Are you Fabulis?

Social networking and new media has made huge strides for gay men in the last ten years. Sites like Gay.com and Craigslist.com brought ways for us to connect to other like minded and equally horny men from any PC or Mac. We have come a long way from the print media only found in head-shops, porn-shops, and the magazine rack at the door of the local gay bar. I remember my routine was grab one of my city's gay publications as I left the bars after a night of partying. I wanted to see who I knew in photo collage section of local events and then judge what they are wearing or who their arm is around. "No she didn't!"

There was a time when the Advocate and Out Magazine were always shipped in gray plastic to hide it's contents. But my last subscription allowed me the option to have my Advocate shipped stripped of that wrapping and now is in my mailbox monthly proud to be a gay issues magazine with nothing to hide. We freely posted our sexual preferences on Myspace when that was in. Linked our relationship status to our boyfriends and partners on Facebook for all our former high school classmates to see and realize what they already suspected before the next reunion. And now we have Fabulis.

Fabulis.com is a new site where gay men can network with other gay men. To find out what other like minded and local people are doing. You can link Fabulis to your Facebook account so that what you choose to share on Facebook will be visible on Fabulis. Other Fabulis users can view your profile to see your pictures, browse your upcoming plans based on invites you've RSVP for, and other profile details. All linked to Fabulis from Facebook.

Because all this is link to Facebook, at first I thought it was like Farmville for gays. And I long ago block all that shit! " I don't care if you need help working your crops! I don't do manual or even virtual labor!"

On Fabulis you have the option to choose your city and three things about yourself you identify as. These things can be hobbies, traits, or interests of your choosing. You are grouped with other people within these lists and ranked. Examples of these lists are "foodie", "bear", "advocate", or "hottie". You can pick to link to an existing list, or be the sole member of one you create and invite others to join. You are ranked within the lists, your city, and the overall site of all Fabulis members.

Within Fabulis you can see what is happening locally and around the world. The sites CEO, Jason Goldberg says "If I’m trying to find the best burger, the best boutique, restaurant or nightclub in a certain city, I want to know what people like me are saying," on the sites blog.

I have played with Fabulis here and there for the last month. Checked out the lists and even cruised a few of the self-identified "hotties". At first there were not many members and the events area was empty for me locally. Now that more people are joining and linking to it, I do see there is potential of finding what is going on around me. You can also link to cities in your travel plans, to see what the locals are planning to do. I did notice you can not be a "potty mouth", as the error reads when I tried to say "hell". I didn't even know "hell" was a bad word. Good thing Paulie and Evan let me say whatever the hell I want to on the Gay Porn Talk Blog!

The ranking thing is a bit hard to understand and feels like being picked last in a middle school gym for kickball again. Especially when your overall ranking is in the thousands. You earn "Bits" for going to the site daily, for nominating people, and when other members "Vote up" you. This moves you up within a list and determines your ranking within it. I do look forward to seeing how fabulous Fabulis can be. But if it annoys me, I'll block it on Facebook. Just like Farmville.