Community FAQs
Who is welcome in your community?
We welcome adults ages 18 and up who identify as being intellectually gifted. Though you do not need to prove your giftedness (via IQ score or other assessment) to join our community, it is important that you understand what intellectual giftedness is and that you recognize yourself in the descriptions of giftedness on our website. Another important factor is that our community is designed to be an uplifting and drama-free social space; thus it is important that you be in a safe and stable emotional place before joining (as a rule, in the "stable to thriving" category represented by the range of 61-100 the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale). If you are in a crisis situation or are struggling with heavy emotions that need professional support, our group is not a good fit for you at this time. Please note: in order to join our community, you must be in good standing with our InterGifted coaches.
Why do you meet on Facebook? Is there another way to connect to your community?
Given the innovative nature of what we're doing and our limited time and resources, we've chosen the easiest solution for our community platform (for now), while keeping in mind that Facebook is a contested and sometimes outright problematic platform. We encourage our members to be very mindful about how they engage with our community, and many members describe our group as "one of a kind", a "haven" or an "island" in contrast to what they typically find in social media groups. We work hard to structure and moderate our group so that it is a high-quality discussion, meeting and connection space, without the downsides of typical social media groups (i.e. anonymity-driven anti-social behaviors, displaying/bragging, surface-level and meme-type interactions).
We operate on a digital minimalism mindset, in terms of encouraging our members to use and participate in the group in a way that builds them up, matches their values, and keeps their use of social media in the conscious and proactive (rather than automatic and reactive) range. For more on this, we strongly recommend our members or prospective members read the book Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport.
What are the rules for posting and interacting in the group?
Our members post questions and requests for personal or professional connection, feedback, advice or encouragement from other members. We engage in constructive discussion about all things related to living well and thriving with giftedness. That ranges from discussing challenging situations to relevant resources to creative explorations. Members often private message each other and develop relationships outside of the main Facebook group - including arranging one-to-one or group audio or video chats and even in-person meetings. Many of our members also connect in our special interest peer groups, workshops and courses, and other community events and projects.
To keep our discussions high-quality and keep with our mindful interaction guidelines, we ask that members avoid posting memes and closed personal statements (such as "no one will ever be able to understand me"), and that no one person posts more than twice a week. Our moderators remove posts of this nature. Hate speech, aggression, attack or any such destructive behavior is not tolerated and we remove members who engage in this type of behavior. There is a more comprehensive list of group guidelines in the Facebook group.
Can I share my blog posts on giftedness, or other non-InterGifted events or groups I'm hosting?
Yes, keeping in mind that is a supportive community, and not an advertising platform. A good rule of thumb is to share if you are sharing to be helpful to our community, to start a meaningful discussion, or to get useful feedback from other members; and to not share if you are trying to market or sell something.
How can I find discussions on specific topics or find out more about specific members within the group?
If you want to find out if we've discussed a particular topic or connect with a certain kind of person within the group, there is a search function for that in the groups page. If you want to find other musicians in the group, for example, type "musician" into the search bar, and all the posts with that word will come up with the word "musician" highlighted for you. Or if you want to see what a certain member has posted or commented, type that member's name into the search bar, and you will see all of their posts and comments with their name highlighted. This function is extremely helpful for efficiently sorting through the many posts on the wall, especially if you are a new member. Use this function to help yourself connect to others who share your interests and connection needs.
I have a gifted friend that would really benefit from and enjoy being part of InterGifted's Facebook group. Can I invite him/her/them?
Yes, you can send your friend to this page, so that they can make their payment and receive an invitation from us.
How can I best benefit from the Facebook group community?
First, introduce yourself and let the community know where you're at on your giftedness (discovery) journey, what kind of connection you're hoping to find, what kind of support you'd like to get and give, and any other special requests you might have. Then, join in our other members' discussions, learn about them, and actively reach out to connect to members you feel you'd like to get to know better.
What happens after I pay to join?
You will receive a welcome email from our director Jennifer Harvey Sallin, which will provide instructions for joining the Facebook group, as well as joining documents to review. If you have trouble receiving the welcome email, send Jennifer an email at connect@intergifted.com.
What is your refund policy?
Most people who join our community fit well and remain long-time members, so questions of refunding do not typically arise. However, on occasion, new members realize quickly that our group is not a good fit for them, and when this happens, we find a resolution directly with the member concerned. If we need to remove a member for against-guideline behavior, or due to issues that arise outside of the community space via other InterGifted services, we do not offer refunds.
Other questions not answered here?
Contact us to inquire.