This week I have been thinking about the internet and its promised abilities for fostering communication and discussion— I have been feeling isolated from the music making community down here and have been trying to use “the internet” to reach out and make new friends, new contacts. I started by asking on f**ebook, and ended up changing the settings of this blog to make it open to submissions from anyone who wants to contribute. Below are selections from the back-and-forth. I really would like to either find or help create some internet “place” for serious daily music discussion. In the past bbses, newsgroups, and email lists used to be where that happened. I remember getting really into the voxshowroom bbs mailing list. I’ll keep reporting on what I find…
Who talks about music? Do people talk about music? I spent a few hours last week signing up for yahoo email groups and investigating irc chats— which are apparently now run with java aps?! I am willing (and excited) to start an email list, chat group, or learn whatever millenial social networking techniques necessary— but I would love to get in some heavy TALKING. I am really missing FLEXING BRAINS and thinking about how things could be.
Cyrus Pireh come on y’all, don’t just “like” it, lets get something GOING
Catherine Pavlov Okay, I drove in the rain today listening to Art Blakey in Sweden, and, can I tell you, that is one perfect recording?!
Cyrus Pireh Catherine, is this the recording?: http://youtu.be/_-QKP0YSZtg if so, i see what you mean. it is burning! i used to drive up to the Bronx two or three times a week listening to Blakey et al on wkcr when I had to move the car for the street sweeper. After a while i got hip and just double parked and read in the car until the sweeper went by. As much as i loved the dunkin doughnuts in the bronx, by staying on the street i got to meet my neighbors— one of which was dr. lonnie smith the hammond keyboard player. i still wish i had not been too shy to take him up on his offer to jam. i have the ear, but not the training to hang in a jazz group and was worried about either embarrassing myself or offending him.
Cyrus Pireh mark, yes i know the 100 people, but getting them to participate is another matter. i am still wondering if there is already a group of people out there doing it that i would much rather join and collaborate with instead of re-inventing the wheel. today i was disappointed to discover that the yahoo email lists i joined that i thought were full of fruitful discussion are just choked with spam mail… . The internet helps me communicate with people i already know, but how do you find people you don’t already know?
Mark Shaffer I see what you’re saying. I used to subscribe to these lists that were so micro-niche-ed it was ridiculous. Like “we only talk about New Order” or “we only talk about industrial but not anything ‘mainstream’ and we get to decide what’s ‘mainstream’ and what isn’t.” Of course the lists would all die out, or I would get so disgusted I would cancel my subscription. I’d suggest just starting something with your friends- they seem pretty open-minded- and let them invite people and those people will invite people etc. So long as there is decent discussion it should reach “critical mass” soon enough.
Mark Shaffer OK, well then get something GOING already. You know probably 100 people who will gladly participate.
Cyrus Pireh that’s a good idea mark. One of the things i don’t like about facebook is that i’m sure this post is already off of most people’s page of “recent updates” or whatever so how will they even know there is a conversation going on to join? do you still do email? i have been feeling a vibe of anti-email since i joined facebook 5 months ago or so. maybe there is a feature of facebook i have missed that works more like a bbs/chatroom/etc instead of blips in the void that disappear if you miss them— i will look into it deeper.
Mark Shaffer I agree about facebook trying to kill e-mail. But you can “trick” facebook so to speak by setting up an “event.” Set up a bulletin board, or e-mail list, or whatever, outside of facebook. Then set up an “invite” on facebook which will tell everyone you want to know about such bulletin board. The problem then is finding where to host such bulletin board.
Anthony Ptak If you build it, they will talk.
Arun Bhalla I suggest checking out Google Groups. There may be some existing groups that you may want to join or even some Usenet newsgroup that might possibly still be active and not too spammy. Otherwise set up one of your own and invite everyone you know. I’m not too keen on using Facebook for serious dialogue. It seems okay for short thoughts and organizing for an event but not so much for long-term discussions.
Cyrus Pireh Thanks for the suggestions Mark and Arun. I have signed up for some google groups and found a couple facebook groups to sign up to as well. i will try those out for a while before thinking about starting something new— i feel like i already know everyone i know and re-organizing them into yet another online aggregation isn’t going to yield what i’m looking for. i am not closed to it, but am first wanting to make sure i’m not missing other groups out there already doing it— if anyone else has ideas or suggestions, please keep them coming!
Paul Riismandel Google groups is one option, as far as email lists are concerned. So is creating a facebook group, which puts alerts about people’s contributions into your feed. I’ve always had difficulties carrying on long conversations online, for any number of reasons. I was semi-active on lists about King Crimson and Negativland/plunderphonics back in the 1990s, but it was difficult to keep up. Personally, I kind of like the group-blog/tumblr approach.
Cyrus Pireh group-blog as in a blog that multiple people contribute articles or content to? i have been trying to start conversations by commenting on other people’s blogs but those rarely make it past one reply. Jay had turned me onto some single author blogs talking about music that were really good, but have since devolved into endless facebook links to videos. what about message boards? they are not my fav, but i definitely spent alot of time on those back in the day. are there any good ones out there dealing with experimental music that anyone knows of?
