands to spend looking at different web sites. I was so pleased to find this place, especially the Forum with the folders that allow writers to exchange ideas, ask questions, look for help, etc. Lush provided me with a much needed break and place to relax, but be challenged by some of the people who were posting. Challenged in the sense that they asked questions or had a perspective that was new or unexpected to me.
I found an excellent writing partnership and friendship here with Kyle, and friendships with many other fine people here, too.
I've tried to help out some of the authors here, and when they get back to me with a "thank you", that makes my day.
I have a lot of responsibilies in other areas of my life, both real life and on-line, and Lush is a huge break from those things, even though I'm now a story moderator. The responsibilities that go along with that aren't anywhere near the other things I deal with.
The set-up and site plan here is so straightforward and easy to navigate around. Nicola and Gav work constantly to get members feed-back as to what would make the place better, and they listen and take into consideration those things, and implement many of them really quickly.
The Forum. It's really a meeting place, and there's always something interesting going on.
Then there are the stories and the authors, and there are some wonderful stories, and talented people here. The standards are higher here than some other places I've checked out, and that makes a big difference.
I think I've been surprised the most by how much this site has changed while I have been here. I know not all the changes have been liked by all the people. One of my friends experienced a culture shock when she came back here after a long time gone. It is more open, and social now, but the trade off is that the anonymity she felt she had enjoyed before was gone. It wasn't the only reason she left, but it was one of them.
I like the changes. I know Nicola is probably tired of me messaging her asking "what if we did this?" or "have you ever considered doing that?" but that is one of the things that makes this site great. Everyone is accessable, even the people in charge.
The biggest change that I enjoy is the ability to chat with people on the site, either one on one, or in the chat rooms. Before that, it was either trade a hundred private messages a night with someone, or give out your personal email address. The chat is a nice way to balance that. You can chat, but it still remains on the site, rather than into the rest of your life, if you still aren't sure about the person.
Purveyor of Poetry & Porn
I think it's the nicest, most well designed, user-friendly erotic story site I have found. What surprises me most is that they still find ways to improve it...
It has been surprising to me that:
* I have been willing to share so many aspects of myself and my life and with online friends, when I still don't feel comfortable sharing them within some of my relationships in real life. The connections I've made here are very real to me... something I never would have guessed would be possible when I first joined.
* That the writing and the stories would draw me in so much. I have always been a "closet-writer". Most people in my real life don't know this and I have never let them read things I have written out of my own nerves at how intimately revealing it is to share something your mind has created. Somehow, it felt safer to do this in an online community even though I was still terrified at posting my first story. Lush has really given me so much more confidence in my writing and has definitely encouraged me to write more. Writing has really been put on the back-burner for me over the last few years, and I'm excited to have 'rediscovered' one of my passions.
* That Lush has given me an opportunity to talk/debate with so many different kinds of people from different walks of life. In my normal life, I tend to limit myself to my own social crowd, and it's been refreshing to get so many different perspectives outside of the little social bubble I live in.
* How much I enjoy leading with my "brain/personality" first. In real life, we are instantly stereotyped based on our looks. Typically people assume that I am the "fun, flakey blonde" that couldn't possibly have anything intelligent or relevant to say. Here, I am able to have a voice (whether people like/respect it or not is another story of course), but at least I show I am not just another blonde, smiling mindlessly, and twirling her hair.
It's funny when I first found Lush 2 years ago I was just looking for another way to "get off' got bored with porn and wanted something different. I was really surprised how quickly I got hooked on the site I mean it's my favorite place to hang out on the net. And it's great how much has changed since I first joined it. One of the best things added was the instant messege chat I just love being able to chat with my friends that way as Jebru said it was nice in the beginning with the PMs but that took a while. I have made so many good friends a lot of which I wanna meet for real someday. And many know that are close to me that I have even fallen for a former Lushie. But it's been a great find this site I joined another one but HATED it. I have to thank Nic and the moderator team as well as everyone I have met for making this such a fun site and one of the classiest sites around.
I love how fast stories are posted or rejected. If it gets rejected it's better to get it fast so you can work on it while you are still mentally involved in the story. Some sites take weeks to get back to you.
What hasnt surprised me? That I'm here..that i Joined! That I thought I could write a story..that I did! and that it seems i have a bit of talent for it.
But what really surprised me are the people. Everyone that I have met and gotten to know has touched my life some way and for that i am so thankful so here's to you
Darkchallenger..for letting me find safety in your garden
Aragon...for laughing, smiling and 3R..ill carry it always
Adamco...for being the sweetest pet ever
Shy123...for not chopping me to bits ;-) and becoming my first IRL friend from lush
Perseus...for the beautiful words
Johnlive712...for all the online help
Hardheaven...for seeing my stories for what they really are
Tommie…my colleague lmfao
Icecreamcandy…for being able to see past my bullshit
King2180…for sharing his story and not being a vampire ;-)
Terd_ferguson…for letting me be his muse
And even Tuff Guy..for patience…he’ll laugh when he reads that haha ;)
And oh oh! Cant forget Scooter…every gal needs a golfin buddy..aint that right scoot? ;)
If I forgot anyone im sorry…you know me..
Blondes! Love em ;)
I've been surprised by the community feel Lush has provided. I stumbled across Lush just looking for a story to read. I was instantly hooked. I had debated writing a story for about 2 weeks before I joined. I'm glad that I did. Joining Lush has brought out my imagination for others to see without fear of judgment; for that I'm grateful.
I've learned a lot from reading other people's stories. If I had to go back, I'd do it all over again.
I like, that it was difficult to get my first story accepted. It challenged me to become a better writer.
I also enjoy the social aspet of Lush...comsiderin what an olde Phart I am .
Words are the brushes that paint the images on the canvass of our minds.
I never thought when I joined Lush that I would meet so many great people. And I didn't think i would write an erotic story that's for sure. But I'm glad I did and I love getting to know more about people here and having more friends.3bDl3j1UUSrUiSvK
"Haters make me FAMOUS!!!"
Sassy
I didnt expect to find the sexy lady of my life : )
I was surprised at how quickly my stories got posted and the wide range of categories to write in. It challenges me to write better stories for everyone to enjoy. I still have the dream of becoming a successful author, with or without the big publishing houses. At least I know there are people who are willing to read.
www.szadvntures.com
Latest story:
Just a simple statement. The fact that you don't have to pay for these services..
The variety of age groups. The other sites I've been to have way too many old, or way too many young (like below 18) writers.
"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it you can either run from it...or, learn from it." - Rafiki, The Lion King
I've only been here for a couple of months, but I love it. What I really like:
1. The simple elegance of the layout. It's well thought-out, attractive, and functional.
2. The amazingly literate community. Although I don't chat and have had few individual exchanges with members, I feel that I would be very comfortable in their company off-line as well as on-line.
3. The pleasant tolerance for a wide variety of tastes. We each have our own 'thing' and obviously don't go for every genre of story, but there is an air of respect for others.
This is a really liberating site. I have never felt that I could write any kind of fiction before joining Lushstories; my professional life involves technical writing. I also never believed that I would share some of the wild fantasies I have. These are things that I don't do and in many cases couldn't (woman-woman sex) but that I love to read about and to share. This is something that I couldn't do in 'real life'.
Thank you so much for all this!
I have to second that this is a very well designed site.
There's a lot of chaff to go through, but there are some very good writers here.
I can't for the life of me fathom the extent of the interest in "incest" stories (???)
You are very welcome, and thank you!
Thanks Jeff!) 
than you can join the crew at RUMPLATIONS: honky-tonk & cyber bar for tequila shooters. You want to check out the latest music selections by our members, well there is Club Zafia. The forum is full of interesting areas, word games, advice thread, social/political/current events discussions, writer/reader topics of interest, and on and on and on. Clearly, the forum is a vibrant and dynamic area.
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