Ken, In particular, of all that you said here, I was touched by: "...often need a channel of support to save themselves from being thrown away. We connect people." It's a risk for some people to just come out with it-- so here goes my short version and how I feel connected: First- the teasing hurts so good. If someone is never teased, how else can they feel noticed or cared about? Second, about not being thrown out: I suspect list-members are largely gregarious loners, extroverted introverts, and self-motivated largely hands-on learners and doers who are more generous with themselves than is usually the case in the trades and professions. I think the folks do not draw an arbitrary line between trades and professions. Me? I wanted to be an architect-builder from an early age. The Uof I dean said: no women. So I resumed my trade: sewing everything from chic-chic in Boston to truck tarps and tents in Idaho and eventually took a BFA. Later, after sewing, mothering, newspapering, farming, I earned a graduate degree in arch. Since, I have worked in offices, in construction and found myself on the outs twenty years ago becoming interested in fundamental technology (by hand and muscle) and my true love: bringing sad old buildings and neighborhoods into service with and for plain folk. This is not foreign to the Bullamanka folks but it is almost off the planet for the "industry" and "professions." I have made good friends with people in the trades. With Bullamanka and PTN, I have found a community of kindreds. I so wish we could have a grand gathering in a terrestrial place. Meantime... There's this amazing listserve. Thanks, folks for building it! Mary ps: dst pal lenses!! hands-on impresario Tegel Design + Planning On Nov 11, 2009, at 6:28 AM, Gabriel Orgrease <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Becker, Dan wrote: >> >> But it just goes to show you that even a small listserv with a few >> dedicated people pushing a button can together with others >> accomplish unexplainable things. >> > It was suggested to me that we need to have some sort of coming-of- > age party since BP is now a teenager. Any suggestions on how we can > orchestrate a virtual birthday party? > > Beside all that, we were asked to answer a survey for ICORS re: our > listserv. I would like to know what you feel! > > Here is the response that I provided (I am thinking about placing > this in various online nets and see what happens): > BP survey > > Please provide a brief description of your list: > > - Name: Bullamanka-Pinheads > > - URL/link to archives: To terminate puerile preservation prattling > among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html > > > > - Purpose: Connect practitioners and otherwise, often in remote or > urban locations around the earth, who are involved in the > preservation of the existing built environment, outreach, community > support, problem solving, education, idle entertainment. > > - Content Overview: Preservation of the existing built environment > within a closed-system earth, stories shared, help given, questions > answered, people connected > > - Subscribership: Just past 13 years of activity in October, > roughly 100 subscribers on average. Traditional trades > practitioners, writers, educators, architects, structural engineers, > architectural conservators, and the curious and friendly. > > Please provide one or two examples (without names/identifying > information) of how your list has helped its subscribers: Currently > one of our subscribers is in the Yucatan in the jungle attending an > environmental conference. He is a stonemason and a story teller and > as an avid audience we are keeping tabs on him. His writing stories > about his work and adventures, and the audience that he has through > the list, induced him to attend a week long writers conference in > Minnesota. Another member recently lost her PALS glasses while > traveling and we all pitched in with various comments to aid and > confuse her. Post-Katrina a number of subscribers participated on- > the-ground in various efforts in New Orleans, in particular to work > in the historic section of the Lower 9th Ward. We also recently > learned how to avoid cone nosed kissing bugs. > > Please describe how your list provides a unique service and benefits > to its subscribers: Serves as a community of support to answer to > the needs of individuals who are in the business of preserving the > built environment. It is relevant that the most green building is > the existing building that is not thrown away. The people who help > save old buildings often need a channel of support to save > themselves from being thrown away. We connect people. > > Please describe how your list makes use of various LISTSERV > features: As the subscribers have various levels of computer skills, > and various levels of connection to the internet, some of the > connections being dial-up or through their local library, and in > several different time zones, the lack of bells n’ whistles works be > st. We have tried in the past to move the community to web passed fo > rums and other forms of social networking and in all cases the resul > t was a total failure. We do not share photos, and we do not ascribe > to the correction of grammar or spelling. [We do have a special han > d signal with which to identify each other in public in RL. – this w > as not included in the survey response.] > > What is the one thing you would most like people to understand about > your email list? We long ago made a decision to promote quality of > subscriber over quantity. We play a lot of games, joke with each > other, and some people found the laughter to provide too high of a > noise:signal ratio. What we have found is that when people play > games together, that when real important business comes up that a > context exists with which we have a sense of trust in the sincerity > of the communications. Noise is not distraction, it is the > environment within which depth of relationships are cultivated. But > never never wax your porch screens with Thompson's Waterseal. > > What are some of the key issues and challenges facing your > subscribers and stakeholders? How does email list technology enable > you to assist them with these issues? E-mail is asymmetrical in > that a subscriber either participates in full, or does not > participate at all. It is difficult sometimes to control the > excessive flow of e-mails, to not overwhelm people in information > that they consider irrelevant to their own personal perspectives. > > Please provide a quote summarizing the way your list helps change > and improve people's lives: The CDC updates on people biting bats is > always a blessing. When all else fails we laugh about it. > > -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the > uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>