What do our poets enjoy the most at MM?, Central theme for IBPC boards Options

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hello and thanks for reading this thread!

The participating boards of the IBPC (InterBoard Poetry Competition) have been asked to raise discussion around the question, "What is at, or what is it about our forum, that the poets enjoy most?"

To quote part of Rus' email, he mentions that this question comes from two places.

"1. There were 7 forums that did not enter poems this month, some that would have wanted to (and two that withdrew from future comps, The Maelstrom and The Writer's Block). What if they could create activities or formats, something got sparked, that would attract or keep poets at their sites, or would help them rebuild after personal calamities and illnesses and such? If we can learn from each other, perhaps some forums might develop cliques and buddy up with reps who find themselves on the same visionary wavelengths.

2. This a bit more involved: If we all come to a place of keen understanding of what it is about the sister boards that is best for the poets, then the upcoming IBPC blog, Voices in Synergy, succeeds as we all will come to know how to put our best feet forward--and in unison, come from a keen, informed, communal understanding.

To reinterate Rus' closing remarks:
"No matter whether we want growth, or just want to make a place better for our poets, or get some ideas for new features and such, this e-mail loop is to make us all the smarter. It works if we make it work, and the more the merrier and the better we, and ultimately the poets of the community, are for it.

It is only through IBPC that internet poetry forums are truly able to consider themselves part of a larger community. Let's do this thing we have."

I look forward to your feedback - I will be sharing the responses with the IBPC and its forum reps.

Thank you!
~Lori

[Psyche]

Hi again, Lori & all!

I notice that I said on April 12th. that I'd login again 'after lunch'....LOL.... I've had lots of lunches since then!!

I think everything has been said by all. I agree with everybody. Kinda strange! Or perhaps it's proof that MM is a friendly place to be in, so that each in our individual fashion, basically have similar goals and dreams....ah, dreams!

Dreams reminds me that I think we should strive to reach out to the general public, not by being less strict with ourselves regarding the basic 'rules' of poetry, but by observing what goes on around us, what happens to us & our friends, the world and so on, and then writing about it. Trying not to be too hermetic in our style, which is OK too, but doesn't attract a wide audience. Natch, most poets here at MM do that, I just wanted to point it out.

Rus's point 1. is important, I agree with him. We are communities, and as such should encourage support and exchange of some personal news (though not too much...LOL...in the forums). Trouble is, writing one's Bio & posting it is a drag for me, I don't feel I have anything interesting to say, except in flashes, here & there, in a post or a poem. Shame on me, I've only just seen that I NEVER replied to any of the comments on the bit of Bio that I wrote long ago....about my childhood!! Soooooorry, folks! Hope to make belated replies asap...

Bev's comment about the Internet being great for lonely people is SO right. Since my husband's internment, I live with my cat Scarlett... I do get out and do quite a lot of things, but the Internet is a blessing. Bless you all!!

Challenges and comps are also important. I don't do the challenges for the moment, coz I bring my husband home on weekends, and he keeps me busy. And then the week starts, and other stuff crops up....but I'll try to join in again!!!

I wonder about a forum with "Theme" poetry? Nature, Life, Love, Death, Humor, War, etc... It may not be advantageous in any special way, except that in my case....LOL... it would help me to organize my poetry better. It could be for people to post their poems AFTER they've been critted & revised in the forums. Just a thought, probably because I've been helping a disabled friend to organize her LOVE poetry, since she's been offered publication in France, in a bilingual collection (Spanish-French, each poem alongside the other). She's thrilled but can't copy & paste all her stuff in one Word.doc to send to the publishers, who want only this theme, got me? So I'm halfway through this job of picking out LOVE from her jumble of work, and the deadline is April 29th.!

As I continue thinking along these lines, a theme poetry showcase would help disabled people a lot, since it would allow them to post their poetry neatly, even if they can't participate in the forums. At least they'd join a community, and be included....

Well, I'll stop waffling on. Need my lunch again!
Cheers to all,
Syl *** .... and I apologize for my rather unprofessional way of posting my ideas. Bye!