[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Desperate measures

[John Walton]

Ebony, you have no idea how gratified I am to read this post. I've got a
load of comments and will post them below.

> I'm with Michelle.  I really think we ought to just let it go... and
> channel the energy that we'd spend trying to set up/regulate/maintain
> the exclusive list into enhancing the quality of postings at HP4GU.

Yes, yes, yes. Now that everyone's had a good old whine (no offense intended
at all) about how the list has gone downhill, let's have some more
positivity! ::smiles::

> HP4GU didn't have an elitist rep a year ago, or even six months ago.
> In order to control the volume of postings (anyone who was a member
> as of January ought to remember the 300+ posts daily insanity) the
> Mod Squad kicked three things off the list that were contributing to
> bulk before:  1)  OT posts were relegated to OT-Chatter, 2)
> fanfiction, because we have members who do not read it, was relegated
> to the various fanfic realms, and 3) ship debates, which really used
> to take up a lot of bandwidth believe it or not, were relegated to
> the Outer Regions of the Andromeda Galaxy.  :)

Or, at least, requires prefacing with "SHIP:". Plus we kinda ran out of
canon-based shipping. ::grins:: Famous last words...
 
> I'm not sure that it's the numbers that might be making the list
> uncomfortable.  About the same amount of people actively post as when
> we were 1/2 or 1/3 our present size.

Totally agreed.

> But the things that make the list companionable are gone, which is
> why OT-Chatter seems like so much more of a cheerful place.  Fanfic
> and shipping are irrelevant to that particular point (although as
> Cassie has said before, participating in fanon has kept interest in
> the books *acutely* fresh for those of us who are in the fanfic
> realm, as we have to constantly re-read canon), but what we have is
> 1800 people on the main list and 362 people on OT-Chatter.  The
> people who are on the main list but not here on OT-Chatter get quite
> a different PoV of what the community is about than the people on
> both lists.

Yes, and while I do agree that this is unfortunate, it is really the only
way that we can keep the main list manageable for those who don't want the
chatter. Hey, it's their loss.
 
> One solution that we had to implement over at Kindred Spirits to
> restore goodwill is the "Kindred Day".  (Trina and Barbara Foster
> Williams might be able to speak to this as well.)  On the 15th of
> every month, intelligent scholarly discussion is set aside and people
> post frighteningly OT stuff... about engagements, grandchildren
> recently born, jobs, new cars, all sorts of frivolous stuff.  It
> sounds REALLY frightening, but it worked!!!  Now Kindreds actually
> look eagerly forward to "Kindred Day" so they can read all about
> what's going on in everyone's lives.

YES! What a fantastic idea! IMO we should have it on the 31st (or 30th, or
29/28 Feb) for Harry's birthday.
 
> One of the major themes in Maud's work is friendship, so KS (which is
> actually maintained by the University of Prince Edward Island and has
> a solid scholarly basis) despite its tendency to wax academic
> struggles to keep the personal side of the list going with regional
> teas, Christmas card clubs (imagine getting DELUGED with over 100
> season's greetings from all over the world--HEY MODS, why can't we do
> YULE OWLS???), postcard exchanges (hey, Kristin!), and the famous
> biennial conferences on PEI.

YEAH! Great idea. I'd be more than willing to help Ebony (who knows how it
works) out with this.

> We *have* the regional clubs, and I think that a year from now, all
> of them will have met.  The New York and London folks have met up
> several times now and had a blast at each go.  I'm sure the Texas
> folks will have fun at the movie, and I want to do something this
> fall or during the holiday season with my Great Lakers (is that a
> word?) as well.

NY was an absolute blast. We're planning another on or around Labor Day,
BTW...
 
> I'd love to do Yule Owls this year... all it takes is gettting a
> volunteer to offer up their e-mail address and solicit snail mail/e-
> mail addresses from those willing to participate.  Then the
> coordinator e-mails a Master List of addresses to everyone who
> responded... usually well before Thanksgiving (end of Nov.)... and
> from December to mid-January, you get cards from people all over!
> Cool... helps foster community... and if this is no one else wants to
> coordinate it... (great big sigh)... if Trina or someone else in the
> know will help, then I'll...

I'll help :D
 
> KSers look eagerly forward to going to PEI for the conferences... our
> next one is in 2002 and I see no reason why I shouldn't go, as long
> as I've been an Anne fan.  <vbg>  Now, Heidi and I have talked
> casually about arranging a fan conference sometime within the next
> five years... not sure she knows how very serious I am about it,
> though.  
> 
> What I envision is an annual conference, sponsored each year by a
> different HP4GU regional club.  The Londoners can go first (since
> that'll give me an excuse to go back!), then the next year the New
> Yorkers, etc.  We could have a full list of conference activities...
> half scholarly for the academics, half fan-based for the rest of
> us... imagine the fun we'd have.  It's very feasible.  If we play our
> cards right, each regional entity could get university backing and
> local corporate funding... we could arrange it where our full-time
> undergraduate college students could get student rates with their
> International Student IDs... it's all in how you pitch it.

That *would* be a very cool thing. Perhaps we could even get the University
of Edinburgh to do something? We could get press coverage, all sorts of
things. ::excited look::
 
> I see much more good in the HP4GU and satellites than bad.  Every fan
> community has their ups and downs... a year ago we were up with the
> release of GoF, and now we're down.  Believe me, in three more months
> we'll be up again.  <vbg>

I agree. With all the pleasure that I've had from this group, I'm kinda down
that we're in the doldrums at the moment. As Ebony says, I'm sure that we'll
pick up at some point soon :)

--John

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John Walton -- Crazy Ivan
ivan at schnoogle.com

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