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About Damien Daville
Greetings..
I am a 49 year old primarily empathic vampire now living in Norfolk, Virginia in the States. I also like elemental sources, and am a sanguine vampire with the right donor. I first learned of my vampirism as a teen in high school around 1970, and have developed its needs and abilities ever since. I have worked in some way helping others understand real vampirism for about thirty years. I came to the internet about 1995 and worked online in the few vamp forums around. I founded the Darkfear Network in early 1997, and then the Vampire Church in 1998. I also founded Web Alliance. In 2001, I founded the Texas
Vampire Association, to better bring real vampires together in the state of Texas. Then in 2003, I founded the MidAtlantic Vampire Association to do the same thing in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and in Delaware. I spend most of my time now, working in the offline vampire community and in the public, helping other people to understand real vampirism. The Vampire Church is active both online and offline.
Damien Daville
Damien is the founder and elder of the Vampire Church
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Greetings..
I think this is a very good thought provoking question. Ever since I
created the Vampire Church Public Egroups forum back in 1998, I have
seen one thing that has always been a constant over the years. I
wanted a place where people could freely discuss the topic of
vampirism. I found that I had to create some rules and update them to
govern the posting method and conduct of people in this forum. That
did not surprise me, as in most groups, a guideline is usually
necessary to let people know what you expect in a forum and what they
need to know to post in that forum.
The one problem however I have
found that always gets into any discussion is someone's personal
biases or personal approach with the opinions of others. Now I
realize that we all have our own biases and opinions on things, but I
have found that it has been a great challenge trying to keep personal
negative messages directed at other people's opinions out of your
writing. In any public forum, we have to learn to speak in the third
person and talk like we are speaking in effect to everyone so that
anyone person does not think he/she is being personally singled out
for his/her opinions. Also I understand people's egos and emotions
come into the mix to create conflict. I therefore started a process
where the VC Forums are moderated and if a person's post does not
conform to the rules or it may be a personal insult to someone as
written, it is removed and an email is sent notifying the person why
it was removed and asking for the posting to be better written if
that is an option. I believed this action keeps the Public Forum a
free and open a discussion forum without people having to deal with
the personal egos or emotional problems of others. I believe this has
been the best process to use and despite the fact that it takes time
and energy, it is well worth keeping the purpose of the VC Public List
intact. I will also sometimes make general postings reminding members
to please check and read the rules page and please keep personal
negative issues out of your posting.
I believe this has kept the VC
List one of the more popular forums for the discussion of vampirism
and related topics. I have also sometimes taken the time to write
private emails to people who do have a personal issue with each other
and invited them to chat to resolve it. This takes more time but
sometimes it helps. Emails to people who have personal conflicts is
sometimes enough to bring closure to it. This is my approach in a
reality where you have an environment with all sorts of people and
their differences coming to a large group.
Dark regards,
Damien Daville
Elder and Founder
The Vampire Church
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