Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Browser?

A Browser is our free visitor membership.

Browsers can explore Milly’s Café and read our blog posts and standard public pages, including pages such as Home, About, Contact, and Services.

You don’t have to become a paying member just to enjoy what we’re creating here. We want people to be able to look around, read, think, learn, and decide for themselves whether Milly’s Café is right for them.

Browser membership is free.

What is a Patron?

A Patron is a paying member of Milly’s Café who receives access to much more of the community.

Our Groups are one of the strongest parts of the Café. Patrons can participate in several of our Groups, where conversations cover subjects such as emotional maturity, self-transformation, character, relationships, communication, respect, and personal growth.

Some Groups are private or hidden and aren’t available to every member.

Patrons also have access to the social-network side of the Café, including profile management, connecting with others, news feeds, private and public messaging, discussions, and other community features.

Patron membership is $25 per year.

Is being a Browser really free?

Yes.

There is no charge to become a Browser.

We also believe the articles and other public content should stand on their own. You shouldn’t have to pay simply to read something useful.

We’re also considering adding a wellness-oriented Group for Browsers in the future, similar to one Dad has developed on one of his other community sites.

What does a Patron get for $25 a year?

Patrons get access to the community side of Milly’s Café.

That includes access to several of our 35 Groups, although not every Group is available to every member because some Groups are private or hidden.

Patrons can also use features such as:

• Member profiles and profile management
• News feeds
• Connecting with other members
• Public and private messaging
• Group discussions
• Member-only conversations
• Our growing collection of resources and articles
• Opportunities to learn from other people

Most importantly, Patrons aren’t simply paying for “content.”

They’re becoming part of a community.

Do I have to become a Patron?

No.

You can remain a Browser.

Some of our strongest features are our blog posts, and those are available without becoming a Patron. We want people to have the opportunity to read, learn, and explore Milly’s Café without feeling pressured to purchase anything.

If you eventually decide you’d like to participate more deeply in the community, you can become a Patron.

Can I start as a Browser and become a Patron later?

That’s the idea.

You can start by becoming a Browser, look around, read our articles, and get a feel for the Café.

We’re working on making the transition from Browser to Patron as straightforward as possible. You shouldn’t have to start over simply because you decide later that you’d like to participate in the member community.

What are the member-only Groups?

Our Groups are where much of the community conversation happens.

Different Groups focus on different subjects, including Emotional Maturity, Self-Transformation, character, relationships, respect, communication, and other areas of personal growth.

We have approximately 35 Groups, although some are private or hidden and therefore aren’t available to everyone.

We’re also interested in allowing the community itself to help shape future discussions. As we learn what our Patrons are interested in, we’ll continue developing new conversations and resources around those interests.

Is Milly’s Café a social-media site?

Yes — but with a twist.

Milly’s Café has many of the features people associate with social media: profiles, news feeds, Groups, messaging, discussions, and connecting with other people.

But we’re trying to build something with a different emphasis.

We don’t want people to feel like they’re simply being turned into a source of information for advertisers. We believe people deserve privacy, respect, and human dignity.

We’re building a community around conversation, learning, maturity, friendship, and personal growth rather than simply trying to keep people scrolling.

Who is Milly’s Café for?

Truly, just about anyone.

Our primary audience is young adults and parents, with young adults generally meaning people from about 13 through 33 in the way we’re using the term.

But age isn’t the only thing that matters.

You might be outgoing or shy. You might know exactly what you want to do with your life, or you might still be figuring it out.

You might come here because you’re interested in emotional maturity, relationships, reading, communication, current events, personal development, or simply because you want to meet thoughtful people.

There’s room for different kinds of people here.

What if I’m shy or don’t know anyone here?

That’s okay. Start slowly.

You don’t have to walk into the Café and immediately start talking to everyone.

Become a Browser. Read a few articles. Look around. See what interests you.

When you’re ready, participate.

You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to have something worthwhile to say.

And if you’re shy, awkward, uncertain, or simply someone who takes a while to become comfortable around new people, you are not doing anything wrong.

What if I’m not sure whether I belong here?

You probably belong here more than you think.

Milly’s Café is part of a larger idea of community that includes other projects Dad works on, including SDL5.org and ClimateTribe.social.

Those projects explore much larger challenges facing people and the planet, including the Climate and Ecological Emergency, Democracy-based Emergency, Humanity-centered Emergency, and Refugee Emergency.

Milly’s Café approaches things from a more personal and community-oriented direction.

We’re interested in how people grow, how they treat one another, how they communicate, how they deal with difficult situations, and how they become more mature human beings.

So if you’re unsure, shy, curious, or simply don’t know where you fit yet, come in and look around.

You don’t have to have everything figured out before you walk through the door.

Still have questions?

We’re building Milly’s Café as we go, so some features and Groups will continue to evolve.

If you have a question we haven’t answered here, contact us and let us know.

We’re glad you stopped by.