> What do people usually ask you about?
> Also, what was the stupidest question you've ever  about Sexchart?

	the most common question i get is why i'm "such a whore", really.
i spend a lot of time informing people of what the sexchart header clearly
states - that it's a kiss-plus chart, not a true SEX chart. it's very
likely that any random person on the chart has had more sexual partners
than i have.

	the stupidest questions i get about the chart are anything having
to do with its qualifications - what creates a link, how to get on the
chart, that sort of thing. it's in the friggin' header information for a
reason, kids.

> It seems that putting your own private life on the web isn't an easy
> thing to do. Obviously, you find it pleasurable. So why shouldn't that be
> called exhibitionism? Why do you do it and how you feel about it?

	it IS exhibitionism, in a sense. but if you're going to call it
exhibitionism, you'd have to term it the most secretive exhibitionism
ever. nicks are not linked to photos, or real names, or addresses, or
webpages - nothing. so yes, all the links are out there & public, but for
the most part, unless you know the people personally, it's not likely
you'd be able to find out who they or any information about them.

	i run the chart as a hobby, an amusement, a vaguely worthwhile
consumption of time. it's been said i run it as a ploy for attention, &
that's more or less true - the reactions the chart invokes in others are
high comedy to me. people get incredibly upset over a bunch of ascii
dashes & dots, & i do enjoy their upset. i like it more when people
appreciate the chart for the amazing low-res visual database it is, but
you take what you can get.

> Is it easy to find out the real names of people on your chart? I read
> in Wired News that you occasionally get threatened. How do you feel
> about people who don't want their lives exposed? Can it be that
> Sexchart would cause any break-ups in the future?

	aside from me personally, as my email address is plastered all
over the chart, i'd say it's fairly difficult to find out information
about anyone on the chart. at least, if someone doesn't want to be known,
a link on the chart isn't going to lead you to them. there are some
"famous" people on the chart - by which i don't mean the movie & rock
stars, but well-known hackers & other computer-type people. for example,
doing a search on "gweeds" will lead you to reams of information on him.

	with regards to the secrecy issue, i figure it's each person's own
lookout. there are two basic rules: if you don't want people to know
you've put your parts in someone, you shouldn't go putting your parts in
that person. & if you DO, don't go telling everyone.

	the sexchart is, at its core, an exercise in trust. or, more
precisely, an exhibition of DIStrust - you have a mercy fuck with someone
& spill your shame to your two closest friends... & a month later, the
sexchart comes out with your pathetic new link on it. that should tell you
something.

	the sexchart has caused breakups in the past, & will in the future
too, i'm certain. i personally have been rejected simply because the guy
didn't want to wind up on the sexchart... which i see as a saving grace,
really - if a guy is that worried about his friends knowing he kissed me,
i shouldn't be kissing him in the first place.

> Does Sexchart only include people living in California? What is
> the most far-flung person on the map at the moment? How would you
> desrcibe the social distribution of the nodes?

	the sexchart is by no means a california-only depiction. there are
people from all over north america on my chart, as well as people in
england, australia, germany, sweden & finland. the grand majority of the
chart is made of people in the states & canada, but i'm certainly not
opposed to adding people around the world, & in fact am in support of it.

	the "nodes" of the chart are basically arranged by hobbies &
location. looking down the chart, it starts with people who were into the
e'zines scene in philly, then spreads to e'zines in new jersey, e'zines in
chicago; then it sort of goes to the hacker-type kids in various areas; &
so forth. people meet online because of their hobbies & talents, then they
have these big group meetings (defcon for the hackers, rabcon for the
bodyart enthusiasts, dummercon/summercon/tons-of-others for the 'zine
writers, et cetera) where they engage in their hobbies... & some
much-needed physical affection. so it turns out that location matters less
than common interests, which is what the internet's been about since its
conception.

> Do you find that relationships in the digital age are somewhat
> different from what we have had, say, 10 years ago? Does the Internet
> help people to find each other, or it rather spoils the whole thing?
> Some say that geeks have trouble communicating in the outside world.
> According to Sexhart, it's the opposite. Is that true?

	ten years ago, not every home had a computer. now you can buy a
cheap system with that awful AOL service all ready to go, & you're there.

	i believe the internet helps people to find each other, but leads
to problems in the long run - people become socially inept when they sit
around typing all day instead of hanging out in person. & now your friend
suzie just HAS to travel fifteen hundred miles to meet her "dream man" who
may or may not even BE a man, let alone an attractive, appropriately aged
one. the internet makes it very easy to lie.

	as for communication, i don't think the chart says ANYTHING about
people's ability to communicate - you don't have to get along well with
someone, or be witty, or interesting, to make out with them & put yourself
on the chart. there is a good mix of true relationships & random hookups
on the chart.