New Folk Music Forum

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 07:07 PM

Sorry, Genie, I should have explained. As a joeclone I checked and found no link. That's one of the things we do is check links that might not have worked and fix them, so it was a natural thing to do. It was worded to sound as though it meant it was a link, yes.:-)

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 07:01 PM

I assumed it was an attempted hyperlink that went wrong, as happens often enough to me when I type it in wrong.

Anyway it's a bit quet yet, but a pleasant relaxation away from the hurly-burly of the Café.

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: Genie
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 04:01 PM

Kat, I thought the "here" in JD's "For those of you who have been interested in an on-topic, moderated folk music forum, here it is!" was supposed to be a hyperlink. That's what the introductory post sounded like, especially since there was no other referent for the word "here."

Genie

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 02:33 PM

Or "Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst", as my mother used to say.

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 02:31 PM

Why don't you come across Folkinfo and talk about this with me, Faceless One. But of course you'd have to provide a name of some kind there. Put up or shut up, as they say.

And that's the last response you'll get from me here.

Of course I'm hopeful. I just believe in looking on the black side of any new enterprise. Then when things go right I can be doubly pleased; and if they go wrong, I've taken the edge off the disappointment; and maybe looking out for pitfalls can make it easier to avoid them. "Optimism of the will, pessimism of the intellect", as Gramsci put it.

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 01:46 PM

It doesn't sound to me like you are hopeful at all McGrath. Sounds to me like you are defensive, fearful, and trying to project failure onto the forum.

Could it be you are feeling threatened by the potential for the new forum to be all the things that some disgruntled Catters always wanted this place to be?

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 01:32 PM

I believe in being slow sometimes, especially when it comes to taking offence.

I bet there'll be creeps who'll find a way of screwing things up, one way or another, it's what they like doing. As Durbin said about whinging - "show me a group of human beings anywhere, in any setting, that never engages in this".

The trouble is, while for most of us it's something we do now and then, letting off steam for some people it's about stirring people up and irritating them, as a way of exerting some kind of power. Spotting the difference is I suppose what moderating is about.

The crucial thing with any kind of watering hole is whether the other people using it are the people you want to drink with. That's assuming it's drinkable to start with. I'm hopeful.

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: GUEST,J Durbin
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 01:13 PM

McGrath, you are a bit slow on the uptake aren't you? The point of having a moderated forum is the disrupters are kept out from the gitgo, hence you don't have to put up with them. EVER! Jon's forum will be free of all the things you regularly complain about: anon guests, trolls, etc. The only catch: you have to talk about folk music, not BS!

YYYYYIIIIIPPPPPEEEEE!

I haven't joined yet, as I'm about to leave this temp internship I'm at, and so won't be at this computer but for a few more days. But good god, it is damn peaceful and calm reading there! I love it already. Prefer it to both rec.music.folk and Mudcat. Once it is in full flight, I doubt I'll spend much time in either of my previous haunts. The serious music discussions free of flamers and trolls and BS will be there. No other place like it on the web!

As to the whinging...show me a group of human beings anywhere, in any setting, that never engages in this???

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 01:11 PM

Mcgrath-To reply to a topic, click on the thing that says "Reply to Topic"!

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 01:06 PM

nSo to submit a message you push the button saying Create New Topic? I'd assumed that was for if you wanted to write a new post on some new topic.

I've never pushed the Forum Home message here actually. Did so just now and it took me back to the index of threads, whereas with Jon's it took me to a welcome messege.

I'm not grumbling, glad to see a potential good resource starting. I'm sure I'll get my head round it in time. (The FAQ link got pushed off the edge of my browser page for some reason, and Sorcha's link was to here and not to here, which is why I missed the welcome message first time.)

Anyway, thanks Jon for taking all this trouble. I'm sure it'll develop a character of its own which will make a nice change sometimes - and it might get some of the whingers off our back here. I just hope in that case that they don't set in to trying to disrupt Folkinfo. You'll probably get somne peoiple who'll shift from complaining about BS here complaining that there is too much about folk music on Folkinfo....

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: Mudlark
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 12:57 PM

Jon...A significant achievement! Thanks for adding this valuable resource. Looks to me like you're doing great. I've just registered. Nancy

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: GUEST,J Durbin
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 12:38 PM

Also, as a guest, the FAQ was easy to find--at the top right of the page with the other links, clearly marked. The FAQ gives clear, concise instructions in how to post.

Seemed easy and breezy to me!

And I too would like to second the suggestion that you don't lose any sleep over the fear of failing. If you DIDN'T have such fears about a new endeavor, then I'd be worried about you!

Really Jon, I am very impressed with your effort, and I think having one more folk music forum to discuss music on the internet is always A Good Thing. Whether usenet, or private mailing list, or website forums, there needs to be more, not less diversity and choice. IMNSHO!

You are doing a great service to the entire on-line folk music community. Mudcat is but one part of that, as is rec.music.folk. And now Folkinfo.org! Welcome home!

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 12:27 PM

McGrath, I've just noticed that at the bottom of the threads here under the post box, there is a link that says "forum home" which does just that.

The button to press here to reply to a post is called "Submit Message" which is fair enough.

I'm just curious as to why you should find "Create New Topic" or "Reply to Topic" rather more difficult to understand than "Submit Message" and why you should think that "Forum Home" should perform different actions in the 2 forums.

Jon

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 12:11 PM

McGrath, there is a link at the bottom of the "new topic" page that takes you back to the forum home which perhaps could be deleted.

The answer how to create a new topic is to click the button labeled "Create New Topic" which is just to the right of the "Preview" check box. Similarly, when replying to a topic, the button to use is the one labeled "Reply To Topic" which again is just to the right of the "Perview" check box.

Jon

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 12:02 PM

Just visited and registered. Looks as if it might be useful. I wrote a post but couldn't work out how to actually submit it. So here it is anyway:

Just saw about this on the Mudcat and thought I'd have a look round. Seems well designed - a little empty at this point, but no doubt that'll change soon enough. If there's a welcome page or a FAQ I haven't found it, and I think that'd be a good idea. I'm still not at all sure how this place works...

Well I pushed on the Forum Home button, because I thought that was the way to post this, expecting to see the Preeview of what I'd written, since I've ticked it. And up flashed the welcome. Maybe when I actually find the FAQ and read it I'll find out the answers I want. Such as how to preview a post and actually post it... Maybe it's intuitive to some people, but it's not to me.

Anyway, I hope the facility builds up a lively and informative community.

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 11:37 AM

So where is it?

And don't go feeling all uncomfortable about it, Jon. There's room for more than one coffee house or pub in any community. Maybe it'll be the same people using both, maybe not - in which case maybe we can have a virtual darts match between the two sets of folkies sometime. (And I don't mean throwing the darts at each other, that's not how darts matches work.

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: Sorcha
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 11:36 AM

FolkInfo.org.

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: Gypsy
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 11:32 AM

Jon? You still didn't give an address? Or is this by invitation only? I wanna join!

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 11:29 AM

Thanks, J Durbin. I didn't annouce it here but I am aware of Mr Happy giving it a mention yesterday.

I guess I should feel thrilled at finaly getting the project started but in truth my feelings are more of sadness and of fear that I may well end up failing...

I have mixed feelings over moderation in that I believe we need it but certianly hope that we don't become too heavy handed. That said, I do aim to try to keep the music forums reasonably on topic.

There is also a small community section (which of course as with any forum within the setup, members are able to choose to skip if that sort of thing doesn't interest them) where I hope that people would feel free to maybe oraganise a get together of like minded people or maybe even once in a while ask for help can feel free to do so.

This (currently member only - I can allow or dissalllow "Guest" posts in any forum) area certainly will have to be moderated and whether I like it or not, can not take too many posts as I am truely running on a shoe string - I have 7GB monthly transfer and 500Mb for around £17 per month which I can personally fund but I'm not sure how far that will take me... My priority has to be that folk music comes first...

I know I got angry and at times was too hard here but, in truth, I still wish things had not panned out the way they have but now they have, I hope I can offer something that some people enjoy.

Jon Freeman

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 11:12 AM

So where is it then?

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 11:02 AM

There wasn't a link included, Genie.

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: Genie
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 10:56 AM

JD, your "here" didn't blickify.

Subject: RE: New Folk Music Forum
From: GUEST,J Durbin
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 09:14 AM

P.S. Forgive me if you have announced here Jon, and I just missed the thread.

Subject: New Folk Music Forum
From: GUEST,J Durbin
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 09:13 AM

It looks as though Jon Freeman won't be announcing his new website forum here (he announced it two days ago in the Usenet folk music groups). For those of you who have been interested in an on-topic, moderated folk music forum, here it is!

Personally, I'm thrilled to see that Jon's hard work has finally come to fruition. Now it is up to those of us who are seeking a forum free of the excesses of both Usenet groups and Mudcat, to put our money where our mouths have been, and make of it what we will.

So, I hope people will join with me in congratulating Jon Freeman on putting HIS money where his mouth was, and actually doing something about creating another kind of folk music forum which doesn't exist anywhere else on the 'net. Not too many of us would do the same, obviously. So kudos to Jon!