Top, bottoms, Doms, subs and switches?

[yellowrose]

Perhaps this is answered somewhere in here but I couldn't find it. What exactly is the difference in all the names. From the little I gathered they are the following:

Top/Bottom-sex or bedroom only

Dom/Sub- Can be anywhere 24/7 or not.

Switch- Dom or Sub; Top or Bottom

These are what I kind of think they are from the readings but not completely sure. Could someone clarify this for me?

Edit: Rats, I put it in the wrong section. Sorry mods.

[Finding_Fantasy]

I may be wrong, but I think Top and Bottom are basically the same as Dominant and submissive in or out of the bedroom.

I may be mistaken, however since I have never actually been given a clear, definitive meaning of Tops and Bottoms as they apply to BDSM.

Good question, yellowrose.

[BDSM_Tourguide]

Tops and bottoms are almost exclusively used to describe people that are in a local scene, but do not play outside of a select group.

For instance, a top will usually frequent a fetish club where he has a few bottoms that he will do a scene with at that club. When the top leaves the club, he is not interested in play. It's just a limited-time, occasional thing to the top and/or bottom.

[yellowrose]

So. . .Top and Bottoms are part-time Dom's and Sub's?

[BDSM_Tourguide]

So. . .Top and Bottoms are part-time Dom's and Sub's?

Generally speaking, yes.

[Dngnkeeper]

yellowrose from my experience Top/Bottom is more a discription of the relationship between the two players then it is of the general lifestyle, with its roots in the world of gay S&M. An example in todays terms is if I go to an event and another person approaches and asks if I will "Top" them, they are asking to particapate in a scene where our relationship begins and ends with the scene. While there are people who's main practice is mainly limited to encounters at bars, clubs and events, most of that has faded with the sad demise of the Gay S&M bars.

You might want to check out the thread Tour Guide started on this.

Hope that makes some sense.