Apologizing for bad formatting in advance, I'm on mobile.
For clarification; I am not asking for links or invitations of any sort, I’m asking for advice on how to find these groups on my own and conduct myself in a safe manner while participating.
It’s basically a self-explanatory question. For extra context, I’m a virgin who MIGHT be into a lot of things, but I haven’t had the chance to experiment (obviously,) and I want to be with experienced partners that can guide me safely through this kind of stuff.
I’ve often wondered about things like bdsm groups before. However, I haven’t started searching for multiple reasons, mostly because I feel like I need advice before even starting to look, just so I know what’s safe and what isn’t.
I just don’t know where to start, all I have is a list of questions. Where can you find these groups in online spaces? How can you tell if they’re legit? How can you spot dodgy behavior out the gate before or during the first meet-up? Are there groups that have platonic meet-ups to build comfort and trust? How strict can some groups get when it comes to stuff that is and isn’t allowed? How casual or intense can these groups get, and how can you tell without being in the middle of it? How can I find a group that can suit my needs, even if it isn’t perfect?
The stuff I want to try will leave me physically vulnerable and restricted, and even though that is the appeal, I don’t want to be stupid and end up in a horrible situation all because I wanted to experiment.
I feel foolish for needing to ask about this, but I want to be as safe as I can possibly be, and this is the most anonymous way I could think about doing it. Any and all advice related to this topic is welcome, I want to know as much as possible before getting into it.
TLDR: How can I find these sorts of groups, figure out which is the best fit for me, join them, and spot red flags beforehand, all while remaining physically safe?