Hi Bill and the gang-
OK, so I'm going to Bouchercon again this year, after a one
year lay-off (damned Labor Day scheduling last year anyway),
and for the first time, I've applied to be placed on a panel.
The good news is that I got placed on one. The other news is
that it's one called "Online Readers' Groups", and I've been
drafted by the Madison Bouchercon Committee to represent Rara
Avis in a discussion between representatives of the following
groups:
Rara Avis
Lord Peter (I assume this is a forum for fans of Lord Peter
Whimsey)
Dorothy-L
Rec.Arts.Mystery
4M (I have no idea what this group represents)
Now, let me just say that I feel very honored and a bit
intimidated to be "representing" Rara Avis on a panel. I can
think of any number of Rara Avians whom I would have chosen
to represent the group before I would have chosen myself.
People like Bill Denton, John Lau, Jim Doherty, Al Guthrie,
Bill Crider, Miker, Karin Montin, Kerry Schooley, Jack
Bludis, Jeff Vorzimmer, Joy, and a host of others spring to
mind as truly viable candidates to fill this slot before I'd
think of myself.
That said, I'm thrilled to be on my first panel at
Bouchercon, and I'd like to do this fabulous list justice.
Most of you know me as that guy who mostly lurks but
occasionally pipes up with something about Chandler, Hammett,
MacDonald, et. al., if he thinks he's got something to add.
Others know me as that guy whose posts you delete unread
(especially if they're about certain authors whose initials
are M.S. or G. P. P.).
Either way, I'd like your input. Since it is the membership
of this list that defines it by its presence and by its
interaction, I'm going to copy a list of questions that we'll
be asked by the moderator for our panel, and solicit your
responses. I'd like to be able to at least try to give an
answer that represents the diverse membership of this list,
than just give my own canned responses.
So if you're interested in taking part in this very informal
poll, please feel free to respond to the following questions
offlist (don't want to clog the list up with this sort of
discussion).
Quote:
1."Let's find out more about each of the groups represented
on this panel. Tell us when your group was formed, how many
members it has and what the mission of your group is."
(obviously, I can get most of this information myself, but if
Bill Denton were to chime in on it, it wouldn't hurt my
feelings. I've only been a member for the past four years or
so).
2."Brian, your group is devoted to one aspect of the genre,
noir. Even before Yahoo, your group was in place for many
years. Again, how have you been able to maintain interest
over a long period of time?"
3. "How is your group run? Do you have someone who directs
things? To what degree is the group moderated?"
4. "Do you have many authors on your list? How does their
presence impact the ebb and flow of the list?"
5. "What do you, as a participant, get out of participating
in these online readers' forums?"
6. "What is the trade-off such as time spent
reading/responding to posts, involvement in discussions,
etc., that you invest for what you get out of it?"
7. "Do you think the members of your group have a 'sense of
community'? Are you aware of any relationships that the
members have formed outside of the group, either online or
off?"
8. "What do you think is the main appeal of your group for
your members?"
Also, FYI, aside from the audience question and answer period
allotted in this sort of panel format, there will be a
further scheduled opportunity for people who participate in
these lists to stand and give a brief response about what
they like about a part of them, etc., so if your schedule is
open on Saturday at 1:00 PM, I'd love to see a bunch of our
Rare Birds there.
All the Best-
Brian
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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