The List and the Forum

[Widds]

Thanks for the kind words about the Milestones Calendar (http://plus.calendars.net/fairport). It's been a labour of love.

Friends have told me that both I and it were being talked about here, so I thought I'd take a rare look. 

For those new(ish) to Fairport communication on the Internet, and who ask "who is this Widds" - the answer is that this Widds is/was a very active member of the Fairport email list who is/was against the setting up of this board in the first place, as I considered (rightly) that it would detract from and dillute what was then a very lively, vibrant email list. I don't post here very often for that reason, and because I'm usually too busy doing other things to keep up with a bulletin board rather than email - but those are old and boring arguments.

As for Judy's contribution to the band's history, of course it is not adequately reflected in one calendar entry. But because it's a calendar, any such contributions/events need to be linked to a date. I'd be very keen to receive any suggestions for suitable dates connected to Judy's time in Fairport, or indeed any other events in the bands' history. Email me at fcdates@blueyonder.co.uk

Oh, and by the way Judy, we have met at Cropredy. I can't recall whether I bit you or not 


(...For reference, this topic was extracted from one entitied "Through the Year with Fairport" which can be found  here. Cheers Nick ...)

[jude]

bit me?

I'll try and find some accurate details to send

Jude

[claire]

I've just read Widds' post above (still haven't worked out how to quote yet, so won't paste bits of it in here).  A lot of us here are relative newcomers to all things Fairport on the internet, so don't know the history that has obviously upset a few people.

I don't know how an "e-mail list" works, having never been part of one, but surely there's room for all of us??  I think there must be some members of both Widds' "list" and Talkawhile on here (Chris?) as I've seen mention of the FC List before and have even linked to bits of it (the Cropredy info pages, now mostly on the FC website, are excellent,)  but you have to subscribe, and that puts me off as there's nothing to see to show you what you get when you do!!  Perhaps someone can enlighten me?

Can't we all be friends?  We all love Fairport and love reading about them!!  And Widds, I'm sure you don't bite really!  

[Chris]

I don't know how an "e-mail list" works, having never been part of one, but surely there's room for all of us??  I think there must be some members of both Widds' "list" and Talkawhile on here (Chris?) as I've seen mention of the FC List before and have even linked to bits of it (the Cropredy info pages, now mostly on the FC website, are excellent,)  but you have to subscribe, and that puts me off as there's nothing to see to show you what you get when you do!!  Perhaps someone can enlighten me?

Yeah, I'm a long-standing member of both, and partake in both whenever anything interesting appears on there. I also ensure that anything interesting appears in both places....

It's rerally a matter of choice - you've got this forum, meaning you have to be online while you're reading it. The email 'list' means getting a series of emails - you both send emails with your comments & receive others from other members. These emails arrive in your inbox (in date / time order if everything is working) and as such, can be downloaded & read at your leisure offline. You choose which you wish to reply to, if any (preferably after reading them all so that you don't repeat something someone else has just said!).

There is also a 'digest' which is usually one big email a day, containing a list of all the individual emails posted in the last 24 hours), usually at 6pm each day. This helps to keep the number of emails down. However, if you find that you want to reply often, individual emails are easier to reply to.

It does take less time to read the emails that even just the Fairport board on this forum, so you pays your money & takes your choice really.

[koho (Koen)]

The difference between the mailing list (est. 1997?) and this forum -speaking rather subjectively as someone who simply likes the forum better- seems to me that in the former you have to wade through loads of gibberish, blah-blah and occasional nastiness (not to mention those people who include the whole message they're replying to, which makes the digest too often near unreadable) whereas this forum is neatly set up and as a user you can comfortably skip loads of subjects which for him/her aren't interesting, and focus on those which are.

I used to be a very active member on the emailing list from 1997 till 2000 or so. Loads of people from the olde List days have unsubscribed over the years as things got sometimes unpleasant and way too often downright boring ... and to me it seems to have evolved into a discussion list of occasionally very, very pedantic people. Why am I still on it (as a lurker) - I really don't know. Am I sad?

But I find this forum so much more pleasant. So it's up with the fez as far as I'm concerned  (sorry James!)

Really though, I'm sure there's a place for both a mailing list and a forum (they've both existed for a while now) ... in the end I have no idea why Widds says the forum "detracts" (well, he does consider this, quote, "rightly" ... so I am sure he must be right). Live and let live; fans who wish to communicate with each other can surely make up their mind what they prefer: email discussions or a forum. Or they don't have to prefer anything and they can happily be active on both. There's no need for an Us and Them - as Chris says, it's all down to what you prefer. I happen to prefer the forum and I say that as a previously very active mailing list user.

Topic drift alert, though. Yellow card! ;-)

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

I'm not entirely sure why a comparison is being drawn at all.

The mailing list is purely about Fairport Convention. Because it works on emails, it's very important that it stays on topic, as otherwise it would soon become overwhelming and confusing.

This board is very broadly based around the Fairport genre and is designed to handle dozens of simultaneous topics.

It was started when un-metered Internet access became common and so bulletin boards were suddenly much more popular. (I stumbled a across an alumni one and thought it was rather fun.)

The other main different is that this board is moderated and the mailing list isn't. That's just personal preference.

[jude]

And just to stay completely not on topic, I did try the FC list but got totally confused.

I like it here

Jude

[claire]

So do I.  I don't really want to go anywhere else!

[mikec]

The difference between the mailing list (est. 1997?) and this forum -speaking rather subjectively as someone who simply likes the forum better- seems to me that in the former you have to wade through loads of gibberish, blah-blah and occasional nastiness (not to mention those people who include the whole message they're replying to, which makes the digest too often near unreadable) whereas this forum is neatly set up and as a user you can comfortably skip loads of subjects which for him/her aren't interesting, and focus on those which are.

I used to be a very active member on the emailing list from 1997 till 2000 or so. Loads of people from the olde List days have unsubscribed over the years as things got sometimes unpleasant and way too often downright boring ... and to me it seems to have evolved into a discussion list of occasionally very, very pedantic people. Why am I still on it (as a lurker) - I really don't know. Am I sad?

But I find this forum so much more pleasant. So it's up with the fez as far as I'm concerned  (sorry James!)

Really though, I'm sure there's a place for both a mailing list and a forum (they've both existed for a while now) ... in the end I have no idea why Widds says the forum "detracts" (well, he does consider this, quote, "rightly" ... so I am sure he must be right). Live and let live; fans who wish to communicate with each other can surely make up their mind what they prefer: email discussions or a forum. Or they don't have to prefer anything and they can happily be active on both. There's no need for an Us and Them - as Chris says, it's all down to what you prefer. I happen to prefer the forum and I say that as a previously very active mailing list user.

Topic drift alert, though. Yellow card! ;-)

And i'll red card meself in a minute but...
I agree with Koho and would add this. I've been a member of the mailing list since 1999/2000 and it was one of the main avenues for FC fans to exchange views, reviews etc. I for one wasn't totally happy when the Board was set up as I liked getting emails in my inbox every day and being able to read them when I wanted. I felt that having to log onto a board to find out what was happening would take up too much of my time.
But, although in the early days of the board the discussion on the mailing list was still frequent and diverse it was soon apparent that a large number of 'members' had disappeared. Eventually I presumed they had found their way to the board and wandered across myself.
I agree it is a different way of communicating compared to a mailing list but have to agree with others that the discussion here is far more diverse, less pedantic, and, usually more passionate (thanks Ces and sorry James)

I think amongst other things its a sign of times moving on and BBs replacing mailing lists (at least for discussion).

I do think it sad though that some still look on it as us & them. Each to their own I say. I happen to prefer the board most of the time but still 'lurk' on the mailing list (must be careful not to bump into koho ), as there are interesting and fun discussion to be had there as well. Just in a different way.

[Malcolm]

If you got as many business emails as I do, to say nothing of the plethora of jokes of varying degrees of funniness sent by friends/pals etc, you would be glad of the calm and tranquillity offered by the Board, to say nothing of the photos of the contributors. (Not mine, I haven't got a digital camera, living out in the wilds- we don't even have gas in the village)

M of F

[Cocker Freeman]

I think the Fairport List was set up in 1996, certainly before '97 anyway.

There was a very sprightly community there and still is to some extent now. I still receive emails and read them periodically. There's some interesting stuff gets posted. I still think it's a useful medium but, as others have said, the tone is different from the board.

I still use the Turnpike dial-up programme to connect and that organises the mailing list very effectively into threads. Don't ask me how I originally subscribed though, it was so long ago.

[Mix (Mic)]

For me this Board beats the List hands down, having said that, I think the World Wide Web is plenty big enough for both, indeed all Forums and Lists. If you don't like or are not interested in a particular place......don't go to it. That's what I do anyway, if a place looks as if it might be interesting I have a look see.....if it turns out to be boring or rubbish or just not my kind of thing I don't go back. I can't see the need for being 'nasty' about anywhere really, you pays your money you takes your choice.
And anyway........Talkawhile is best

Mic

[Shane (Skirky)]

As I understand it, The List comprises mostly members who refuse to have their free speech edited (as is quite rightly their right), and the Board those who don't mind the Pravda and Big Brotheresque Macchiavellian puppetry employed on them by The Moderators under their shadowy nefarious figurehead. Or 'Colin', if you prefer. Personally, I don't mind being mothered - I've asked for a couple of amendments myself in the past, and I think that helped avoid unnecessary offence being caused. I'd be interested to see what's being said on The List about this thread but, tellingly, not interested enough to sign up. I'd heartily recommend further investigation on the part of curious readers however, as the easiest mind to make up is always your own.
Skirky    

[Chris]

I'd be interested to see what's being said on The List about this thread but, tellingly, not interested enough to sign up.

Errrrr......zilch, nuffing, sweet f.a.

Possibly because they know it'll get reported here, possibly because they care about as much as you don't....

[Shane (Skirky)]

Possibly because they know it'll get reported here, possibly because they care about as much as you don't....

'We' Chris, surely? 
SK

[Cocker Freeman]

As I understand it, The List comprises mostly members who refuse to have their free speech edited (as is quite rightly their right), and the Board those who don't mind the Pravda and Big Brotheresque Macchiavellian puppetry employed on them by The Moderators under their shadowy nefarious figurehead. Or 'Colin', if you prefer. Personally, I don't mind being mothered - I've asked for a couple of amendments myself in the past, and I think that helped avoid unnecessary offence being caused. I'd be interested to see what's being said on The List about this thread but, tellingly, not interested enough to sign up. I'd heartily recommend further investigation on the part of curious readers however, as the easiest mind to make up is always your own.
Skirky     

Yeah, Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.

Four posts good, two posts bad.

[Shane (Skirky)]

Yeah, Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.

It's a knack...
SK

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

I can't help feeling, that in the interest of irony, I should do a spot of moderating here.

[Sandra]

Yes. Go on Colin.

Cut and slash. Cut and slash.

I know, you could change the smiley in Skirky's last post. I think it is unsuitable.

Colin says: Well here's a smiley for you. Naughty Sandy

[Barry]

These crypto-fascist tendencies are very worrying, head Vogon.

I mean ..... why have they taken so long to surface?     

Resistance is futile!

(OOh! What a give away!)