There are several support groups on the Internet for anyone who wants to gain control of their clutter. Some of them specialize in clutter reduction; others are related, but include organization and clutter control. Note: You will encounter a wide variety of opinions in some of these places. It is acceptable to argue against someone else's opinion, but it is not acceptable to insult people or their opinions (or to use rude language). These expectations are examples of "netiquette" (computer network etiquette).
Newsgroups (Usenet): These are bulletin boards that allow anyone to post anything, which means they include a lot of spam, flame wars, off-topic messages, and other undesired content. However, if you ignore the unwanted threads (topics), a lot of good information can be found in newsgroups. In order to view content, you would first need to configure your news reader program (for example, Microsoft Outlook Express or Netscape Mail). Contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for instructions. Otherwise, you could view these and other newsgroups at Google Groups.
Mailing Lists: After subscribing to (i.e. joining) one of these lists, you start receiving e-mail messages written by other members of the group. You can also send your own posts (messages) to the group, and all members of the group will read them. This is a much friendlier approach than newsgroups, but some mailing lists can be very chatty or prolific, meaning that your mailbox could become flooded with e-mail messages on a daily basis. There are a couple of ways to avoid that problem: First, you could sign up with special settings which allow you to receive messages in bundles (digest), or just the titles of messages (index), or nothing at all (nomail). Second, you could read the messages (even without joining) by reading archives.
Bulletin Boards: Some web sites have bulletin boards that anyone can read or post messages to. They have their own rules, which all contributors are expected to follow. (Unacceptable posts could be deleted.) These bulletin boards might be related to a particular author or methodology. They might not relate specifically to clutter control, but decluttering could be a subtopic frequently found there. Old messages might not be archived, but might roll off the board. These are very friendly groups.
Clubs and Communities: These function like bulletin boards or newsgroups, but are hosted by internet portals such as Yahoo and MSN. You generally have to join one before participating in it. Most of these groups include very few messages. If you post a message to them, it might not be seen by very many people, and replies could be slow. Yahoo Clubs and MSN Communities also include the ability to chat in real time with another member, which is a definite plus!
Meeting People in Person: If you would like to meet a support group in person, the options are getting fewer these days, now that many people prefer to communicate over the internet. However, it is still possible to do so in some cities. Or, you could form your own group. Whether you join an in-person group, or one of the internet options above, it is a good idea to find another person who lives near you to be your local "clutter buddy." Your clutter buddy could meet you for coffee somewhere, or even come over to your home and help you come up with storage ideas or reasons for removing items. You could also be accountable to each other, if you wish.
Hiring Help: You could hire someone specifically to help you declutter. This person could give you advice and/or help you with the physical labor. Note that even professional organizers vary in helpfulness. Some could be a total waste of money. A good, inexpensive option would be to combine three ideas: (1) Join a support group to give you support and offer ideas, (2) find a local "clutter buddy" to help you make specific decisions after viewing your home, and (3) hire a high school or college student to assist you with the physical labor of decluttering.
