Attracting more member/users

[Zondrae]

G'day Vic and everone,

Vic asked how could we attract more member/users to the site..

Perhaps if all of us who get up in front of people - made it a point (before we learch into our poem) to mention the ABPA and particularly the website, we may stir up some new members.

It is not hard to remember 'abpa.org.au' and then go to 'forum'.

[Maureen K Clifford]

I have the ABPA link attached to my signature for any emails I send business or personal and it is amazing how many queries I get regarding it, and how many comments usually good from people who have gone to the link to check it out.

Member of Australian Bush Poets Association http://abpa.org.au/
ABC Pool Community Editor http://www.pool.org.au/users/mahalia

[keats]

I've been trying to encourage poets to join in since Frank's site was going, but many are not interested in Internet Forum Communication and have no intention of putting their new works up for show, as they are written for shows and comps and are pretty closely held possessions. I too would never publish a comp poem or a poem I was going to record, publish or enter in a comp here or on any other site.

People tend to think it is the older generation who are suspicious and frightened of the internet, but the generation below us are more so.

We can just keep trying to find writers around festivals and on our travels and try to guide them here. It is more a writer's forum. How many top performers do you see posting here regularly?

We can only persevere!!!

[warooa]

It's easy - just google, or goggle (depending on how many rums) ABPA and there you have it: American Backflow Prevention Association

I'll plug that!

On a serious note, though . . this forum is great for friendly banter, tips and info etc . . but for a newcomer who may be wanting to be interested in bush poetry are they faced with too many poems? I gotta admit I maybe read half them, if that and can remember being surprised when first joining the forum at the number of new poems posted each day. Like everyone I've got my favourites, but as has been alluded to nobody posts their best stuff for reasons already given. To avoid "bombarding" potential new forum/ABPA members with 'too much' perhaps there could be a 'gold' section - cream of the crop so to speak, where the top shelf stuff can be read. An example I doubt anyone would deny of recent would be Taffy Waits.

An idea

Cheers, Marty

[Zondrae]

Marty there is

but you access it from the homepage.

does anyone else know how hard it is to type in the dark. Trying not to wake the whole house, I shold post one answer exactly as it appears the first time.... but then you would think I'm a Kiwi.

[keats]

Well said both Martys. Just because a lot of us are computer nerds, it doesn't mean everyone is. I mean I'm not a serious Facebook user but I know a lot of people who live day to day on it. Their call. But send someone a happy birthday that hardly uses Facebook, then there is a pretty good chance they won't get it. Same here. We can carry on about what we want here, but we won't get a flood of poets joining us here. I can name you at least five times as many poets who don't use online forums as do. Be happy with the community that is here, some forums have basically noone.

[Maureen K Clifford]

That is an interesting comment because when you look at the number of actual members we have - all the works and comments are posted by the same few people maybe in our case about two dozen - we have in fact become somewhat elitist...and that then raises the question - just pondering here being a Devils advocate - that if it is always the same few that we regularly exchange ideas and comments and banter with, are they not just like our own family and so loath to make a cutting edge remark for fear of offending?

We get so much help from each other on this site and some terrific feedback, but are we preaching to the converted...and other sites I am on are exactly the same..it is like being on the P and C Committee, or the Scouts committee....always the few doing the work of many. that in no way is meant to take anything away from anybody on this site - but I often wonder how do we really know if what we are doing here or on any site is greeted with enthusiasm by the masses.

There are a hard core of folks out there and in here who are lovers of Bush Poetry and so there will always be audience, but are we reaching out and appealing to others. I don't know.

I send my stuff across the world, and my family forward it on to their friends and where it goes from there nobody knows. Does it light a spark in heart...sometimes it does because I have had people contact me and that of course is terrific and makes you feel it is worthwhile.

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it

-- Omar Khayyam

Suspect this bloke knew a thing or two.

Cheers

Maureen

[Terry]

Morning Everyone - Interesting subject

I know of poets who go to great lengths to make sure no one gets a sneak preview of their new work and in some cases their older work as well, if you want to read their older works you need to buy a book.
With the exception of Kym and perhaps Glenny (of the top of my head), it's hard to think of any of the top competition poets who post any of their top poems here, there are quite a few of the lesser known competition poets who have posted some of of their poems in the past but after finally accepting that this is in fact publishing them, will now only post them if they happen to win something. Some people apparently feel (rightly or wrongly) that you are allowing people to use your ideas, and the copyright symbol doesn't mean a thing really.
I haven't worried to much about it in the past figuring you'd need to be pretty desperate to want pinch any of mine, in fact I'd be quite chuffed to think anyone thought any of mine was worth using.
But saying all that I must fess up that I now no longer post anything I might want to enter in a comp. simply because I'd hate to have a poem knocked back because it was considered to have been published.

Just read Maureen's Post (she snuck it in while I was typing) I think you make some telling points Maureen.

Cheers All - Terry

[Leonie]

If it's just the site we are talking about, or rather just the forum, I suspect one of the major drawbacks is having to register and log in every time you want to read something that isn't in the public viewing area. And maybe the fact that some things are out there but not others is a bit of a drawback too. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you can access any poetry (apart from audio) from the public viewing area. If I was just now looking at the forum for the first time I might think that what was available without registering was all there was.

[mummsie]

Interesting topic guys, being a newy to the sight I would like to state my reasons for joining. Firstly, I love poetry, good reason to join you say, but reading is one thing, writing is another. Even in the later years of life one is never too old to learn, and learn I am. Since joining the sight I can feel a change in the way I view both writing and understanding the written word. Everyone Iv'e had contact with has been encouraging and helpful and I take guidance in all your comments. I enjoy going back and reading the poetry that has been submitted, sometimes I read them 2/3 times.Still got a LOT to read. The friendly banter that goes on here helps to bring a bit of humour to the day. You people are complete strangers to me, but I somehow feel I know you through your poetry and comments.Whenever I mention this sight to friends they say, 'never heard of it, will have to check it out' so I guess word of mouth is needed. A lot of people will stop and listen to a recital at a festival, it brings the words to life, but as for reading the written word, they show little interest. So stand up is maybe the way to go.
Sue