The Ning Banjo Network Site - Yes or No?

[RobMac]

Well, guys, it's been a month now since I created the site. I said
initially that I would give it a month, then pull it down if folk
think it isn't working. Let me know what you think. This is my take on
it:

These sites work well with memberships of around 100 to 500 people. So
far we have only 32 members.

The sites rely on members to contribute videos, soundfiles, etc. So
far we only have seven videos, thirty five pictures and fourteen
discussions.

Some well-known players with videos on YouTube have not joined.

I asked for co-administrators, but no-one came forward.

Some people like the site a lot, but without new contributions, I
suspect even they might return less often.

So, overall, from my perspective, the site is not running as well as
the other ning sites I frequent. I'm wondering if its creation has
been seen as divisive or insensitive? I said from the start that that
was not my intention. Maybe there is just not enough people interested
in the subject? I'd like your thoughts on the subject: Should It Stay
or Should It Go? Be honest. I have no ego stock in this. Say what you
think.

Rob Mackillop

[Michael Randolph]

Thanks, Rob.  I'm happy with the Google Minstrel Banjo group.  My impression of the ning site approach is that it looks amateurish in comparison and calls for more personal information than I feel comfortable broadcasting on the Internet.  I do admit I haven't given it much of a chance, partly due to inertia and the fact that I have dialup.  I think the new approach has diminished participation with the existing group.  Nonetheless, I do appreciate your efforts to enhance communication.  - Mike --- On Sat, 10/25/08, RobMac <lutep...@googlemail.com> wrote:

[Rob MacKillop]

Thanks for your honesty, Mike. Much appreciated. 'Looks amateurish in comparison' - in comparison to what, might I ask? This group? BanjoHangout? Possibly true. Not sure what personal information was asked. But I'm not cross-examining you, Mike, as you are entitled to your views, which, for all I know, might well be common.

 

Your comment that 'I think the new approach has diminished participation with the existing group' is worrying, and indicates a situation which I feared had in fact happened. Obviously, that was never my intention, and I repeat that I will take it down in an instant if that is the majority view, and apologise profusely for having needlessly stirred things up. I was going by my experience with other groups, who have almost whole-heartedly given the thumbs up to the ning networks. There is no reason, of course, why that should be repeated here.

 

More views pro and contra welcome.

 

Rob

2008/10/26 Michael Randolph <mran...@rocketmail.com>

[Carl Anderton]

This site has always run hot and cold. The current cold spate is
perhaps due to your new site, but I wouldn't sweat it. The best thing
that has ever come out of this site has been the connections that we
have made, and the two get-togethers near Sharpsburg. The scholarship
on display there was the kind of thing you just don't get on the net.

I would encourage you to put everything into the Ning site. You have
a good thing going there. A sucessful site must have an active
administrator. For some reason the administration here has never been
very active. I don't know why, but it's no big loss. All I know is
Thank God for guys like Greg Adams and Tim Twiss who are all about
elevating the scene, as opposed to the relentless self-justification
you see from a certain special person in his many guise's here. I
leave you to him. Enjoy!

On Oct 26, 10:20 am, "Rob MacKillop" <luteplay...@googlemail.com>
wrote:

> Thanks for your honesty, Mike. Much appreciated. 'Looks amateurish in
> comparison' - in comparison to what, might I ask? This group? BanjoHangout?
> Possibly true. Not sure what personal information was asked. But I'm not
> cross-examining you, Mike, as you are entitled to your views, which, for all
> I know, might well be common.
>
> Your comment that 'I think the new approach has diminished participation
> with the existing group' is worrying, and indicates a situation which I
> feared had in fact happened. Obviously, that was never my intention, and I
> repeat that I will take it down in an instant if that is the majority view,
> and apologise profusely for having needlessly stirred things up. I was going
> by my experience with other groups, who have almost whole-heartedly given
> the thumbs up to the ning networks. There is no reason, of course, why that
> should be repeated here.
>
> More views pro and contra welcome.
>
> Rob
>

> 2008/10/26 Michael Randolph <mrando...@rocketmail.com>

>
>
>
> >   Thanks, Rob.  I'm happy with the Google Minstrel Banjo group.  My
> > impression of the ning site approach is that it looks amateurish in
> > comparison and calls for more personal information than I feel comfortable
> > broadcasting on the Internet.  I do admit I haven't given it much of a
> > chance, partly due to inertia and the fact that I have dialup.  I think the
> > new approach has diminished participation with the existing group.
> > Nonetheless, I do appreciate your efforts to enhance communication.  - Mike
>

> > --- On *Sat, 10/25/08, RobMac <luteplay...@googlemail.com>* wrote:

> > Rob Mackillop- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[RaiseTheHatchet]

I think the site is great. As Carl said it's nice that the
administrator is very active and the format is good. Lot's of
potential I think membership will increase over time.

[Colporteur]

I really like the ning site. The format is great, and I really like
the potential it has for sharing.

[David Miller]

Rob -

I was just getting used to this site so I admit I'm was a little
confused by the Ing activity, but no harm in having both, is there?

And I think the administrator here is fine. I don't know what the
"welcome to him" thing is all about so can't say if there's anything
that should be done on that score.

But thanks for making the new tool available, and I'd say give it some
more time.

Dave

[Tim Twiss]

I believe it will be low traffic and not a lot of members, but this
should not be a discouragement towards keeping the site.
Without it, we have one less cybertavern to hang out in.
tt

[RobMac]

Hi Tim,

I hope we are going to get a full report of your trip to the
mountains?

Rob

[Daniel Partner]

I don't think the ning site is divisive at all. And insensitive? Hey, this is minstrelsy.

 

Ning is certainly more up-to-date in terms of internet technology than email groups like this one, which used to be called listserves. I was on one of these in the ancient ages, circa 1995.

 

Just a note, since you set up the ning site, Rob, there has been nearly no activity here on the Tom Briggs minstrel banjo group. I thought this was because everyone migrated to ning. Apparently not. -- DP

> wrote:

Internal Virus Database is out-of-date.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.549 / Virus Database: 270.8.2/1738 - Release Date: 10/21/2008 2:10 PM

[Daniel Partner]

Re: Traffic on this group.

To clarify my earlier post. I don't thing the ning site was responsible for the decrease in posts here. If so, there would have been more activity at ning. -- DP

2008/10/26 Michael Randolph <mran...@rocketmail.com>

[Rob MacKillop]

There are 22 members on this group and only 34 on the ning group. That's why I thought there might be silent opposition from folks here, and I have no intention of upsetting them. Still feel that way.

 

Tell you what... I'll take the site down, and if anyone else wants to start it up, they can. You now know what it can do. I always felt, and still feel, that it should be more-established guys from this site who would create and administer it. Over to you, whoever you are.

 

Rob

[GCA]

I am sorry to see the Ning site go and am sorry that I have not had
time to post on either site lately. I also want to commend Rob on his
initiative to try to broaden our collective web-presence. I am anxious
to hear how he develops with his stroke style playing. For that
matter, I hope everyone is still playing and working up new material.

I just had a gig with Chuck Krepley's band, Home Front, at the
Blenheim Estate in Fairfax, VA with my Hartel Ashborn repro that just
got a new head. What a happier bark it now has. FYI, the Blenheim
Estate includes a great old house that is filled top-to-bottom with
Civil War era graffiti. Unfortunately, there were no period drawings
of banjos.

I also recently started publicly playing Money Musk from the Briggs
book (it's such a fun tune) and rethinking my personal approach to
structurally analyzing stroke style playing from the Briggs and Rice
tutors.

Hope to see some of you around,
Greg


On Nov 2, 11:18 am, "Rob MacKillop" <luteplay...@googlemail.com>
wrote:

[Carl Anderton]

On Nov 2, 10:18 am, "Rob MacKillop" <luteplay...@googlemail.com>
wrote:

> There are 22 members on this group and only 34 on the ning group. That's why
> I thought there might be silent opposition from folks here, and I have no
> intention of upsetting them. Still feel that way.

I don't think there was any "silent opposition" to your site, Rob.
This is a really small genre. Very few people actually play minstrel
banjo. And only a few of the few ever post here or there.

I didn't join your group because of the ubiquitous presence of Captain
Jackass, aka Dave Miller, aka Cool Carol Anne Derton, aka Danny
Wikes. I have no need for further contact with such a person. He was
a such a consistantly self-justifying, sneering, disruptive presence
here that he was banned. He's back, of course, so I tend to avoid
this site anymore. I noticed on your site that he was back to his old
tricks, in one particularly snotty reply to Joel H. He deleted it
eventually. Maybe people like him have to be tolerated on these
sites. I don't need it. His only problem here is that when he
reverts to his old style, he out's himself.

These chat sites are an amusing diversion, but we should all focus on
what really matters- gut strings, skin heads, and HIP music. And get-
togethers. We need to do that soon.

[David Miller]

Rob -

Well, thanks for the effort I guess. The Ning seemed just to be
picking up steam, and there were more members there than here, but
that is your call. As you say someone else here can pick it up if
they wish. I would but there are those more experienced in this hobby.

Dave Miller

[Timothy Twiss]

I thought this (Briggs) site had 222 members.
tt

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom-B...@googlegroups.com [mailto:Tom-B...@googlegroups.com] On
Behalf Of David Miller
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2008 8:40 PM
To: Minstrel Banjo
Subject: Re: The Ning Banjo Network Site - Yes or No?

[RaiseTheHatchet]

a shame, was a good format

[trapdoor2]

Hit the "about this group" link over to the right. 207 members, 22
active.

Is it possible that someone could re-activate the ning group...as it
was (retaining the files, links, etc.)?

No, I'm not signing up to do that...I have far too much on my plate as
it is. Just curious though.

===Marc

> > Dave Miller- Hide quoted text -

[King Bennett]

never looked at it, I am sure it was good.  I am sick about the election...KB --- On Wed, 11/5/08, RaiseTheHatchet <RaiseTh...@gmail.com> wrote:

From: RaiseTheHatchet <RaiseTh...@gmail.com> Subject: Re: The Ning Banjo Network Site - Yes or No?

[Colporteur]

I'm willing to give it a shot if Rob is willing to give me a hand. I
don't know if all of the pertinent data was saved or if we have to re-
create things from scratch I really don't know too much about what is
involved, but I do write software for a living, so I should be able to
pick up on things.

Hopefully this won't require hours and hours of time, which is
something I don't have.

[Rob MacKillop]

Just go to ning.com and click create. I'd be surprised if it took more than ten minutes of your time. Probably only half that. I have no software or specialist computer skills. You just make a few selections - colour, name, etc - and it's all done for you.

 

Good luck,

 

Rob

2008/11/5 Colporteur <masc...@comcast.net>

[Colporteur]

For better or worse, I've put the site back up. I'm willing to give
it a try. Feel free to log in. If nobody (literally) joins in the
next month then I will take the site down.

On Nov 6, 1:54 am, "Rob MacKillop" <luteplay...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Just go to ning.com and click create. I'd be surprised if it took more than
> ten minutes of your time. Probably only half that. I have no software or
> specialist computer skills. You just make a few selections - colour, name,
> etc - and it's all done for you.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Rob
>

> 2008/11/5 Colporteur <mascia...@comcast.net>

>
>
>
>
>
> > I'm willing to give it a shot if Rob is willing to give me a hand.  I
> > don't know if all of the pertinent data was saved or if we have to re-
> > create things from scratch  I really don't know too much about what is
> > involved, but I do write software for a living, so I should be able to
> > pick up on things.
>
> > Hopefully this won't require hours and hours of time, which is

> > something I don't have.- Hide quoted text -

[Joel H.]

On Nov 5, 3:40 pm, King Bennett <kingbee4...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>...I am sick about the election...KB


This is a bit random and unnecessary.