Caregiver Village, a new social media site.

I received an email promoting a new social media website for caregivers called "Caregiver Village." It's based on the fact that caregivers need downtime. They also need contact with other caregivers.

Many, for their downtime, play games because they require the least amount of effort. You don't have to think. You push a button and it's there for you.

So, the "village" is based on a game that everyone plays complete with avatars and a virtual world, and which has plot-lines that will be extended and written as you follow different characters in the game, all of whom are part of a support group.

A virtual soap opera game.

But while you play the game, you begin to meet other people who are also playing the game. Send messages to each other. Make comments on the behavior of the people in the game. Connect to other caregivers through a story and puzzle related directly to what it feels like to be chained to another human being (or beings) -- a chain that exists whether out of love or duty.

I haven't gone into any of the virtual worlds yet, so I don't know if I'm ready to actually join Caregiver Village. But I am happy to make the referral. There's a free period to let you test it out. Here's the email from Sheila Watson. If you do try it out, please let me know what you think.

As you may be aware, the number of unpaid family caregivers in North America is 50 million and growing every day. I’d like to introduce you and the readers of Living In The Bonus Round to Caregiver Village, an online community designed exclusively for those who provide care for anyone with special needs. Caregiver Village members connect with friends, participate in book clubs with celebrity authors, journal, play mystery games, solve puzzles, and learn valuable information about caregiving. The founders of Caregiver Village have also just put aside a portion of the launch funding to support caregiving organizations. For every person that joins Caregiver Village, they will donate $1 to that persons organization of choice. I've created a page which explains everything:
http://www.caregivervillage.com/social-media
I would love it if you would join Caregiver Village and let your readers know about it.