Some people here will "befriend" you as soon as you arrive, the self-appointed welcomers.
I checked out your profile and found only one bit of info - that you live in Portland. So I checked Wiki. The one in Oregon looks like a great city and might suggest that you're committed to green ethics and lifestyle. The one in Maine looks interesting for its history but doesn't seem to suggest anything much about its residents. Then again, it could be in England, or...
Other than that, we can only watch for your Q's &/or A's to guess a bit about you. If you're lucky, you might find compatible types. Other than that, the best thing is to enjoy and cherish the diversity.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at January 14, 2018 10:26 AM MST
You are a conscientious person to check up on me. I have set my team to check up on you too. Standby for shocking feedback. I have moved around a lot, partly because, I too, am escaping government harassment. So as a putative anchor I state my location as the long-time settlement of my paternal ancestors. It's the best I can do without jeopardizing my enjoyment of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I do hope I have the luck you wish for me. My body-plates are clacking in anticipation.
I have an auto-friend program that sends a friend request and welcome message on my behalf. I actually used to do it manually- I just wanted people to be greeted well and to know there was a live body here who could help them if they needed anything. My2Cents is a mod and was sending requests anyway, so I automated her as well, per her request. Carbon product is a regular member, but I saw her talking on a thread one day and she said she was sending them to everyone as well, so I threw her in the automation loop too. Ergo, you automatically get requests from the three of us- we’re not discerning at all, but I’d like to think we’re friendly and that having requests right off the bat makes newcomers feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Getting in can be a pain- that part I don’t automate to keep spam and riff-raff to a minimum. I usually check and approve pending members a couple times a day, but my mom was in the hospital this week and it threw me off my normal schedule. Sorry about the delay there, but on the bright side, you only need to go through the approval process once. :)
Benedict Arnold 