It must come as a shock to some people because it’s repeated so often. There must be hoards of cyber doms and subs who completely believe that being hit with a cyber whip is just the same as being hit with a real one. They must believe that self flagellation feels the same as being flogged with a proper leather flogger. They must believe that a chat room is just the same as being at a play party.

Sorry, I don’t buy it. I also don’t buy that cyber has no place in our culture. In fact, I believe that cyber contact with the BDSM culture is most people’s first contact with BDSM in this day and age and that the grand majority of those people understand just fine that there are major differences.

When you learn to ride a bike, you don’t start with a Harely. When a doctor is learning to be a surgeon his first cut is not done on a live person. When you are learning to read you don’t start with War and Peace. Why would anyone expect that when you are learning about BDSM you would head to your nearest BDSM convention? That would likely scare the crap out most people. No, we take baby steps, a little at a time, ease into the situation. Learn the lingo, figure out just exactly what it is we’re getting ourselves into – THEN – we might start dipping our toes in the pool.

I don’t think newbies are given enough credit. I know there are a lot of questionable people online, but I have to say there are a lot of questionable people floating around in our real life community as well. Meet up with the wrong person and your perception of BDSM is going to be warped. Doesn’t matter where you meet them, the wrong influence is the wrong influence.

There is a wealth of information online. Some good, some bad. Common sense will usually tell you what to believe and what not to believe. Read enough and even if your common sense fails you, the bulk of evidence in front of you will tell you what is reliable and what is not. If what you read intrigues you, you’ll read more and you’ll find people that live where you life and you will eventually go to your first munch, your first play party, your first convention. It’s a natural progression. Let it happen at its own pace. Don’t allow yourself to be pressured. When the moment is right seize it. That’s what the majority of the rest of us did.

Oh sure, we look back and cringe at some of the stuff we believed in ‘back in the day’, but we also look back and cringe as some of what we bought into during our early real life days as well. BDSM has many facets to it and you’ll never quite know everything. Your convictions will change as your education does, so will your interests. And because of that, as long as you have a computer, you’ll continue to look up the things that strike (eww bad pun) your fancy. There is nothing wrong with that.

Whether you just found out what BDSM was or you are in your 20th year as a practicing dominant, you are doing yourself a great disservice if you disregard the information available to you on the Internet. Use it intelligently and you’ll be fine. The Internet has its place in today’s BDSM culture just ensure you don’t make it top of your list. It is a tool to learn with, not a community to live in.

If you want to see what the Internet can do, read our feature articles this month, both BDSM TourGuide and Leather Prof discuss ways the Internet affected their BDSM experience. The Internet also will bring you some basic information on Shibari as well as safety issues any rigger should be aware of, just check out our Dungeon this issue.

Aside from a taste of the benefits of the Internet, this issue of TDV also brings you our new columnists for Switch’s Corner, more hot erotica from Moll Saunders and MacKenzie Cross, and poetry by Tempus.

To show just how hardy the kink crowd is, read up on Fetish Con2004, it happened during hurricane Jeanie in Florida this September. Jean Roberta does double duty this issue with her review of Radical Ecstasy: SM Journeys to Transcendence by Dossie Easton and Janet Hardy and her interview with Robert Davolt, author of Painfully Obvious: An Irreverent and Unauthorized Manual for Leather/SM .

Narayanna isn’t available this issue but Master Nage is quite shocked to find out he isn’t a dominant, and Billy tosses us a short and naughty Fact or Fiction. Rick Umbaugh discusses learning about yourself and the submissive you play with.

We have great images this issue. Photographer James Groves reviewed FetishCon2004 and sent in a bunch of his photos from the convention. Artist Kat Long lets us have a look as some of her BDSM art and if you like CBT you’ll love Mistress Beach’s amateur photography (ouch!).

Last but certainly not least, we’ve gathered up the top ten fiction and non-fiction BDSM books and a few other suggestions to help you with your holiday shopping. Purchasing the books or videos will send a small commission to The Dominant’s View to help us keep the zine alive. If you are looking to do some Internet shopping then Shopping for the Hard to Buy For is the article for you.

As always, we hope you enjoy the current issue of The Dominant’s View. And we wish you all a wonderful holiday season.