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Date Posted: 10:34:31 09/05/04 Sun
Author: doreen peri
Author Host/IP: 172.164.82.138
Subject: Re: LitKicks and where it's going
In reply to: Levi 's message, "LitKicks and where it's going" on 09:33:48 09/05/04 Sun

I'm sure it's going to be great, Levi!

I think, though, people who went to the litkicks boards regularly, were very disappointed that they closed down. I, for one, liked the interactivity.... i get inspired at a place which is active and where I can spin off other people's words to create writings of my own. I created a LOT of writings while on the LitKicks boards. Having them open all the time is a lot different than having events to write for on occasion. I'm all for change ... and I agree with you that standing still and keeping things the same isn't a good idea. My philosophy is always, "when in doubt, do both", but it sounds like you're not in doubt at all and the decision has been made between all of you to make a major change and eliminate the boards as we knew them.

The thing is, when things change, so do people. The community you built (the community WE built together... everybody who was there) was a strong one with a solid foundation. Now that the boards have been closed, those people who were regulars are sorta lost... they are roaming the internet looking for other places where they will be comfortable to write and engage in debate and conversation... trouble is, the places they are going are already established communities with totally different atmospheres or new communities with little activity. So, it's a conundrum.

I don't think anybody who came to the litkicks boards thought of the place as a business, either. So, when you say the businessman in you knows you should change things periodically, this may not translate well to the participants in the community. I'm not sure I understand what you mean myself.

I watched writers on the litkicks boards grow immensely during my 4 years there (4? 3-1/2? something like that). To have a place where you can write every day, every night, all the time... this is important to people. It's important, also, for growing writers to feel they are in a safe environment... by this i mean, a place where people have gotten to know them and where they feel their thoughts are welcome.

The events, though very successful and enjoyable and inspiring, are not every day experiences. And because they are very structured, it's way different than the boards were. I haven't seen what the October event will be like just like everybody else, and as I said, I'm sure it will be terrific! But there are people who want to write right NOW and whenever they want to write in an unstructured environment which those events won't supply.

As I told you before, I don't think eliminating the boards was the best thing to do .... and as you see, I'm not the only one disappointed. Whether your community will come back to LitKicks in full force to continue to be part of all the events you are planning remains to be seen. Many have disappeared entirely from what I can see, but that's just my vantage point.

I wish you the utmost success.....and I plan to partake in whatever adventures you have in store because i have been part of the litkicks community for a long time and will give my enthusiasm and creativity (if I can muster up any creativity) to the events and projects...

I must tell you, though, that while contributing to a series of excellent books is an exciting idea, I didn't consider my participation on the litkicks boards simply "chatting"..... No, I thought of it as my daily writing.... it was part of my work..... it was my working on developing craft while intermingling and being inspired by others who were developing theirs. There was way more to it than "chatting"... sure there was some chatting ...you even had the Mindless Chatter board set aside for that and as you said, "what's wrong with a little mindless chatter? we all need it sometimes"... People loved that place.

But as a whole, all the boards together... the poetry boards, the stories boards, the politics board, the publishing board... all of it... It was WAY more than chatting.. It was writers in a community inspiring each other and working on their craft and also engaging in debate and enlightening conversation.

I don't know why you wanted to eliminate that in order to take the site into another direction. I wish you hadn't and clearly I'm not alone. But, it was your decision.

Hopefully, the community members will come back together to be there for your events. Even if not all do, many will, I'm sure, and you will have new names and new participants as well.

I wish you had asked the community, however, whether they wanted the boards to stay or go. A vote would have been good.

But if the boards never satisfied you, really, then maybe asking everyone would have been futile because you had already made a decision about it.

I'd like to think that a community should have some say in what happens, though. But it's not my site, it's yours. And again, I truly wish you all the best success and I will be there to support whatever efforts you undertake.

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