Due to the overwhelming nature of this project and the limited time frame, we will not be able to share our findings at Open SF.
You are still welcome to submit data, and we hope that we can present our findings at some point in the future, when we have improved our data collection and aggregation methods.
Thank you,
The Poly Mapping Project
The Shape of Polyamory
Hello, our names are Anna and Michael. We are not researchers. We are not associated with any institution. This is not part of an academic or professional project. What this is, or hopes to be, is a community project by people who are interested in what shape a poly community takes.
The Poly Mapping Project aims to take a snapshot of Polyamory in the Bay Area (and beyond). The map itself will be a visual representation of the network of relationships that make up the community, somewhat like the map above. Utmost care will be taken to protect participants' anonymity. Only those working for the project will have any access to data with personally identifying information.
If a participant chooses to use a pseudonym, we ask them to make sure all of their partners know what it is; without consistent names we will be unable to 'line up' all of the relationships. Aside from mapping relationships, we're also noting marriages and people who are living together, including non-romantic living arrangements if the roommates are poly and wish to be included.
If we are blessed enough to gather sufficient information, we will show what we have at OpenSF. No names or other personally identifying information will appear on the map. The usage of names as far as the project is concerned, is to ensure accurate matchings. We look forward to seeing the many forms poly takes, and the overall interconnectedness and shape of the community.
At the onset, we won't be tracking relationships that pass outside of California. If a CA resident has an out of state partner, we're happy to include them, but for the time being we do not want to follow those connections any further out.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
The How To
So after all that fiddly business about how we're not creepy or scamming you, the question remains:
How DO you participate?
Send an email to polymapping@gmail.com with some (or all) of the following information:
At the very least:
Additional stuff that would be nice:
Advanced techniques:
People have had a lot of luck with choosing someone to coordinate for their social group. This person gathers all of the relevant data about partners and metamours, and acts as a single point of contact (should we require any clarification). It helps us by packing a large amount of data into a cohesive form and it helps you keep your story straight.
Tips and tricks:
All personally identifying information sent to the Poly Mapping Project will remain confidential. Still, always get permission from your loved ones before sharing their information with us. (reassure them that no names will be released)
Pass it on. We won't succeed at this without your help. This project is about community, and only through that community will we achieve any of what we hope to accomplish.
Thank you:
We're doing our best to keep this massive undertaking as addressable as possible. Crowdsourcing puts this within reach, but we still have a lot of ground to cover if we intend to create something of interest. Thank you for your help in getting us there.
How DO you participate?
Send an email to polymapping@gmail.com with some (or all) of the following information:
At the very least:
- your name
- the names of your partners
- let us know if a partner is currently not seeing anyone else (so we know to mark them as an endpoint instead of incomplete)
Additional stuff that would be nice:
- if you are married (and to whom)
- if you are cohabiting with anyone who is polyamorous, even if you are not in a relationship with them
- contact information for partners we have incomplete data for
Advanced techniques:
People have had a lot of luck with choosing someone to coordinate for their social group. This person gathers all of the relevant data about partners and metamours, and acts as a single point of contact (should we require any clarification). It helps us by packing a large amount of data into a cohesive form and it helps you keep your story straight.
Tips and tricks:
All personally identifying information sent to the Poly Mapping Project will remain confidential. Still, always get permission from your loved ones before sharing their information with us. (reassure them that no names will be released)
Pass it on. We won't succeed at this without your help. This project is about community, and only through that community will we achieve any of what we hope to accomplish.
Thank you:
We're doing our best to keep this massive undertaking as addressable as possible. Crowdsourcing puts this within reach, but we still have a lot of ground to cover if we intend to create something of interest. Thank you for your help in getting us there.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Dear Bay Area Poly Map Project
Some sample (fake) emails, to hopefully make things more clear:
Dear Bayareapolymapproject,
My name is Jane Mansfield, I am dating Dick Cheney and am married to Spot Jones. We all live in the same house, with Dick's mother (who isn't poly). Dick isn't seeing anyone else at the moment. Spot said it was ok for you to contact him by email: spot@spotmail.org, to get his information.
- Jane
Sample 2
Mr. and Ms. Mapproject,
Joe Blow (me) is seeing:
> Martha Blow (married)
> Spot Jones
> Mary Contrary
Mary Contrary is seeing:
> August Blue
> Mary Contrite
> Martha Blow
> Spot Jones
Martha Blow is seeing:
> Joe Blow (married)
> Mary Contrary
> Spot Jones
Spot Jones: spot@spotmail.org
Mary Contrite: mary33@spotmail.org
August Blue: blueboy@googlemailx.com
Joe, Martha, Mary (Contrary) and August all live in the same house.
--blow
Sample 3
Hey there, my name's Spot Jones and a bunch of my partners have been bugging me to contact you.
I'm dating;
Jane Mansfield (my wife)
Joe Blow
Martha Blow
Mary Contrary
Mary Contrite
August Blue
September Orange
Max Minor
and I have a gf who doesn't want to give her name. She wants to go by Myna B, and she's dating a guy called 'JB' who lives in Boston.
I cc'd all my partners except Myna and JB on this email so they know to send their info in.
Spot
Dear Bayareapolymapproject,
My name is Jane Mansfield, I am dating Dick Cheney and am married to Spot Jones. We all live in the same house, with Dick's mother (who isn't poly). Dick isn't seeing anyone else at the moment. Spot said it was ok for you to contact him by email: spot@spotmail.org, to get his information.
- Jane
Sample 2
Mr. and Ms. Mapproject,
Joe Blow (me) is seeing:
> Martha Blow (married)
> Spot Jones
> Mary Contrary
Mary Contrary is seeing:
> August Blue
> Mary Contrite
> Martha Blow
> Spot Jones
Martha Blow is seeing:
> Joe Blow (married)
> Mary Contrary
> Spot Jones
Spot Jones: spot@spotmail.org
Mary Contrite: mary33@spotmail.org
August Blue: blueboy@googlemailx.com
Joe, Martha, Mary (Contrary) and August all live in the same house.
--blow
Sample 3
Hey there, my name's Spot Jones and a bunch of my partners have been bugging me to contact you.
I'm dating;
Jane Mansfield (my wife)
Joe Blow
Martha Blow
Mary Contrary
Mary Contrite
August Blue
September Orange
Max Minor
and I have a gf who doesn't want to give her name. She wants to go by Myna B, and she's dating a guy called 'JB' who lives in Boston.
I cc'd all my partners except Myna and JB on this email so they know to send their info in.
Spot
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