Written by Amanda Johnstone

It is sometimes extremely difficult to find other vampires off-line. The reasons that make this task extremely difficult are secrecy, our own and that of others. We are often a little afraid to reveal our condition to the people in our lives whom we love and cherish, so coming out and telling strangers is almost always going to be off the cards.

When we need someone to talk to, on-line services can be great. It offers a chance to voice your fears and experiences in an anonymous way, even those of us who use our given names share in this anonymity. On-line groups are wonderful and for many it is all the support they need, but there others out there who do not have regular access to the Internet or who simply need that added extra support of an offline friend in whom they can confide.

I know a few people organize get togethers with people they have met on on-line groups and sometimes this works out well, however there can be problems. How do you know that the person you're meeting isn't a nutter, can you be really sure that they are who and what they say they are? We all know the dangers of meeting people who we have met off the Internet and I am sure many of us have good and bad stories about such meetings. Another problem we have is those of us in isolated areas, there might not be anyone in our group that is from out area, how do we meet people then?

One thing I have learnt since being within the on-line vampire community is that there are a lot more of us out there than I would have ever thought possible, and we all come from different socioeconomic, religious and educational backgrounds. In theory finding a vampire near you that you can talk to should not be a difficult thing.

I have a few tips for finding other vampires although I must admit they are not fool proof, but they can be helpful.

The first thing I keep an eye out for is jewelry, although this is more useful in finding pagans and witches there are a few trinkets that are considered to be traditionally vampire jewelry, a few of these I have heard mentioned are ankhs and sometimes Celtic crosses. Although jewelry isn't in itself isn't proof of vampirism, starting a conversation about a person's jewelry (especially if you are wearing something a little bit pagan yourself) is a good jumping off point. Asking if it has any significance and also maybe pointing out that "real vampires" are often said to use jewelry such as this to show others who they are.

Starting conversations with people about real vampirism at parties and social get togethers is another way of sussing out whether or not someone is really a vampire. You can do this without revealing that you are a vampire yourself. Mention that you came across a web site that had information about real vampires. The situation with the elections in Minnesota would actually be a really good starting point right now.

This method also works when you want to tell people that you know and trust about your condition. Telling the truth about jewelry that you wear when people ask you about it is a good start. Use the vampire governor story to mention how you feel about true vampirism. Invite your friends around for a movie night and show a bunch of vampire movies and mention what true vampirism is.

By doing this you slowly introduce the idea of real vampirism to the people in your life, if you're lucky a few of them will even cotton on to the idea and realize what you are hinting at. Others who prove to be more dense can be told later without completely shocking them. It also allows you to judge what their reaction to your revelation might be.

Like I mentioned earlier, these tips are not fool proof but they are good starting points. Good luck in finding others or in breaking the news to your loved ones.