Hello all,
I've started to become aware of a few trends in the community around the
Shared Weight Callers list:
1. The list volume has increased
2. The subject matter is increasingly focused on tiny details of the
calling experience, usually only of interest to someone who has been
calling for many, many years. And these details are debated at length
(increasing the volume of the list).
3. People are leaving. Not in mass droves, but a noticeable amount. And
some are telling me that the list does not serve their needs.
This list was started 9 years ago (next week!) with the express purpose
of supporting and encouraging the newer caller. An open forum where the
most basic of question was not only tolerated, but celebrated. We
succeeded in creating that community for many years, but lately, that
vision seems to have been lost along the way. It would be a shame to
lose that part of what made this group special.
Seth and I started this list, but all we did was start the ball rolling.
This is your community, your forum for discussion. I will support
whatever this list wants to become. I just want us to be conscious and
deliberate about deciding what it will be.
So, let's start a discussion about the Purpose of the List and the
future of Shared Weight. Here are some thoughts to consider:
A. Since there seems to be a split in the discussion, should we split
the list? On one side is experienced callers discussing master-level
details of calling, programming, teaching and history. On the other side
is the mentoring of newer callers who need help at the apprentice and
journeyman levels. We could start a [email protected] list
quite easily. People could change their subscription based on their
interest.
B. If we keep this list as-is, how do we make it easy for someone to
determine what will be relevant to their level of interest? How do we
know when to ask someone to take their debate of a trivial issue off list?
C. How do we keep the experience of the list useful and relevant to the
most number of people at the widest range of experience levels?
Thanks to all of you for your participation, whether you post, or just
lurk. I love being a part of the traditional dance community and
especially part of our subset of dance callers.
Happy Dancing,
Chris Weiler
SharedWeight Founder/admin/moderator
Craftsbury, VT
